Crenicichla

Pike cichlids
Crenicichla punctata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Cichlidae
Subfamily:	Cichlinae
Genus:	Crenicichla Heckel, 1840
Type species
Crenicichla macrophthalma Heckel, 1840
Synonyms
Batrachops Heckel, 1840 Boggiania Perugia, 1897

Crenicichla is a genus of cichlids native to South America commonly known as the pike cichlids. They are found in most of tropical and subtropical areas between the Andes and the Atlantic.^[1]

Description

The smallest species of Crenicichla (notably members of the C. wallacii species group) are no larger than 6–14 cm (2.4–5.5 in),^[2] and technically qualify as "dwarf cichlids" for the aquarium hobby – though their aggressive and voracious habits should let prospective keepers beware. The biggest pike cichlids can grow to about 50 cm (20 in) long.^[2] Most Crenicichla measure in the range of 15–30 cm (6–12 in). Like many other predatory fishes, a pike cichlid has a wide mouth and elongated body.

Distribution and ecology

The genus Crenicichla is native to freshwater in tropical and subtropical South America east of the Andes, ranging from Trinidad and the Guiana Shield (including Orinoco), through the Amazon and Río de la Plata Basins, south as far as Río Negro in Argentina.^[3] Although widespread as a group, the individual species are often restricted to a single river or river basin.^[3][4] They are found in a wide range of habitats, including rivers, streams, pools and lakes; some species are rheophilic.^[3][4]

The vast majority of pike cichlids are predatory and feed on fish, insects, and other small animals. They usually place themselves where they can stay undetected by the prey, like close to a sunken tree stem or behind a rock. This behavior, as well as the correspondingly adapted shape, which resembles that the unrelated pikes (Esocidae) of the Holarctic, gives the pike cichlids their common name. An exception is C. tapii, which is similar in general appearance to other pike cichlids, but unusual for being gregarious and feeding on periphyton.^[4]

Species

There are currently 93 recognized species in this genus:.^[5][6][7]

Crenicichla acutirostris Günther, 1862 Crenicichla adspersa Heckel, 1840 Crenicichla albopunctata Pellegrin, 1904 Crenicichla alta C. H. Eigenmann, 1912 Crenicichla anamiri P. M. M. Ito & Rapp Py-Daniel, 2015 [8] Crenicichla anthurus Cope, 1872 Crenicichla brasiliensis (Bloch, 1792) Crenicichla britskii S. O. Kullander, 1982 Crenicichla cametana Steindachner, 1911 Crenicichla celidochilus Casciotta, 1987 Crenicichla chicha H. R. Varella, S. O. Kullander & F. C. T. Lima, 2012[9] Crenicichla cincta Regan, 1905 Crenicichla compressiceps Ploeg, 1986 Crenicichla coppenamensis Ploeg, 1987 Crenicichla cyanonotus Cope, 1870 Crenicichla cyclostoma Ploeg, 1986 Crenicichla empheres C. A. S. de Lucena, 2007 Crenicichla frenata T. N. Gill, 1858 Crenicichla gaucho C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992 Crenicichla geayi Pellegrin, 1903 (Half-banded pike cichlid) Crenicichla gillmorlisi S. O. Kullander & C. A. S. de Lucena, 2013 [10] Crenicichla hadrostigma C. A. S. de Lucena, 2007 Crenicichla haroldoi Luengo & Britski, 1974 Crenicichla heckeli Ploeg, 1989 Crenicichla hemera S. O. Kullander, 1990 Crenicichla hu Piálek, Říčan, Casciotta & Almirón, 2010 Crenicichla hummelincki Ploeg, 1991 Crenicichla igara C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992 Crenicichla iguapina S. O. Kullander & C. A. S. de Lucena, 2006 Crenicichla iguassuensis Haseman, 1911 Crenicichla inpa Ploeg, 1991 Crenicichla isbrueckeri Ploeg, 1991 Crenicichla jaguarensis Haseman, 1911 Crenicichla jegui Ploeg, 1986 Crenicichla johanna Heckel, 1840 Crenicichla jupiaensis Britski & Luengo, 1968 Crenicichla jurubi C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992 Crenicichla labrina (Spix & Agassiz, 1831) Crenicichla lacustris (Castelnau, 1855) Crenicichla lenticulata Heckel, 1840 Crenicichla lepidota Heckel, 1840 (Pike cichlid) Crenicichla lucenai Mattos, I. Schindler, Ottoni & Cheffe, 2014 [7] Crenicichla lucius Cope, 1870 Crenicichla lugubris Heckel, 1840 Crenicichla macrophthalma Heckel, 1840 Crenicichla maculata S. O. Kullander & C. A. S. de Lucena, 2006 Crenicichla mandelburgeri S. O. Kullander, 2009 Crenicichla marmorata Pellegrin, 1904 Crenicichla menezesi Ploeg, 1991

Crenicichla minuano C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992 Crenicichla missioneira C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992 Crenicichla monicae S. O. Kullander & H. R. Varella, 2015 (Wallace’s pike cichlid) [11] Crenicichla mucuryna R. Ihering (pt), 1914 Crenicichla multispinosa Pellegrin, 1903 Crenicichla nickeriensis Ploeg, 1987 Crenicichla niederleinii (Holmberg, 1891) Crenicichla notophthalmus Regan, 1913 Crenicichla pellegrini Ploeg, 1991 Crenicichla percna S. O. Kullander, 1991 Crenicichla phaiospilus S. O. Kullander, 1991 Crenicichla prenda C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992 Crenicichla proteus Cope, 1872 Crenicichla punctata R. F. Hensel, 1870 Crenicichla pydanielae Ploeg, 1991 Crenicichla regani Ploeg, 1989 Crenicichla reticulata (Heckel, 1840) Crenicichla rosemariae S. O. Kullander, 1997 Crenicichla santosi Ploeg, 1991 Crenicichla saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Ring-tail pike cichlid) Crenicichla scottii (C. H. Eigenmann, 1907) Crenicichla sedentaria S. O. Kullander, 1986 Crenicichla semicincta Steindachner, 1892 Crenicichla semifasciata (Heckel, 1840) Crenicichla sipaliwini Ploeg, 1987 Crenicichla stocki Ploeg, 1991 Crenicichla strigata Günther, 1862 Crenicichla sveni Ploeg, 1991 Crenicichla taikyra Casciotta, Almirón, Aichino, S. E. Gómez, Casciotta, Almirón & Říčan, 2013 [6] Crenicichla tapii Piálek, Dragová, Casciotta, Almirón & Říčan, 2015 [4] Crenicichla tendybaguassu C. A. S. de Lucena & S. O. Kullander, 1992 Crenicichla ternetzi Norman, 1926 Crenicichla tesay Casciotta & Almirón, 2009 Crenicichla tigrina Ploeg, Jégu & E. J. G. Ferreira, 1991 Crenicichla tingui S. O. Kullander & C. A. S. de Lucena, 2006 Crenicichla tuca Piálek, Dragová, Casciotta, Almirón & Říčan, 2015 [4] Crenicichla urosema S. O. Kullander, 1990 Crenicichla vaillanti Pellegrin, 1903 Crenicichla virgatula Ploeg, 1991 Crenicichla vittata Heckel, 1840 Crenicichla wallacii Regan, 1905 Crenicichla yaha Casciotta, Almirón & S. E. Gómez, 2006 Crenicichla ypo Casciotta, Almirón, Casciotta, Almirón, S. E. Gómez & Říčan, 2010 Crenicichla zebrina C. G. Montaña, López-Fernández & Taphorn, 2008

In addition to these, several undescribed species are known.^[2]

References

1. Kullander, S.O. & Lucena, C.A. (2006): A review of the species of Crenicichla (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the Atlantic coastal rivers of southeastern Brazil from Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul States, with descriptions of three new species. Neotropical Ichthyology, 4 (2): 127–146.
2. Gottwald, J: Crenicichla arten.
3. Piálek, Říčan, Casciotta & Zrzavý (2012). Multilocus phylogeny of Crenicichla (Teleostei: Cichlidae), with biogeography of the C. lacustris group: Species flocks as a model for sympatric speciation in rivers. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62(1): 46-61.
4. Piálek, L., Dragová, K., Casciotta, J., Almirón, A. & Říčan, O. (2015): Description of two new species of Crenicichla (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the lower Iguazú River with a taxonomic reappraisal of C. iguassuensis, C. tesay and C. yaha. Historia Natural, 5 (2): 5-27.
5. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2015). Species of Crenicichla in FishBase. August 2015 version.
6. Casciotta, J., Almirón, A., Aichino, D., Gómez, S., Piálek, L. & Rícan, O. (2013): Crenicichla taikyra (Teleostei: Cichlidae), a new species of pike cichlid from the middle río Paraná, Argentina. Zootaxa, 3721 (4): 379–386.
7. Mattos, J.L., Schindler, I., Ottoni, F.P. & Cheffe, M.M. (2014): A new species of Crenicichla from the upper Rio das Antas basin, dos Patos lagoon system, southern Brazil (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Vertebrate Zoology, 64 (1): 35–42.
8. Ito, P.M.M. & Rapp Py-Daniel, L.H. (2015): A small new species of Crenicichla Heckel, 1840 from middle rio Xingu, Brazil (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Neotropical Ichthyology, 13 (3): 471-478.
9. Varella, H.R., Kullander, S.O. & Lima, F.C.T. (2012): Crenicichla chicha, a new species of pike cichlid (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the rio Papagaio, upper rio Tapajós basin, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Neotropical Ichthyology, 10 (2): 233-244.
10. Kullander, S.O. & Lucena, C.A.S.d. (2013): Crenicichla gillmorlisi, a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the Paraná river drainage in Paraguay. Zootaxa, 3641 (2): 149–164.
11. Kullander, S.O. & Varella, H.R. (2015): Wallace’s Pike Cichlid Gets a Name after 160 Years: A New Species of Cichlid Fish (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the Upper Rio Negro in Brazil. Copeia, 103 (3): 512-519.