Related Species
The Mayan cichlid's color, size, and behavior make it resemble the red terror cichlid Cichlasoma festae, to which it is fairly closely related. However, the two have separate ranges in nature, with the Mayan cichlid coming from the Atlantic slope of southern North America and northern Mesoamerica, and the red terror coming from the Pacific slope of southern Mesoamerica and northern South America. There are some physical differences, too. The red terror looks a bit more robust overall. It gets to be a bit larger than the Mayan cichlid, attaining a longer and taller body, but with a relatively shorter snout and a slightly larger nuchal hump (bulging forehead). It also has longer trailings on its dorsal and anal fins. The red terror has more dark bands on its body (about nine starting behind the eye, rather than eight), and a smaller ocellus on its caudal peduncle. It also tends to retain more of its red color in captivity than does the Mayan cichlid. However, some red terrors lack the commonly seen bright red base color and have an overall green color with a yellow tinge. The red terror is reputedly the more aggressive of the two species, but both can be very belligerent in an aquarium and can bully or even kill smaller or weaker fish, especially when pairing off for breeding.
Read more about this topic: Cichlasoma Urophthalmus, Aquarium Husbandry
Famous quotes containing the words related and/or species:
“In the middle years of childhood, it is more important to keep alive and glowing the interest in finding out and to support this interest with skills and techniques related to the process of finding out than to specify any particular piece of subject matter as inviolate.”
—Dorothy H. Cohen (20th century)
“There are minds so impatient of inferiority that their gratitude is a species of revenge, and they return benefits, not because recompense is a pleasure, but because obligation is a pain.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)