Turquoise cichlid
species of Actinopterygii
The turquoise cichlid (Kronoheros umbriferus), also known as the umbee cichlid, is a species of cichlid fish found in freshwater habitats of eastern Panama and central and western Colombia. It is commonly caught as a food fish, and sometimes kept in aquariums. This robust fish is the largest cichlid native to its range, up to 12 kg (26 lb) in weight and 80 cm (2.6 ft) long, and in the Americas only certain peacock bass and the wolf cichlid may reach a greater size. Females of the turquoise cichlid remain significantly smaller than males. It is strongly predatory, typically feeding on fish and other small animals, but it may also take fruits and seeds.
Taxonomy and appearance
This cichlid was first scientifically described in 1913 based on specimens from the Cupe River, which is a part of the Tuira River basin in Panama. It was placed in Cichlasoma, which at the time was a wastebasket genus. As the species clearly belonged elsewhere, it was subsequently moved to Heros or Caquetaia, until finally being moved to its own genus Kronoheros in 2016.
It is currently the only recognized species in the genus Kronoheros, but it is likely it will be split into at least two separate species, as there are significant variations in the appearance and genetic studies have shown clear differences between those from the Tuira River of Panama and the Atrato River of Colombia (genetic data is lacking for other populations).
Adults have an iridescent light-spotted pattern, but the extent and color hue varies.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Turquoise cichlid” is species of Actinopterygii. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Turquoise, cichlid and species, not as a finished interpretation.
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This entry incorporates text from “Turquoise cichlid” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.