Parachromis managuensis
Parachromis managuensis is a large species of cichlid native to freshwater habitats in Central America, where it is found from Honduras to Costa Rica.[2] The binomial name refers to Lake Managua in Nicaragua, from which the holotype was obtained.[3] It is a food fish and is also found in the aquarium trade where it is variously known as the jaguar cichlid, managuense cichlid, managua cichlid, guapote tigre, Aztec cichlid, spotted guapote and jaguar guapote.[2] In Costa Rica it is known as the guapote tigre.[4] Males grow to a total length of 35 centimetres (14 in) and females to 30 centimetres (12 in).[2]
| Parachromis managuensis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Parachromis |
| Species: | P. managuensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Parachromis managuensis (Günther, 1867) | |
| Synonyms | |
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P. managuensis is a carnivorous, highly predatory species. Its diet consists mainly of small fish and macroinvertebrates. It prefers turbid, eutrophic lakes, often found in warm water depleted of oxygen. Its native substrate is mud-bottoms, but it can also be found in ponds and springs with sandy bottoms covered in plant debris. The species inhabits lakes in a tropical climate and prefers water with a 7.0–8.7 pH, a water hardness of 10–15 dGH, and a temperature range of 25 to 36 °C (77 to 97 °F).[2]
Description
P. managuensis is the most commonly traded species of its genus and is greatly valued among the aquarium trade. As with all members of the genus, it is a large, aggressive, and territorial member of Cichlidae. P. managuensis is sizable and robust, and it displays a shade of yellow/bronze throughout the body. The yellow colouration is scattered with vivid black spots that are seen all along the flanks and gill plates. A series of several large black dots then run horizontally along the lateral line area. The fins are often a dark to black colouration, especially when in spawning colouration.
A female is similarly coloured, but generally smaller, than the male. The female will also lack the elongated extensions to the dorsal fins.
Conservation status
This species has been assessed by the IUCN Red List as least-concern species.[1] It occurs in the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge.[4]
References
- Lyons, T.J.; Matamoros, W.A. (5 February 2020). "Parachromis managuensis (Jaguar Guapote)". Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Parachromis managuensis" in FishBase. February 2013 version.
- "California Academy of Sciences: Catalog of Fishes". Archived from the original on 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- Mauricio Salas Varga (July 2008). Humedales de Ramsar (FIR) – Versión 2006-2008 (PDF) (Report) (in Spanish). Centro Científico Tropical. p. 20. Retrieved 30 August 2019.