• Home

  Welcome to the cichlidae information center!!

  News

  • What's new
  • News
  • Notifications
  • RSS feeds
  • facebook

  Site

  • Introduction
  • Site map
  • Authors
  • Fellows
  • Sponsors

  Terms

  • Subscribe
  • Sponsor
  • Contributions
  • Terms
  • Contact us
• Content

  cichlid information

  Catalog

  • Cichlids
  • Ecoregions
  • Wallpapers
  • Match the id

  Library

  • References
  • Indexed
  • Bookshelf
  • Associations

  Documents

  • Articles
  • Breeding Tanks
  • Interviews
  • Fishroom lectures
• Sections

  editorial columns

  • Editorial
  • Cichlids and Science
  • Focus Central America
  • Malawi Checklists
  • Tribe Ectodini
  • Tropheus basics
  • Furu Fanatics
• Ask Pam

  ask Pam all your cichlid questions (English)

  

  Pam Chin has been replying to cichlid questions for over twenty years. Highly respected and experienced aquarist, Pam has visited cichlid habitats around the world, and bred in her's and her husband Gary fish house hundreds of cichlid species. Besides her job, she still devotes time to help any person with a cichlid question!

• Forum

  cichlid forum (English)

  Cichlid talk

  • Central American
  • South American
  • Discus
  • Madagascar
  • Lake Malawi
  • Lake Tanganyika
  • Tribe Ectodini
  • Tropheines
  • Lake Victoria
  • Asian
  • Other African
  • Dwarf
  • General

  Cichlid topics

  • Announcements
  • Suggestions
  • For Beginners
  • Taxonomy
  • Cichlid Behaviour
  • Cichlid Conservation
  • Cichlid Health
  • Equipment
  • Filtration
  • In Memoriam
  • General Fish Topics
  • Upcoming Events
  • OCA
• Store

  visit the Cichlid Room Companion store

  Articles for sale Beautifully formatted and wonderfully illustrated PDF articles about all matters relative to cichlids.

  Books for sale Cichlid books and DVDs for sale at the Cichlid Room Companion.

  E-books for sale PDF copies of popular cichlid books offered for sale at the best price.

  Trade section The master list of cichlid offers ordered by area and species name.

• Login
  • Subscribe

---

Type species: Amphilophus froebelii Agassiz, 1859

Distinctive characters: Distinctive characters of Amphilophus were summarized by Bussing & Martin (1975):

• Produced snout
• Upper profile of snout straight
• Maxillary not extending beyond vertical of anterior margin of eye
• Pectoral fins long, reaching origin of anal fin or far beyond
• Basic color pattern comprising five to nine cross bars on body

Species currently included:

Amphilophus amarillo	C
Amphilophus calobrensis	C
Amphilophus citrinellus	C, E(Polychromatism)
Amphilophus hogaboomorum	C
Amphilophus labiatus	C, E(Polychromatism), A(A. labiatus complex, includes other species of Amphilophus s.s.)
Amphilophus lyonsi	C
Amphilophus nourissati	C
Amphilophus sagittae	C, E(Polychromatism)
Amphilophus trimaculatus	C
Amphilophus xiloaensis	C, E(Polychromatism)
Amphilophus zaliosus	C

C=CRC Catalogue, E=Note on Ecology, S=Note on systematic status

Distribution: Altlantic and Pazific versant from South México to Panama.

Further information: Astatheros Pellegrin, 1904 (type species: Heros heterodontus), Erythrichthus Meek, 1907 (type species: Heros citrinellus) and Curraichthys Fernandez-Yepez, 1969 (type species: Heros lobochilus) are considered as synonyms to Amphilophus by Kullander (2003). Evidence from molecular phylogenies, however, suggest that Amphilophus is polyphyletic and Aststheros a natural group (Martin & Bermingham, 1998; Hulsey et al. 2004), so that some authors consider Astatheros as valid (Stauffer & McKaye, 2002; Kranefeld & Schindler, 2005; Concheiro et al. 2007). Based on data published in the recent years, I follow these authors and consider Astatheros as a distinct taxon.

In the lakes of Nicaragua, species of the genus Amphilophus apparently underwent an adaptive radiation leading to various closely related but distinct forms (Stauffer & McKaye, 2002). This includes cases of sympatric speciation in small crater lakes (Refer to Barluenga et al. 2006 for potential sympatric speciation in Lake Xiloa. Also consider the response of Seehausen et al. 2006 in the same journal pointing out that multiple invasion and introgression may account for the patterns docemented by Barluenga et al. 2006). Within Amphilophus, there might be a couple of undescribed species.

The taxonomic assignment of some species is still not entriely clear. Based on the results of Concheiro et al. (2007), A. trimaculatus is tendatively included in Amphilophus here (but see a discussion of the topic here). Furthermore, the placement of A. calobrensis (which according to Concheiro et al. 2007 is to be assigned to a yet undescribed genus) and A. nourissati in Amphilophus is likely not definite.

References:

• Agassiz, Louis. 1859. "Remarks on new fishes from Lake Nicaragua". Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History. pp. 407-408 (crc00138).
• Barluenga, Marta & Kai N. Stölting, Walter Salzburger, Moritz Muschick & Axel Meyer. 2006. "Sympatric speciation in Nicaraguan crater lake cichlid fish". Nature. v.. 439(n. 7077), pp. 719-723 (crc01238) (abstract).
• Bussing, William & M. Martin. 1975. "Systematic status, variation and distribution of four Middle American cichlid fishes belonging to the Amphilophus species group, genus Cichlasoma". Natural History Museum L.A. County Contributions of Science. n. 269; pp. 1-41 (crc01108).
• Fernández-Yépez, Agustín. 1969. "Contribución al conocimiento de los cíclidos". Evencias. No. 22; 7 unnumered. pp.; Pls. 1-10 (crc00247).
• Hulsey, C. Darrin & F.J. Garcia de Leon, Y. Sanchez-Johnson, D.A. Hendrickson & T.J. Near. 2004. "Temporal Diversification of Mesoamerican Cichlid Fishes Across a Major Biogeographic Boundary". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. n; 31; pp. 754-764 (crc01093) (abstract).
• Kranefeld, L. & I. Schindler. 2005. "'Cichlasoma', Amphilophus oder Astatheros". Deutsche Cichliden Gesellschaft- Informationen. v. 36; n. 8; pp. 181-184 (crc01140).
• Kullander, Sven. 2003. "Family Cichlidae (Cichlids)". Check list of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America. pp. 605-654 (crc01092).
• Martin, A. P. & E. Bermingham. 1998. "Systematics and Evolution of Lower Central American Cichlids IOnferred from Analysis of Cytochrome b Gene Sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. n. 9; pp. 192-203 (crc01094).
• 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).
• Stauffer, Jay Richard Jr. & McKaye. 2002. "Descriptions of Three New Species of Cichlid Fishes (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Xiloá, Nicaragua". Cuadernos de investigacion de la Universided de Centro América. v. 12; 1-18 (crc00010) (abstract).
• Stawikowski, Rainer & U. Werner. 1998. "Die Buntbarsche Amerikas, Band1". Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart (crc01090).

© Copyright 2007 Michi Tobler, all rights reserved

Citation:

Tobler, Michi. (January 20, 2007). "Short synopsis of Amphilophus Agassiz, 1859". The Cichlid Room Companion. Retrieved on May 23, 2013, from: http://www.cichlidae.com/section.php?id=47.