Cichlasoma and exCichlasoma
- Thread starter Tonivlc
- Start date
Port cichlids are smaller, egg shaped cichlasomines from south american, with fairly similiar coloration.
exCichlasoma just means they used to be in that genus, but haven't been placed yet in a new one. So there is a wide differance in the fish listed as exCichlasoma right now.
exCichlasoma just means they used to be in that genus, but haven't been placed yet in a new one. So there is a wide differance in the fish listed as exCichlasoma right now.
Most central american cichlids were once in the genus cichlasoma. Many have been put in new genuses. Now the genus cichlasoma is used for some South american cichlids called port cichlids. Some fish that were formerly in the original cichlasoma genus but haven't yet been put in a new genus are listed as exCichlasoma or 'Cichlasoma'
Cichlasoma use to be somewhat of a generic classification. Fish use to be put there until further classification. I remember when Vieja, Parachromis, Amphilophus, and tons of other genus' use to be part of cichlasoma, because they had not been fully classified. Since the genus cichlasoma has been refined, all that did not belong there have been either properly placed into a seperate genus or referred to as ex-cichlasoma or 'cichlasoma', as Artemis1 already stated. They just have not been properly categorized yet.
Cichlasoma was the Genus or 'genera' South American cichlids with four or more anal fin spins were assigned to in 1979 by Swedish Scientist Sven Oskar Jullander . All Cichlids with less then 4 Anal fin spines were assigned to the Genus Aequidens. Since then the Cichlid familys have been refined and seperated into groups based on genetic and asthetic simularities according to how scientists believe they fit into the evolutionary family tree.
The word Cichlasoma is still widely used in the trade today as a generic term for many SA Cichlids such as Flowerhorns, Trimacs, Redheads etc which are actually all of the Veija genera. Currently I think the guys above are correct in saying that the port Cichlid is the only actual member of the Cichlasoma genus, Making it a monotypical Genera.
Don't worry too much about it they will all be reclassified again and again anyway!
All you need to know is if the pet shop says its Cichlasoma something or other then you best not mix it with neons!
Basically as the guys said here Cichlasoma is an official Genus. 'Cichlasoma' is an SA Cichlid awaiting proper classification that has four or more anal spines. exCichlasoma is the same thing, just waiting formal classification by a taxonomist.
The word Cichlasoma is still widely used in the trade today as a generic term for many SA Cichlids such as Flowerhorns, Trimacs, Redheads etc which are actually all of the Veija genera. Currently I think the guys above are correct in saying that the port Cichlid is the only actual member of the Cichlasoma genus, Making it a monotypical Genera.
Don't worry too much about it they will all be reclassified again and again anyway!
All you need to know is if the pet shop says its Cichlasoma something or other then you best not mix it with neons!
Basically as the guys said here Cichlasoma is an official Genus. 'Cichlasoma' is an SA Cichlid awaiting proper classification that has four or more anal spines. exCichlasoma is the same thing, just waiting formal classification by a taxonomist.
xeCichlasoma has been reserved as the catch-all genus for Central American cichlids, Cichlasoma for South American.