Vieja
{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}
{{About||the Colombian river|La Vieja River|the Spanish mission|Mission Vieja}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Vieja maculicauda.jpg
| image_caption = Vieja maculicauda
| image2 = Vieja melanura - Karlsruhe Zoo 01.jpg
| image2_caption = Vieja melanurus
| taxon = Vieja
| authority = Fernández-Yépez, 1969
| synonyms = *Paratheraps Werner & Stawikowski, 1987
}}
Vieja is a genus of cichlid fish from Central America and Mexico. The majority of the species are freshwater fish found in stagnant or slow-moving waters of southern Mexico to El Salvador, but V. maculicauda, which also occurs in brackish waters, ranges south to Panama.{{cite journal |author=McMahan, C.D. |author2=Matamoros, W.A. |author3=Piller, K.R. |author4=Chakrabarty, P. | year = 2015 | title = Taxonomy and systematics of the herichthyins (Cichlidae: Tribe Heroini), with the description of eight new Middle American Genera | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3999 | issue = 2 | pages = 211–234 | url = http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2015/f/zt03999p234.pdf | doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3999.2.3 | pmid=26623572}} They are high-bodied cichlids that reach lengths of up to {{cvt|17-35|cm|in|0}} depending on the exact species.{{FishBase genus| genus=Vieja | year=2020 | month=July }} Vieja feed mostly on vegetable matter, but may also take small invertebrates.
Taxonomy and species
Historically, Vieja was included in Cichlasoma. Once recognized as its own genus, it sometimes included most of the superficially similar, relatively large and high-bodied cichlids of Central America and southern Mexico, but several of these are now considered to belong to separate genera: Chuco, Cincelichthys, Isthmoheros, Kihnichthys, Maskaheros and Oscura (Oscuro might still be better merged with Vieja, but this remains unconfirmed). Conversely, Vieja has sometimes been included in Paraneetroplus.{{cite journal|title=Diversity and evolution of the Middle American cichlid fishes (Teleostei: Cichlidae) with revised classification|author=Říčan, O.|author2=Piálek, L.|author3=Dragová, K.|author4=Novák, J.|name-list-style=amp|journal=Vertebrate Zoology|pages=1–102|volume=66|issue=1|year=2016|doi=10.3897/vz.66.e31534 |doi-access=free }}
There are currently 8 recognized species in the genus Vieja:
- Vieja bifasciata (Steindachner, 1864) (Twoband cichlid)
- Vieja breidohri (U. Werner & Stawikowski, 1987) (Angostura cichlid)
- Vieja fenestrata (Günther, 1860)
- Vieja guttulata (Günther, 1864) (Amatitlan cichlid)
- Vieja hartwegi (J. N. Taylor & R. R. Miller, 1980) (Tailbar cichlid)
- Vieja maculicauda (Regan, 1905) (Blackbelt cichlid)
- Vieja melanurus (Günther, 1862) (Redhead cichlid)
- Vieja zonata (Meek, 1905) (Oaxaca cichlid)
In addition to these, two further species have commonly been recognized: The first is V. coatlicue, but today it is usually considered the Atlantic slope population of V. zonata.{{cite journal| last1=McMahan | first1=C.D. | last2=Matamoros | first2=W.A. | last3=Elías | first3=D.J. | last4=Piller | first4=K.R. | year=2019 | title=Species or population? Systematic status of Vieja coatlicue (Teleostei: Cichlidae) | journal=Neotropical Ichthyology | volume=17 | issue=2 | page=e190004 | doi=10.1590/1982-0224-20190004 | doi-access=free }} The second is V. synspilum, in which case V. melanurus is limited to the Lake Petén system, but a review found that the supposed differences between them are invalid.{{cite journal| last1=McMahan | first1=C.D. | last2=Murray | first2=C.M. | last3=Geheber | first3=A.D. | last4=Boeckman | first4=C.D. | last5=Piller | first5=K.R. | year=2011 | title=Paraneetroplus synspilus is a Junior Synonym of Paraneetroplus melanurus (Teleostei: Cichlidae) | journal=Zootaxa | volume=2833 | pages=1–14 | doi=10.11646/ZOOTAXA.2833.1.1 }}
Because of individual, regional and age-related variations, definite separation of some species can be difficult.{{cite journal| last1=Gómez-González | first1=A.E. | last2=Álvarez | first2=F. | last3=Matamoros | first3=W.A. | last4=Velázquez-Velázquez | first4=E. | last5=Schmitter-Soto | first5=J.J. | last6=González-Díaz | first6=A.A. | last7=McMahan | first7=C.D. | year=2018 | title=Redescription of Vieja hartwegi (Taylor & Miller 1980) (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the Grijalva River basin, Mexico and Guatemala, with description of a rheophilic morph | journal=Zootaxa | volume=4375 | issue=3 | pages=371–391 | doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4375.3.5 | pmid=29690077 }} Furthermore, hybrids occur, sometimes even between a Vieja species and a species from another heroine genus.{{cite web| last1=Říčan |first1=Oldřich | last2=Morgenstern | first2=Rico | year=2018 | title=Hybrids, not a new rheophilic morph of Vieja hartwegi | url=https://www.ciclidos-mexico.com/InformativoCM/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/CommentpaperonVhartwegirheophilicmorph_BioRXiv.pdf | access-date=28 December 2021 | doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.14727.09123 }} The enigmatic Amphilophus margaritifer, sometimes still recognized as a valid species, is most likely a hybrid involving Thorichthys and Vieja.{{cite journal| last=Morgenstern | first=R. | year=2015 | title=Anmerkungen zur Herkunft und Identität von Heros margaritifer Günther, 1862 | journal=DCG-Informationen | volume=46 | issue=1 | pages=2–9 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3557970}}
Category:Fish of Central America
Category:Taxa named by Augustín Fernández-Yépez
{{Cichlasomatinae-stub}}