Jaguar Cichlid , Parachromis managuensis Günther 1867

Summary:

A large silvery to golden-green cichlid with black spots and reticulations on the body and fins, a row of black blotches along the lateral line, a black blotch on the caudal-fin base, and a projecting lower jaw with prominent canine teeth. Juveniles have dark bands along the body.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2021, Parachromis managuensis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 24 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/5539

Jaguar Cichlid , Parachromis managuensis Günther 1867

More Info

Distribution	Between the Pioneer River and Fursden Creek, Mackay, Queensland. The species is a native of Central America from Honduras to Costa Rica. It has been introduced to a number of countries via the aquarium industry. Inhabits warm, highly eutrophic lakes and ponds with muddy and silty substrates in the wild.
Features	Dorsal fin XVII-XVIII, 10-11; Anal fin Vi-VIII, 11-12. Mouth large, lower jaw projecting, canine teeth enlarged, prominent; preopercle expanded at the angle.
Size	A large cichlid, reaching 55 cm TL in the wild.
Colour	Silvery or golden-green to purple; back moss green, sides with purple iridescence, body and fins, a more or less continuous black stripe between the eye and opercular margin, another between the eye and the lower angle of the opercle; a row of black blotches along the middle of the side and a black blotch on the caudal-fin base. Breeding females have a crimson hue to the gill cover.
Feeding	A highly aggressive invasive species that feeds on fishes.
Biology	Females lay thousands of eggs on rocks and other hard substrates, and both parents guard the eggs and developing larvae.
Conservation	This highly invasive and aggressive cichlid is not a permitted import into Australia, and its establishment in the wild may pose a serious threat to Australian native fishes.
Remarks	The species was first reported from a stormwater retention dam in the Pioneer River Catchment, Mackay, Queensland and subsequently from Fursden Creek, 1.5 km from the original incursion site. Follow up surveys (2018/19) found juveniles in surrounding tributaries, indicating successful establishment and naturalisation of the species in Australia for the first time (Holmes et al. 2020).
Species Citation	Heros managuensis Günther 1867, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866 (pt 3): 602. Type locality: Lake Managua, Nicaragua.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2021
Resources	Catalog of Fishes

Jaguar Cichlid , Parachromis managuensis Günther 1867

References

Agasen, E.V., Clemente, J.P., Rosana, M.R. & Kawit, N.S. 2006. Biological Investigation of Jaguar Guapote Parachromis managuensis (Günther) in Taal Lake, Philippines. Journal of Environmental Science and Management 9(2): 20–30

Conkel, D. 1993. Cichlids of North and Central America. TFH Publications, New York, 191 pp

Günther, A. 1867. On the fishes of the states of Central America, founded upon specimens collected in fresh and marine waters of various parts of that country by Messrs. Salvin and Godman and Capt. J. M. Dow. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866 (3): 600-604. See ref at BHL

Günther, A. 1868. An account of the fishes of the states of Central America, based on collections made by Capt. J. M. Dow, F. Godman, Esq., and O. Salvin, Esq. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 6(7, 14): 377-494, Pls. 63-87. See ref at BHL

Holmes, B.J., Williams, S.N. & Power, T.N. 2020. Evidence of naturalisation of the invasive jaguar cichlid Parachromis managuensis (Günther, 1867) in Queensland, Australia. BioInvasions Records 9 (in press)

Kullander, S.O. & Hartel, K.E. 1997. The systematic status of cichlid genera described by Louis Agassiz in 1859: Amphilophus, Baiodon, Hypsophrys and Parachromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 7(3): 193-202.

Robins, R.H., Page, L.M., Williams, J.D., Randall, Z.S. & Sheehy, G.E. 2018. Fishes in the Fresh Waters of Florida: an Identification Guide and Atlas. University of Florida Press, Gainesville. i-xvi + 1-468.