Crenicichla is a genus of cichlids native to South America commonly known as the pike cichlids. They are found in most tropical and subtropical freshwater habitats between the Andes and the Atlantic.[1]
| Crenicichla | |
|---|---|
| |
| Crenicichla punctata | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Subfamily: | Cichlinae |
| Tribe: | Geophagini |
| Subtribe: | Crenicaratina |
| Genus: | Crenicichla Heckel, 1840 |
| Type species | |
| Crenicichla macrophthalma Heckel, 1840
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Batrachops Heckel, 1840 | |
Description
editThe smallest species of Crenicichla are no larger than 6–14 cm (2.4–5.5 in)[2] and may be referred to as "dwarf cichlids" for the aquarium hobby – though their aggressive and territorial habits make them unsuitable for novice keepers. The smallest members, 5.2 to 8.5 centimetres (2.0 to 3.3 in) and formerly the C. wallacii species complex was split off to Wallaciia in 2023, along with the former C. saxatilis complex which became Saxatilia. The largest pike cichlids can grow to about 50 cm (20 in) long.[2] Most Crenicichla measure in the range of 15–30 cm (6–12 in).[3] Like many other predatory fishes, a pike cichlid has a wide mouth and elongated body.
Distribution and ecology
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The genus Crenicichla is native to freshwater in tropical and subtropical South America east of the Andes, ranging from Trinidad and the Guiana Shield (including Orinoco), through the Amazon and Río de la Plata Basins, south as far as Río Negro in Argentina.[4] Although widespread as a group, the individual species are often restricted to a single river or river basin.[4][5] They are found in a wide range of habitats, including rivers, streams, pools and lakes; some species are rheophilic.[4][5]
The vast majority of pike cichlids are predatory and feed on fish, insects, and other small animals. They usually place themselves where they can stay undetected by the prey, like close to a sunken tree stem or behind a rock. This behavior, as well as the correspondingly adapted shape, which resembles that the unrelated pikes (Esocidae) of the Holarctic, gives the pike cichlids their common name. An exception is C. tapii, which is similar in general appearance to other pike cichlids, but unusual for being gregarious and feeding on periphyton.[5]
Species
editThere are currently 94 recognized species in this genus:[3][6][7]
- Crenicichla acutirostris Günther, 1862
- Crenicichla adspersa Heckel, 1840
- Crenicichla cametana Steindachner, 1911
- Crenicichla celidochilus Casciotta, 1987 (black-lipped pike cichlid)
- Crenicichla chicha H. R. Varella, S. O. Kullander & F. C. T. Lima, 2012 [8]
- Crenicichla cincta Regan, 1905
- Crenicichla cyanonotus Cope, 1870
- Crenicichla cyclostoma Ploeg, 1986
- Crenicichla empheres C. A. S. de Lucena, 2007
- Crenicichla gaucho C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992
- Crenicichla geayi Pellegrin, 1903 (half-banded pike cichlid)
- Crenicichla gillmorlisi S. O. Kullander & C. A. S. de Lucena, 2013 [9]
- Crenicichla hadrostigma C. A. S. de Lucena, 2007
- Crenicichla haroldoi Luengo & Britski, 1974
- Crenicichla hemera S. O. Kullander, 1990
- Crenicichla hu Piálek, Říčan, Casciotta & Almirón, 2010
- Crenicichla igara C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992
- Crenicichla iguapina S. O. Kullander & C. A. S. de Lucena, 2006
- Crenicichla iguassuensis Haseman, 1911
- Crenicichla jaguarensis Haseman, 1911
- Crenicichla jegui Ploeg, 1986
- Crenicichla johanna Heckel, 1840
- Crenicichla jupiaensis Britski & Luengo, 1968
- Crenicichla jurubi C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992
- Crenicichla lacustris (Castelnau, 1855)
- Crenicichla lenticulata Heckel, 1840
- Crenicichla lucenai Mattos, I. Schindler, Ottoni & Cheffe, 2014 [7]
- Crenicichla lugubris Heckel, 1840
- Crenicichla macrophthalma Heckel, 1840
- Crenicichla maculata S. O. Kullander & C. A. S. de Lucena, 2006
- Crenicichla mandelburgeri S. O. Kullander, 2009
- Crenicichla marmorata Pellegrin, 1904
- Crenicichla menezesi Ploeg, 1991
- Crenicichla minuano C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992
- Crenicichla missioneira C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992
- Crenicichla monicae S. O. Kullander & H. R. Varella, 2015 (Wallace’s pike cichlid) [10]
- Crenicichla mucuryna R. Ihering (pt), 1914
- Crenicichla multispinosa Pellegrin, 1903
- Crenicichla niederleinii (Holmberg, 1891)
- Crenicichla percna S. O. Kullander, 1991
- Crenicichla phaiospilus S. O. Kullander, 1991
- Crenicichla prenda C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992
- Crenicichla punctata R. F. Hensel, 1870
- Crenicichla reticulata (Heckel, 1840)
- Crenicichla rosemariae S. O. Kullander, 1997
- Crenicichla scottii (C. H. Eigenmann, 1907)
- Crenicichla sedentaria S. O. Kullander, 1986
- Crenicichla semicincta Steindachner, 1892
- Crenicichla semifasciata (Heckel, 1840)
- Crenicichla stocki Ploeg, 1991
- Crenicichla strigata Günther, 1862
- Crenicichla taikyra Casciotta, Almirón, Aichino, S. E. Gómez, Piálek, & Říčan, 2013 [6]
- Crenicichla tapii Piálek, Dragová, Casciotta, Almirón & Říčan, 2015 [5]
- Crenicichla tendybaguassu C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992
- Crenicichla ternetzi Norman, 1926
- Crenicichla tesay Casciotta & Almirón, 2009
- Crenicichla tigrina Ploeg, Jégu & E. J. G. Ferreira, 1991
- Crenicichla tingui S. O. Kullander & C. A. S. de Lucena, 2006
- Crenicichla tuca Piálek, Dragová, Casciotta, Almirón & Říčan, 2015 [5]
- Crenicichla vaillanti Pellegrin, 1903
- Crenicichla vittata Heckel, 1840
- Crenicichla yaha Casciotta, Almirón & S. E. Gómez, 2006
- Crenicichla ypo Casciotta, Almirón, Piálek, S. E. Gómez & Říčan, 2010
- Crenicichla zebrina C. G. Montaña, López-Fernández & Taphorn, 2008
In addition to these, several undescribed species are known.[2]
References
edit- ^ Kullander, Sven O.; Lucena, Carlos A. Santos de (June 2006). "A review of the species of Crenicichla (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the Atlantic coastal rivers of southeastern Brazil from Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul States, with descriptions of three new species". Neotropical Ichthyology. 4 (2): 127–146. doi:10.1590/s1679-62252006000200001.
- ^ a b c Gottwald, J: Crenicichla arten.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Crenicichla". FishBase. August 2024 version.
- ^ a b c Piálek, Lubomír; Říčan, Oldřich; Casciotta, Jorge; Almirón, Adriana; Zrzavý, Jan (January 2012). "Multilocus phylogeny of Crenicichla (Teleostei: Cichlidae), with biogeography of the C. lacustris group: Species flocks as a model for sympatric speciation in rivers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (1): 46–61. Bibcode:2012MolPE..62...46P. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.09.006. PMID 21971056.
- ^ a b c d e Piálek, L.; Dragová, K.; Casciotta, J.; Almirón, A.; Říčan, O. (2015). "Description of two new species of Crenicichla (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the lower Iguazú River with a taxonomic reappraisal of C. iguassuensis, C. tesay and C. yaha". Historia Natural. 5 (2): 5–27. S2CID 51899505.
- ^ a b CASCIOTTA, JORGE; ALMIRÓN, ADRIANA; AICHINO, DANILO; GÓMEZ, SERGIO; PIÁLEK, LUBOMÍR; ŘÍČAN, OLDŘICH (16 October 2013). "Crenicichla taikyra (Teleostei: Cichlidae), a new species of pike cichlid from the middle río Paraná, Argentina" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3721 (4): 379–86. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3721.4.5. PMID 26120682.
- ^ a b Mattos, J.L., Schindler, I., Ottoni, F.P. & Cheffe, M.M. (2014): A new species of Crenicichla from the upper Rio das Antas basin, dos Patos lagoon system, southern Brazil (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Vertebrate Zoology, 64 (1): 35–42.
- ^ Varella, Henrique R.; Kullander, Sven O.; Lima, Flávio C. T. (2012). "Crenicichla chicha, a new species of pike cichlid (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the rio Papagaio, upper rio Tapajós basin, Mato Grosso, Brazil". Neotropical Ichthyology. 10 (2): 233–244. doi:10.1590/s1679-62252012000200002.
- ^ KULLANDER, SVEN O.; DE LUCENA, CARLOS A. SANTOS (23 April 2013). "Crenicichla gillmorlisi, a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the Paraná river drainage in Paraguay". Zootaxa. 3641 (2): 149–64. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3641.2.3. PMID 26287074.
- ^ Kullander, Sven O.; Varella, Henrique R. (September 2015). "Wallace's Pike Cichlid Gets a Name after 160 Years: A New Species of Cichlid Fish (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the Upper Rio Negro in Brazil". Copeia. 103 (3): 512–519. doi:10.1643/ci-14-169.