Parachromis dovii
Parachromis dovii, the guapote, rainbow bass, or wolf cichlid, is a species of cichlid native to Central America where it occurs in lakes, rivers and streams in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.[1] It is one of the largest cichlids, reaching up to 14 kg (31 lb) in weight and 80 cm (2.6 ft) long.[2] A strongly predatory species, it mostly feeds on other fish.[3] P. dovii is important to local commercial fisheries, sought after as a gamefish,[3] and sometimes kept in aquariums.[4]
| Parachromis dovii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Parachromis |
| Species: | P. dovii |
| Binomial name | |
| Parachromis dovii (Günther, 1864) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Etymology
The fish is named in honor of John Melmoth Dow (1827-1892) of the Panama Railroad Company. As a ship captain and amateur naturalist, he collected the type specimen.[5]
As pets
Parachromis dovii is sometimes sought after by well experienced aquarists. While they are noted for their relatively high intelligence and lifespan of up to a few decades, they require special care due to their large size and high levels of aggression even by cichlid standards, meaning that few–if any–tank mates are possible.[4][6]
Conservation
Parachromis dovii is widespread in its native range and generally common. Although it has declined locally due to overfishing and pollution, it is not considered threatened.[1] It occurs in Costa Rica's Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge.[7] The species has been introduced to some locations in Central America where not native.[1]
References
- Lyons, T.J.; Matamoros, W.A. (2020). "Parachromis dovii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T159145817A159145827. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T159145817A159145827.en. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- "Parachromis dovii". Fishing World Records. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2023). "Parachromis dovii" in FishBase. February 2023 version.
- Badman's, Tropical fish. "Wolf Cichlid: A Care Guide for the Ferocious Tropical Cichlid Species". Badman's tropical Fish. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018). "Order CICHLIFORMES: Family CICHLIDAE: Subfamily CICHLINAE (d-w)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- Childs, Ken. "Wolf Cichlid". animal-world. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- 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.
External links
