Caught these acara looking cichlids in a nearby pond. Not sure what they are can anybody identify them? The darker one is a female the lighter one is a male from what my friend who has been keeping them has told me.
Please identify these for me
- Thread starter TigerTalon1
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They are Cichlasoma, one of the “port cichlid” types. There are many closely related species and the identification is tricky. The number of hard rays in the anal fin helps.
Likely candidates are C. bimaculatum and C. amazonarum.
The catch-all species years ago was C. portalegrense but the actual portalegrense has shiny iridescent scales so these don’t appear to be portalegrense.
Likely candidates are C. bimaculatum and C. amazonarum.
The catch-all species years ago was C. portalegrense but the actual portalegrense has shiny iridescent scales so these don’t appear to be portalegrense.
Here's Cichlasoma dimmerus to compare, they are the Uruguayan variant, so able to handle cool temps with ease.
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mine spawned in my pond with 60'F water temps.
Where are you located? that might suggest a species.
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mine spawned in my pond with 60'F water temps.
Where are you located? that might suggest a species.
Odessa Florida. My first thought when I saw them was black acara, why are they cichlasoma and not aquedens or Andinocara?
Andinoacara, has been restricted and redescribed to the 9 species associated with the cis and trans Andean slopes of the northern Andes mountains.
Aequidens, has been restricted to 17 species from the Amazon and Orinoco rivers and their tributaries.
Cichlasoma to 13 species
Many more were at one time or another in Cichlasoma, but DNA sequencing has shown enough differences in some and similarities in others to separate them into other genera.
Since you're in Florida its anybodies guess, because so many have escaped from fish farms over decades.
But I agree could be Black Acara, now either Cichlasoma bimaculatum or C. portaleguense
Aequidens, has been restricted to 17 species from the Amazon and Orinoco rivers and their tributaries.
Cichlasoma to 13 species
Many more were at one time or another in Cichlasoma, but DNA sequencing has shown enough differences in some and similarities in others to separate them into other genera.
Since you're in Florida its anybodies guess, because so many have escaped from fish farms over decades.
But I agree could be Black Acara, now either Cichlasoma bimaculatum or C. portaleguense
I agree with everyone else in that they are Cichlasoma either C. Bimacultaum or C. Dimerus as both have been caught in Florida.
Hard rays often called spines, and differ from the soft or blunt rays.
Certain anal fins contain 3 or a more spines, the rest soft, and counting each separates some genera or species from another
Some examples.
Vieja have 13 spines in the dorsal, and 16 soft rays in the dorsal,
In Cinelichthys, pearsei has 13 spines, while bocourt has 14, and in similar species the spiny or soft ray count helps distinguishe one from another.
If you have a taxonomic key for Cichlasoma these differences might be spelled out, and may be the only way to tell them apart, without knowing anything else about them, like catch location.
Just looking at a fish is not reliable, unless you count all hard and soft rays. This is why ID questions answered on a forum are most difficult and often unreliable, unless a photo clearly showing a count is obvious.
Certain anal fins contain 3 or a more spines, the rest soft, and counting each separates some genera or species from another
Some examples.
Vieja have 13 spines in the dorsal, and 16 soft rays in the dorsal,
In Cinelichthys, pearsei has 13 spines, while bocourt has 14, and in similar species the spiny or soft ray count helps distinguishe one from another.
If you have a taxonomic key for Cichlasoma these differences might be spelled out, and may be the only way to tell them apart, without knowing anything else about them, like catch location.
Just looking at a fish is not reliable, unless you count all hard and soft rays. This is why ID questions answered on a forum are most difficult and often unreliable, unless a photo clearly showing a count is obvious.
I saw an article saying that someone caught a dimerus in FL and that it was verified by Kullander. I just now opened the page and it looks like it was a troll... So my guess goes to C. Bimaculatum