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Michi Tobler, 2005
Cichlid Room Companion
Focus Central America

Short synopsis of Petenia Günther, 1862

By , 2005. image
Last updated on 11-Aug-2005


Classification: Taxonomy and phylogeny, North America.

Type species: Petenia splendida Günther, 1862

Distinctive characters: Petenia is a monotypic genus including a highly specialized piscivorous species. Kullander (1996) gave a revised diagnosis of the genus. Among others distinguishing characters include:

  • All teeth caniniform, strongly recurved.
  • Coronalis pore and channel absent.
  • Premaxillary ascending processes reaching to posterior margin orbit (young) or to posterior margin of skull.
  • Dorsal and anal fin naked.

Species currently included:

Petenia splendida C, E(Polychromatism), H(Laguna Noh)
C=CRC Catalogue, E=Note on ecology, H=Habitat description

Distribution: Atlantic slope from Grijalva River to Usumacinta River (México), Usumacinta River (Northern Guatemala), and Belize. Introduced west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (e.g. Rio Tonala, Rio Papaloapan system).

Further information: Petenia is known to exhibit a stricking color polymorphism. Beside the normal morph, consipcuous red individuals can be found in natural populations.

From Rio Tonto Petenia splendida from the Rio Tonto, Papaloapan; Veracruz Mexico. Photo by Juan Miguel Artigas Azas. determiner Juan Miguel Artigas Azas

Citation:

Tobler, Michi. (Aug 11, 2005). "Short synopsis of Petenia Günther, 1862". Cichlid Room Companion. Retrieved on Mar 18, 2024, from: https://cichlidae.com/section.php?id=20.