Parachromis
Encyclopedia
Parachromis is a genus of freshwater
fishes from the family Cichlidae. The genus contains 5 species and is limited in its distribution to Central America
. Some species occur in Lake Nicaragua
and Lake Managua
. All species are predatory and relatively large for cichlids.
Parachromis friedrichsthalii has an unusual hunting mechanism. The species has been observed to lie immobile near the bottom, feining death. When smaller fish approach and attempt to pick at the dead fish, P. friedrichsthalii ambush the smaller fish. Similar behaviour has also been observed in some species of Lake Malawi
cichlids, particularly from the genus Nimbochromis
.
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
fishes from the family Cichlidae. The genus contains 5 species and is limited in its distribution to Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. Some species occur in Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada or is a vast freshwater lake in Nicaragua of tectonic origin. With an area of , it is the largest lake in Central America, the 19th largest lake in the world and the 9th largest in the Americas. It is slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca. With an elevation...
and Lake Managua
Lake Managua
Lake Managua is a lake in Nicaragua. The Spanish name is Lago de Managua or Lago Xolotlán. At 1,042 km², it is approximately long and wide. Similarly to the name of Lake Nicaragua, its name was coined by the Spanish conquerors from "Mangue" and agua...
. All species are predatory and relatively large for cichlids.
Parachromis friedrichsthalii has an unusual hunting mechanism. The species has been observed to lie immobile near the bottom, feining death. When smaller fish approach and attempt to pick at the dead fish, P. friedrichsthalii ambush the smaller fish. Similar behaviour has also been observed in some species of Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
cichlids, particularly from the genus Nimbochromis
Nimbochromis
Nimbochromis is a small genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. They are known as sleeper cichlids or kaligono , due to their unique hunting behaviour....
.
Species
- Parachromis doviiParachromis doviiThe Parachromis dovii or wolf cichlid is one of the largest growing of the cichlidae family. The Dovii is somewhat similar in appearance to the jaguar cichlid , however the dovii is larger and stockier, and a dark, solid, unbroken band runs horizontally thought the flank of the fish...
(Günther, 1864) Wolf cichlid - Parachromis friedrichsthaliiParachromis friedrichsthaliiParachromis freidrichsthalii, as with all species in the genus Parachromis, is a large, omnivorous and aggressively territorial cichlid fish....
(Heckel, 1840) - Parachromis loisellei (Bussing, 1989)
- Parachromis managuensisManaguense cichlidParachromis managuensis is a cichlid native to Nicaragua in Central America: the scientific name means "from Managua"...
(Günther, 1867) Jaguar cichlid - Parachromis motaguensisParachromis motaguensisThe parachromis motaguensis is a large bulky cichlid originating from the Central American regions. Unlike its close relative the parachromis magunensis,commonly know and traded as the jaguar cichlid, the motaguensis isn't as commonly encountered in the aquarium trade...
(Günther, 1867)