Parachromis managuensis

P. managuensis is a robust fish with a silvery or golden-green to purple colour, with a darker moss green shade at the dorsum. The sides show a purple iridescence and the belly is whitish or yellowish. A series of several large black dots then run horizontally along the lateral line area. The fins are often a dark to black colouration, especially when in spawning colouration. The most distinguished feature is a black stripe than run from the eye to the opercular margin.[2] Males grow to a total length of 65 centimetres (26 in) and females to 40 centimetres (16 in).[5] The female also lacks the elongated extensions to the dorsal fins.

P. managuensis inhabits lakes and prefers turbid waters with mud bottoms and is tolerant to eutrophic and hypoxic conditions.[5] It is a carnivorous, highly predatory species. Adults feed mainly on small fish, while juveniles rely on a variety of macroinvertebrates. It prefers turbid, eutrophic lakes, often found in warm water depleted of oxygen. Its native substrate is mud-bottoms, but it can also be found in ponds and springs with sandy bottoms covered in plant debris. The species inhabits lakes in a tropical climate and prefers water with a 7.0–8.7 pH, a water hardness of 10–15 dGH, and a temperature range of 25 to 36 °C (77 to 97 °F).[2]

The natural distribution of P. managuensis goes from the Ulúa River in Honduras to Matina River basin in Costa Rica.[2] However, it has been introduced in other countries in Central America, as well as in the United States, as a food source, for aquarism and to control fish populations.[5]

• List of freshwater aquarium fish species

• The Jaguar Cichlid – Beautiful Predator Tropical Fish
• Aquaticdatabase entry for Parachromis managuensis (Managuense cichlid).
• Jaguar cichlid in Lake Apoyo, Nicaragua