Do African and South american cichlids can cross breed?
- Thread starter mfehmi
- Start date
I'd say no because we haven't seen any hybrids, with many people mixing them together and still nothing to be seen. I also think that the different breeding behaviour of the fish might be another factor. Many African species are mouthbrooders, while south american mostly are egg guarding.
Now I'm not a scientist so I might be wrong, just my opinion
Now I'm not a scientist so I might be wrong, just my opinion
It's highly doubtful.
Most of the commonly kept Africans are mouth brooders and also use egg spots on anal fin as part of their breeding strategy.
I can't think of many South Americans that do this.
There are mouth brooders from s/a like some geophagus and hero's species for example.
I have never heard of any Africans or South American cichlids crossing and would be extremely surprised to hear that they ever had.
Both have evolved in polar opposite pH and water values and most have very different breeding strategies.
Most of the commonly kept Africans are mouth brooders and also use egg spots on anal fin as part of their breeding strategy.
I can't think of many South Americans that do this.
There are mouth brooders from s/a like some geophagus and hero's species for example.
I have never heard of any Africans or South American cichlids crossing and would be extremely surprised to hear that they ever had.
Both have evolved in polar opposite pH and water values and most have very different breeding strategies.
They will be too genetically different to spawn IMO. Especially given the fact that Africa and South America split about 180 million years ago.
When you look at phylogenetics, cichlids are insanely diverse. So while they are technically related, most fish can only interbreed within a genus, so most tropheus will interbreed or parachromis will interbreed for example. It can sometimes be between genera in a few cases but the fish involved would have to be closely related.
To finish off, all the different groups of cichlids only share a family and not much more. They are genetically distinct and extremely diverse so I doubt cross-continental breeding would be possible.
When you look at phylogenetics, cichlids are insanely diverse. So while they are technically related, most fish can only interbreed within a genus, so most tropheus will interbreed or parachromis will interbreed for example. It can sometimes be between genera in a few cases but the fish involved would have to be closely related.
To finish off, all the different groups of cichlids only share a family and not much more. They are genetically distinct and extremely diverse so I doubt cross-continental breeding would be possible.
The African and New world cichlids separated at the same time Africa, and South America pulled apart as the super-continent, Gondwaland, @ 160 million years.
The most basal (primitive) African species is thought to be Heterchromis multidens, and is sometimes referred to as a link between the cichlids of both continents.
The most basal of South Americans is thought to be Retroculus.
So I suppose if you wanted to research whether African and S Americans could hybridize, those would be your best candidates, although from the same family, Cichlidae, this is where the similarities end.
Heterchromis, is from the sub family Pseudocrenlabridae
Retroculos sub-family is Cichlinae, and belongs to the tribe Retroclini.
Within a "tribe" is where we start to see the ability to hybridize.
And this has happened between two continental divides, North (AKA Central) and S America, in different genera, although both species are in the same tribe.
It has been seen that members of the Central American genus Amatitlania, tribe Therapsini have crossed with similar appearing cichlids , the South Americans from the genus Australoheros, yet also in the tribe Therapsini, and produced viable young. Beside looking similar, they are both substrate spawning cichlids, that date back to a radiation of Heroine cichlids.
There was some talk a few years back that maybe African, and New Worlds should be separated into two separate families, because they are very different, don't know where that went though.
The most basal (primitive) African species is thought to be Heterchromis multidens, and is sometimes referred to as a link between the cichlids of both continents.
The most basal of South Americans is thought to be Retroculus.
So I suppose if you wanted to research whether African and S Americans could hybridize, those would be your best candidates, although from the same family, Cichlidae, this is where the similarities end.
Heterchromis, is from the sub family Pseudocrenlabridae
Retroculos sub-family is Cichlinae, and belongs to the tribe Retroclini.
Within a "tribe" is where we start to see the ability to hybridize.
And this has happened between two continental divides, North (AKA Central) and S America, in different genera, although both species are in the same tribe.
It has been seen that members of the Central American genus Amatitlania, tribe Therapsini have crossed with similar appearing cichlids , the South Americans from the genus Australoheros, yet also in the tribe Therapsini, and produced viable young. Beside looking similar, they are both substrate spawning cichlids, that date back to a radiation of Heroine cichlids.
There was some talk a few years back that maybe African, and New Worlds should be separated into two separate families, because they are very different, don't know where that went though.
i have a male blue red belly peacock cichlid that managed to cross breed with a female convict cichlid. It happened to turn out to look like a spotted peacock. Another fry in the batch turned to be a male convict. As these were the only two that survived. Some how the african got its juice in the patch with the convict and multiple different types of fish came from it. It happened to me so they can definatley cross breed.
Still up for debate about divergence at the time that Gondwaland broke up. Fossil and molecular testing only dates cichlids to early paleogene, 66ma with divergence happening in the eocene 56ma, so far there is no evidence that cichlids are older then that. Which still leaves us with the question of how they got from Africa to America when at that time there was still a 1000km of ocean between them.
