North, Central, and South America

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duanes

duanes

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Isla Taboga Panama via Milwaukee
North America
Canada, US, and most of Mexico
North American cichlids are basically the genus Herichthys
So.... carpintus, beani, istantum, labridens (some xCichlasoma) are all considered N American cichlids
Central America is Southern Mexico south thru Panama
Vieja, Paraneetroplus (synspillum, bifasciatum, breidhori) , Thorichthys (meeki, ellioti,) etc are all Central American
South America
Tierra del Fuego north to Panama
Gymnogeophagus, Crenicichla, festae, Uaru etc etc are all South American
I guess this seems picky to some, and at the risk of sounding like an AH, (but I'm a bit anal)
When someone calls a Jack Dempsey South American I am perplexed, as they come from Mexico.
And on and on.
By the way invasive species (such as Florida cichlids) are not really a part of the equation in any legitimate sense.
 
I am to the point that I won't mix them . Sa cichlids with other SAs and so on. I've also noticed that IME, Mexican cichlids as well as CAs are a bit more volatile for the most part than SAs.
 
I fully agree with both of you above.

Even the waters are different.

If i may add just a tiny complement, for claritie's sake, Panana is both in CA and in SA.

Two situations define this ( 1 ) undisputable, panamian territory, after the Darien, enters Colombia , ( 2 ) some chaps over there state that SA starts on the south marging of the Canal, which would make Panama about half sout american....
 
Sounds reasonable to me.
It is also where the South American transitional species like the Geophagine "red hump" group, and Aequidens caudopunctaus seem to move north, and where just beyond and just south, the Caquetaia order of more Central American like fraternal twins festae and ornatum etc have ventured south.
Miguel said:
I fully agree with both of you above.

Even the waters are different.

If i may add just a tiny complement, for claritie's sake, Panana is both in CA and in SA.

Two situations define this ( 1 ) undisputable, panamian territory, after the Darien, enters Colombia , ( 2 ) some chaps over there state that SA starts on the south marging of the Canal, which would make Panama about half sout american....
Click to expand...
 
Pointed out to a lady at petsmart that managuense aren't native to South America as they were labeled on the tanks. She was totally serious and said they're native in both CA and SA all the time. She was legit too cause she "breeds cichlids". I couldn't help but laugh.


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You are correct. The north American continental plate is north of Panama canal, so Mexico is geographically in NA. However, Mexlcan cichlids are classified biologically as CA.
 
fishman09 said:
Pointed out to a lady at petsmart that managuense aren't native to South America as they were labeled on the tanks. She was totally serious and said they're native in both CA and SA all the time. She was legit too cause she "breeds cichlids". I couldn't help but laugh.


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Click to expand...

Not to surprising. I had my local pet store tell me to stay away from online pet forums because they are full of opinions and no facts, lol. O ya and that was the same lady who told me two Oscars would be ok in a 40 gallon breeder when full grown.
 
Herichthys cyanogattus is the only North American native cichlid which is also in Northern Mexico.

Central America is Mexico to Panama, which you do find some South American sp. in Panama. You don't typically think of geos and acaras in CA., but geophagus crassilabris and aquidens coeruleopuctatus are found in Panama. Pikes, angles, discus and dwarf cichlids are the only ones that haven't made it into CA. ExChilasoma sp. are found in CA. and SA., but I am wondering why wil happen once these fish are reclassified in the next 20+ years.
Other fish that have made it to Panama are the comon pleco and some tetra sp. like astyanax bimaculatus (found just about everywhere in SA.).
 
I prefer to think of it as Latin America. So I mix all the fish from the countries that speak Spanish - they seem to do just fine. They have no trouble communicating this way. :confused: In all seriousness, it is not just the fish keeping world that struggles with this. I have been involved with implementing a software program in our company that stretches around the world. Latin America and North America were implemented at two different times - you would not believe how much time we talked about exactly which office was in which region. Mexico was part of the North American piece.
 
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