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Sub-family
Cichlinae
Tribe
Heroini
Genus
Hoplarchus
Status
valid
Curator
Roger Miller
Published
17-Mar-2006
Last updated on :
17-Mar-2006
 |
Hoplarchus psittacus (Heckel, 1840)
![One friendly and curious adult Hoplarchus psittacus in Igarapé Barirí, upper Rio negro, Amazon basin [Brazil] (oct-2012). A lonely individual, this was the only specimen of this species that I was able to see in three weeks of exploring](../gallery/thumbs/p09592t.jpg){kind=small}
![Hoplarchus psittacus adult in the aquarium of Peter Ludwig[Germany]](../gallery/thumbs/p07557t.jpg){kind=small}
![Hoplarchus psittacus adult in Igarapé Barirí, upper Rio Negro, Amazon basin [Brazil] (oct-2012)](../gallery/thumbs/p09591t.jpg){kind=small}
Original description as Heros psittacus:
- Heckel, Johann Jakob. 1840. "Johann Natterer's neue Flussfische Brasilien's nach den Beobachtungen und Mittheilungen des Entdeckers beschrieben (Erste Abtheilung, Die Labroiden)". Annalen des Wiener Museums der Naturgeschichte. pp 325-471 (crc00007).
Synonyms:
- Centrarchus cychla Jardine, 1843, With type locality at Rio Negro. Determiner: Reis, 2003.
- Hoplarchus pentacanthus Kaup, 1860, With type locality at South America. Determiner: Reis, 2003.
Taxonomic history:
- Heros psittacus, Heckel, 1840, original combination.
- Centrarchus cychla, Jardine, 1843, junior synonym.
- Hoplarchus pentacanthus, Kaup, 1860, junior synonym.
- Acara (Heros) psittacus, Steindachner, 1875, new combination.
- Astronotus (Heros) psittacus, Eigenmann et al, 1891, new combination.
- Heros (Hoplarchus) psittacus, Pellegrin, 1904, new combination.
- Cichlosoma (Hoplarchus) psittacum, Regan, 1905, new combination.
- Hoplarchus psittacus, Kullander, 1983, new combination.
Etymology: psittakos (Greek), psittacinus, (Latin) = 'parrot'. The iridescent green coloration of the fish, the distinctive facial spotting and the bright red ventrum and eye contributed to the naming of this fish, called 'papagai' (portuguese for parrot).
Diagnosis: Kullander (1983) originally thought this species closely allied to the chocolate cichlid, Hypselecara temporalis, but in his monograph on Peru (1985) concludes that the resemblance is simply superficial (i.e. body shape, etc.) and they are not closely allied.
Common names: Acara paragaio (native, Portuguese), Papagai (native, Portuguese), Parrot cichlid (commercial, English), Vieja (native, Español).
Type locality: Rio Negro north of Maribitanos, at foot of Cocui Mountains, Venezuela.
Distribution: Upper Orinoco (Southern Venezuela, Eastern Colombia), Rio Negro (Northern Brazil), also the following rivers in Brazil: Preto da Eva, Urubu, Jamari.
Inhabited countries: Brazil (native), Colombia (native), Venezuela (native).
Habitat: Found in blackwater rivers, swamps and lakes. Blackwater specialist: moderately acidic (pH 5.5-6) and low dissolved minerals. Water temperature 27-30 C (81 - 86 F). Often amongst submerged wood.
Localities: Igarapé Barirí (Brazil, native).
Feeding: Primarily aquatic insects and crustaceans (shrimp, etc). Small fishes during low water.
Breeding: Requires high temperatures (c. 28-30 C, 82-86 F) and 'blackwater conditions' (e.g. RO-prepared water or rainwater, peat extract) to trigger spawnings. Typically biparental substrate brooder. Relatively small egg plaques (c. 100 - 200 eggs) for such a large fish. Not often spawned.
Aquaristics: Since the maximum recorded total length of wild specimens is 35 cm (c. 14 inches), these fish need a large tank. A pair will do well in a 1.20 m x 45 cm (4 foot X 18 inch) 300 liters (c. 80 gallon), but better housed in 470 liters (125 gallon) 1.8 m (6 foot) tank or bigger, with other fish. Parrot cichlids will do fine at moderate water chemistries (pH 7, moderate hardness) but require soft acidic water to spawn. Food includes all pelleted and stick prepared foods, freeze-dried and frozen krill, earthworms etc. Do well as groups in large tanks with other moderately aggressive cichlids.
Conservation: Hoplarchus psittacus is not evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species
Comments: This fish was first described by Heckel in 1840 as Heros psittacus, and later Hoplarchus pentacanthus by Kaup 1860. For a long while it was known as Cichlasoma psittacum in the hobby. After Kullander (1983) restricted usage of the name Cichlasoma to 'portalagrense' type cichlids, the correct name became Hoplarchus psittacus (Heckel, 1840). This fish is, unfortunately, relatively uncommon in the cichlid hobby and has become confused in modern days with the hybrid and deformed orange ('bloody') 'Parrot Cichlid' produced by Asian ornamental fishfarmers.
References:
- Eigenmann, Carl H. & R.S. Eigenmann. 1891. "A catalogue of the freshwater fishes of South America". Proceeding of the United States National Museum. XIV: 67-69 (crc02508).
- Heckel, Johann Jakob. 1840. "Johann Natterer's neue Flussfische Brasilien's nach den Beobachtungen und Mittheilungen des Entdeckers beschrieben (Erste Abtheilung, Die Labroiden)". Annalen des Wiener Museums der Naturgeschichte. pp 325-471 (crc00007).
- IUCN. 2002. "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". International Union for the Conservation of Nature (crc01159).
- Jardine, W. 1843. "The Natural History of Fishes of Guiana". Schomburgk, R.H. - The Naturalist's Library -40, Ichthyology- Fishes of British Guiana - Part 2, Edinburgh. p. 160 (crc00059).
- Kaup, J. J.. 1860. "Hoplarchus, neues Genus der Familie Labridae". Archiv für Naturgeschichte. pp 128-133 (crc00076).
- Kullander, Sven. 1983. "A revision of the South American cichlid genus Cichlasoma (Teleostei: Cichlidae)". Swedish Museum of Natural History. 296 pp. (crc00309).
- Kullander, Sven. 1986. "Cichlid Fishes of the Amazon River Drainage of Peru". Swedish Museum of Natural History. Cichlids Amazon. pp. 1-431 (crc00282).
- Leibel, Wayne. 1994. "Papagai - the Real Parrot Cichlid, Hoplarchus psittacus Kaup, 1860". Cichlid News Magazine (crc00457).
- Pellegrin, Jacques. 1904. "Contribution à l'étude anatomique, biologique et taxinomique des poissons de la famille des Cichlidés - Taxinomie". Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France. pp 121-400 (crc00027) (abstract).
- Regan, Charles Tate. 1905. "A revision of the fishes of the American cichlid genus Cichlosoma and of the allied genera". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. (Ser. 7) vol. 16; pp 60-77; 225-243; 316-340; 433-445 (crc00042).
- Steindachner, Franz. 1875. "Beiträge der Kenntniss der Chromiden des Amazonenstromes". Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft naturforschender Freunde in Berlin. pp. 61-137 (crc00103).
Citation:
Miller, Roger. (March 17, 2006). "Hoplarchus psittacus (Heckel, 1840)". The Cichlid Room Companion. Retrieved on May 20, 2013, from: http://www.cichlidae.com/gallery/species.php?id=7&content=profile.
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