Hypsophrys nicaraguensis

Hypsophrys nicaraguensis, the moga, is a species of cichlid native to the Atlantic slope of Central America, from Nicaragua to Costa Rica.[1] The species is a popular aquarium fish and is traded under a variety of common names that include nickie, parrot cichlid, macaw cichlid, butterfly cichlid and nicaraguense.[1] In Costa Rica it is known as a vieja.[2]

Hypsophrys nicaraguensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Tribe: Heroini
Genus: Hypsophrys
Species:
H. nicaraguensis
Binomial name
Hypsophrys nicaraguensis
(Günther, 1864)
Synonyms[1]
  • Heros nicaraguensis Günther, 1864
  • Cichlasoma nicaraguense (Günther, 1864)
  • Copora nicaraguensis (Günther, 1864)
  • Herichthys nicaraguensis (Günther, 1864)
  • Hypsophrys unimaculatus Agassiz, 1859
  • Heros balteatus T.N. Gill, 1877
  • Cichlasoma balteatum (T.N. Gill, 1877)
  • Cichlasoma spilotum Meek, 1912

Feeding

Hypsophrys nicaraguensis is able to protrude its jaw to 3.8% of its standard length limiting its diet to only 1% evasive prey.[3]

Classification

The species was formerly the only representative of its genus, and is part of family Cichlidae in subfamily Cichlasomatinae.[1] However, the Poor man's tropheus, formerly Neetroplus nematopus, has also been placed into the genus Hypsophrys, as Hypsophrys nematopus.[4]

Conservation

It occurs in the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge.[2]

References
  1. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2018). "Hypsophrys nicaraguensis" in FishBase. June 2018 version.
  2. Mauricio Salas Varga (July 2008). Humedales de Ramsar (FIR) – Versión 2006-2008 (PDF) (Report) (in Spanish). Centro Científico Tropical. p. 20. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  3. Hulsey, C. D.; Garcia De Leon, F. J. (2005). "Cichlid jaw mechanics: Linking morphology to feeding specialization". Functional Ecology. 19 (3): 487. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2435.2005.00987.x.
  4. "Convict and Jack Dempsey placed in new genera". Archived from the original on 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2008-06-27.


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