Two more Amphilophus species described

Modest_Man

Modest_Man

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Abstract said:
The Neotropical Midas cichlid species complex (Amphilophus citrinellus Günther 1864) has become a model system for investigating the mechanisms of speciation and adaptive radiation. In several instances ancestral Midas cichlids from the great Nicaraguan lakes have colonized nearby crater lakes where they continued to evolve in isolation. Each crater lake can be seen as a “natural experiment” of sympatric and allopatric divergence. Several ecologically and genetically well-differentiated crater lake species have already been identified, but the species complex is not fully taxonomically resolved. Here, two new endemic Nicaraguan crater lake cichlids species are described: Amphilophus tolteca n. sp., a slender-bodied species which is endemic to the ca. 1,245 year old Lake Asososca Managua and Amphilophus viridis n. sp., an endemic benthic species from Lake Xiloá. Amphilophus tolteca morphologically resembles previously described limnetic species from the crater lakes Apoyo and Xiloá with a depressed, elongated body. However, A. tolteca is geographically isolated and genetically distinct from those species and from the putative generalist ancestral species. Amphilophus viridis resembles the Xiloá species A. amarillo in terms of body shape, but is distinct in coloration and ecology, and is genetically differentiated from all other syntopic species.
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Recknagel, Hans & H. Kusche, K.R. Elmer & A. Meyer. 2013. "Two new endemic species in the Midas cichlid species complex from Nicaraguan crater lakes: Amphilophus tolteca and Amphilophus viridis (Perciformes, Cichlidae)". Aqua: International Journal of Ichthyology. v. 19(n. 4), pp. 207-224
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And the water muddies even more...
 
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Blue Jaguar

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Feb 21, 2012
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Wow that is awesome. I am amazed at how many species can look so similar. I have xiloensis and after they went piebald they look just like the labiatus. I know the lips are supposed to be bigger. I wish mine would have stayed dark with bars.
When do you think they will hit the hobby?
 
Modest_Man

Modest_Man

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Blue Jaguar said:
Wow that is awesome. I am amazed at how many species can look so similar. I have xiloensis and after they went piebald they look just like the labiatus. I know the lips are supposed to be bigger. I wish mine would have stayed dark with bars.
When do you think they will hit the hobby?
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How do you know they haven't been in the hobby already?
 
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Blue Jaguar

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Feb 21, 2012
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whittier, ca
Not sure. You know what they say......

Have you ever seen them? I know I have seen several but not under those names. They are all so morphy that it is hard to tell. My xilos have already changed colors 3 times.
 
RD.

RD.

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Interesting, but not surprising and I expect more 'new' amphilophus species will be described over the next decade. Thanks for posting that, Jamie.
 
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dogofwar

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Jan 3, 2006
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I read the paper...and the "new species" are definitely different than A. labiatus and A. citrinellus... but different enough. Totally depends on whether you're a lumper or splitter (i.e. opinion).

Definitely some interesting and informative work on Amphilophus evoliution, though!

Matt
 
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