THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Fish Families 9
Some species are noted for dramatic changes in color and pattern from juvenile to adult. Breeding
groups are haremic, with a single dominant male and several females. If the male dies, the
dominant female can change sex, sometimes within a matter of days.
CICHLIDAE (CICHLIDS)
105 genera 1,300 species
The Cichlidae is a family of primarily freshwater fish species with worldwide distribution. One of
the largest fish families, at least 1,300 cichlid species are known and probably many others are yet
to be discovered (some estimates suggest 3,000 total species may exist). Greatest cichlid diversity
is found in Africa and South America. Substantial numbers are found in Central America and a
few as far north as Florida and southern Texas.
As a group, cichlids are highly variable in body size, from species as small as 2.5 cm such as the
kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher) displayed in Staff Picks, to those approaching 1 meter, such as
the peacock bass (Cichla ocellaris) on display in the Amazonian Flooded Forest tank. Cichlids live
in almost every conceivable freshwater habitat, and their diets range from other fish, to fish scales
and parasites, algae, and everything in between.
Perhaps their most striking characteristic and an adaptation for success is the remarkable degree
of parental care they invest in eggs, fry, and juveniles, care that may last for weeks or even months.
See various species descriptions for examples. Many cichlids, such as the tilapias, are important
food fishes; others such as the peacock bass, are prized as game fish.
Cichlids have been called the Darwin’s finches of the water world. To the evolutionary biologist,
their most intriguing characteristic is their rapid rate of speciation. For example, a few ancestors
are thought to have invaded Lake Malawi about 700,000 years ago, and from this small
number some 700 known species populate the lake today, each with a seemingly unique set of
characteristics that prevent it from competing directly with others. Madagascar has a variety
of cichlid species only distantly related to those of Africa, from which it separated over 100
million years ago. Knowledge of the distribution and evolutionary divergence of cichlid species
worldwide has added to our understanding of the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates over time.
EMBIOTOCIDAE (SURFPERCHES)
13 genera 24 species
With the exception of one freshwater species, most surfperches are found in coastal waters of the
North Pacific, and are common along the California coast. Members of the family are laterally
compressed with oblong or elliptical bodies, a forked tail, and a continuous dorsal fin with a
scaled ridge along its base. Most are silver, and many species are barred or striped. Many form
schools or loose aggregations.