Should C.Panamensis be reclassified to vieja?

Hybridfish7

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Cryptoheros Panamensis is an interesting and nice looking cichlid. My 'issue' with it is that it's in cryptoheros...
A lot of the cryptoheros species were recently reclassified into amatitlania, and I'm not sure if panamensis was too, but either way I think it doesn't belong.
It's a smaller cichlid, and would be a tiny vieja, but I think it looks more like a vieja than a convict.
It sure as hell isn't up to me to reclassify any species anywhere, I'm just going by what I think. I'm also just going by appearance, I'm not sure if there's any genetic relation of panamensis to any convicts.
look, here's c. panamensis:

here's a convict:

and here's a vieja (hartwegi)

you tell me if panamensis looks like a vieja or not... I think it looks like it could be one.
 

ryansmith83

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The fish has its own genus, Panamius panamensis. It is a dwarf species so it is not Vieja. Fish are not classified by their appearances to one another.
 
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Hybridfish7

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Ah, ok. Thanks for clearing that up... I know of all the different genuses, but not about how fish are classified too much...
 

dan518

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Ah, ok. Thanks for clearing that up... I know of all the different genuses, but not about how fish are classified too much...
If you do a Web search for heroine cichlids phylogeny tree it will show the relationship between spp from dna testing.
 

duanes

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As dan518 stated, most the latest reclassifications have to do with DNA analysis, which can determine evolutionary relationships.
Appearance is not always relevant, one of the closest relatives to the 3 ft African cichlid Boulengerochromis microlepis, is less than 5", and its outward appearance is nothing like the Emperor cichlid.
 

Hybridfish7

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Interesting, thanks for the info.
 
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