Pearl cichlid
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Geophagus brasiliensis c01.jpg
| image_caption = A male
| taxon = Geophagus brasiliensis
| authority = (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
}}
The pearl cichlid (Geophagus brasiliensis) is a species of fish in the North American cichlid family. It is native to southeastern Brazil (north to Bahia), Paraguay, Uruguay and far northeastern Argentina,Mattos, J.L.O., Costa, W.J.E.M. & Santos, A.C.A. (2015): Geophagus diamantinensis, a new species of the G. brasiliensis species group from Chapada Diamantina, north-eastern Brazil (Cichlidae: Geophagini). Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters, 26 (3): 209–220. where it is found in rivers, lakes, and nearby slightly brackish lagoons.SeriouslyFish: [http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/geophagus-brasiliensis/ 'Geophagus' brasiliensis.] Retrieved 27 August 2014.{{FishBase|Geophagus|brasiliensis|year=2014}} It has been introduced to several countries far from its native range, including the United States, Australia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. This species is popular among aquarists.
Taxonomy
G. brasiliensis is part of a species complex that also includes the rarer G. diamantinensis, G. iporangensis, G. itapicuruensis, G. multiocellus, G. obscurus, G. rufomarginatus and G. santosi from the Brazilian state of Bahia (most species) or São Paulo (G. iporangensis).{{cite journal | author1=Mattos, J.L.O. | author2=W.J.E.M. Costa | year=2018 | title=Three new species of the ‘Geophagus’ brasiliensis species group from the northeast Brazil (Cichlidae, Geophagini) | journal=Zoosystematics and Evolution | volume=94 | issue=2 | pages=325–337 | doi=10.3897/zse.94.22685 | url=https://zenodo.org/record/1311992/files/ZSE_article_22685.pdf | doi-access=free }}
Description
File:Geophagus brasiliensis c02.jpg
The males can reach a length up to {{convert|25|cm|in|abbr=on}}, while females only reach a bit more than half that size. Its main body colour can be pale light brown to dark blue or almost purple; their colours change with moods and during mating sessions. The pearl cichlid has one dark spot which may visible on its body, located towards its tail; it also may display several black bands running top to bottom down its body. Its markings, which cover its body, are bright blue speckles which shine brightly in a healthy fish; they have red fins which may have blueish tones and be tipped in black, but these colours also may change, brighten, or fade depending on the mood. They can grow quite large, with males reaching just over a foot and females generally a little smaller. In a group, they usually pair up once they are around 2–3 in long; at this time they can be quite territorial, and keep other fish away from their breeding space.
Breeding
The sex of the fish is often unclear until it reaches adult size, at which point the size difference between the genders becomes pronounced. Breeders often attempt to pair the fish without sexing them; two females may pair up in which case the fish lay eggs that never hatch. Once a male-female pair is found, they tend to yield 150–200 offspring after successfully mating. Unlike certain other species, they do not have to be separated from their young.
Introduction to Australia
In Australia, it has been released into the Tweed River system, New South Wales, and the Swan River system, Western Australia, where it inhabits fresh and brackish water at a wide range of pHs.{{cite web|last1=Bray|first1=Dianne|title=Geophagus brasiliensis|url=http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4792|website=Fishes of Australia|accessdate=29 September 2014}}
Gallery
File:Geophagus brasiliensis 298336069.jpg
File:Geophagus brasiliensis, 264台灣宜蘭縣員山鄉員山 imported from iNaturalist photo 298701888.jpg
File:Geophagus brasiliensis 404806320.jpg
File:Geophagus brasiliensis 298340068.jpg
File:Geophagus brasiliensis 298338461.jpg
File:Geophagus brasiliensis 405231469.jpg
File:Geophagus brasiliensis 405232552.jpg
File:Geophagus brasiliensis 296290778.jpg
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Sterba, G. (1967). Freshwater Fishes of the World. The Pet Library, Ltd., New York, 879p.
- Nelson, J. S. (1994). Fishes of the World, 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 600p.
External links
{{Commons category|Geophagus brasiliensis}}
- http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/IMPFeralFish/index.php?0506
{{Taxonbar|from=Q128694}}