User:Kodiak Blackjack/sandbox

The jaguar cichlid (Parachromis managuensis) is a species of cichlid native to freshwater and estuarine wetlands throughout Central America.


 * found from Honduras to Costa Rica.
 * it's also an invasive species
 * the jaguar cichlid is popular in the aquarium trade

Etymology and nomenclatural history
The specific name, managuensis, refers to Lake Managua in Nicaragua, from which the holotype specimen was obtained.

it is variously known as the jaguar cichlid, managuense cichlid, managua cichlid, Aztec cichlid, spotted guapote and jaguar guapote. In Costa Rica, it is known as the "guapote tigre."

The jaguar cichlid was originally described as Parachromis gulosus by Louis Agassiz in 1859.
 * Parachromis gulosus (Agassiz, 1859)
 * was considered part of genus Cichlasoma
 * then was considered part of Nandopsis until 1997

described as Heros managuensis by Albert Günther in 1867.

Phylogeny and evolutionary history

 * The closest relative of the jaguar cichlid is the wolf cichlid (Parachromis dovii). Together, they form the managuensis group. The two species diverged roughly 7.8 million years ago (Mya).

Anatomy and description
P. managuensis is a robust fish with a silvery or golden-green to purple colour, with a darker moss green shade at the dorsum. The sides show a purple iridescence and the belly is whitish or yellowish. A series of several large black dots then run horizontally along the lateral line area. The fins are often a dark to black coloration, especially when in spawning coloration. The most distinguished feature is a black stripe than run from the eye to the opercular margin. Males grow to a total length of 65 cm and females to 40 cm. The female also lacks the elongated extensions to the dorsal fins.


 * sexually dimorphic

Distribution and habitat
The natural distribution of P. managuensis goes from the Ulúa River in Honduras to the Matina River basin in Costa Rica. However, it has been introduced in other countries in Central America, as well as in the United States, as a food source, for aquarism and to control fish populations.

Jaguar cichlids inhabit lakes, prefer turbid waters with mud bottoms, and are tolerant to eutrophic and hypoxic conditions. Its native substrate is mud-bottoms, but it can also be found in ponds and springs with sandy bottoms covered in plant debris. It prefers water with a pH of 7.0–8.7, a water hardness of 10–15 dGH, and a temperature range of 25 to 36 C.

In Nicaragua
The jaguar cichlid is one of two cichlid species found within every crater lake of Nicaragua, the other being Amphilophus citrinellus.


 * prevalent in Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve (Lake Apoyo), feeds on smaller fishes including sardines; competes with Amphilophus zaliosus and the introduced Gobiomorus dormitor for food. the latter also consumes P. managuensis's fry

Hunting and diet

 * Jaguar cichlids are hypercarnivores.
 * Juvenile jaguar cichlids tend to prey upon insects and small fish.
 * An adult's prey volume will consist almost entirely (94.3%) of other fish.

Reproduction and life cycle

 * lays eggs or something
 * average number of eggs per female is 2991, average egg size is 1.060 ± 0.05 mm$3$
 * The fertilization rate of eggs is 93.5 ± 1.3%, and the embryo survival rate is 94.5 ± 1.2%.

Hybridization
This species is capable of hybridizing with Parachromis dovii, Amatitlania nigrofasciata, and Mayaheros urophthalmus.

Hybridization with the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) has been attempted in laboratory conditions via artificial insemination, resulting in successful fertilization in both sexes and normal embryonic development up to the early blastula stage. However, all hybrid offspring subsequently developed life-threatening birth defects, including incomplete cranial development, crooked notochords, pericardial effusion, and a lack of heartbeat; as a result, none survived to term.

Parasites

 * Acusicola margulisae, a parasitic copepod found to infest the gills of P. managuensis in Lake Asososca, León, Nicaragua
 * Posthodiplostomum macrocotyle, parasitic flatworm found to infect the muscles of P. managuensis in Puerto Rico
 * Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) rebecae, a parasitic nematode found to infest the intestines of P. managuensis in Lake Apoyo
 * Sciadicleithrum mexicanum, a parasitic monogenean found to infest the gills of P. managuensis in the Makantaca River of Nicaragua

Natural predators

 * Gobiomorus dormitor
 * wading birds, such as the anhinga (Anghinga anhinga) and rufescent tiger heron (Tigrisoma lineatum)

Mitochondrial DNA
In 2015, the complete mitochrondrial genome of the jaguar cichlid was sequenced by a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences and the Guangxi Introduction and Breeding Center of Aquaculture. It measures 16,526 base pairs (bp) in length, and consists of 28.1% adenine, 25.5% thiamine, 15.4% guanine, and 31.0% cytosine.

In the aquarium
The jaguar cichlid was first imported to the United States in 1964.
 * prefers temperatures of 74.3 –, and pH around 7.5. water chemistry is not critical, but ideally it should be soft and well-filtered
 * minimum tank size of 50 gal for a single adult, 65 gal for a species pair; highly territorial and should not be kept with other species (this seems small as hell - find another source. also it's totally fine hybridizing and they make no mention of this)
 * shelter should be provided in the form of rocks, driftwood, clay pots, and PVC pipes; plant decor will be uprooted . all decoration should be well-bedded
 * occupies the bottom to middle of a tank
 * will breed readily in captivity, may consume fry. eggs are usually laid on a pre-cleaned site (such as a rock).
 * fry are at risk of being sucked into power filters due to their small size. sponge filters are recommended in breeding tanks

Recreational fishing

 * Feb 1st, 1993 - Murray Stanford catches a 370 mm specimen weighing in at 850 g in Little River Canal, Miami-Dade County, Florida. FWC reports this as the state record for the jaguar cichlid in 1994
 * current International Game Fish Association (IGFA) record in the United States is 50 cm and 1.67 kg, caught in Kendale Lakes, Florida by William T. Porter in 2006

Conservation status
Due to its wide geographic distribution, abundance within its native range, and its prevalence in aquaculture and the ornamental fish trade, the jaguar cichlid is listed as a least-concern species on the IUCN Red List. Its native range overlaps with several protected areas, including the Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve in Nicaragua and the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica.

In Lake Nicaragua, reports from local fishermen suggest that the introduction of the non-native Hypostomus aspidolepis (colloquially referred to as "devil fish") is directly responsible for a decline in the lake's jaguar cichlid population. This population decline is compounded by several other factors, including the introduction of tilapia (O. niloticus, O. mossambicus, and O. aureus) into the lake and surrounding San Juan basin, which compete with native cichlids for territory and prey, as well as water pollution from agricultural runoff, industrial mining, and untreated sewage.