Shrimpy

I have just got a question about what cichlid even means or what is considered a cichlid. Basically tell me what makes a cichlid a cichlid.

plz respond

Tom

I know that cichlids are very aggressive fish. Other than that, I have no idea, and would like to know myself.
Tom

Butterfly

I was going to quote from my cichlid book but I would have ahd to type teh whole book so heres a link instead Hope it's what your looking for.
http://malawicichlids.com/mw01001.htm
Carol

Tom

Interesing.
Tom

Shrimpy

thank you for the info butterfly. Golly good work

armadillo

Quoted from the link recommended by Butterfly: "A nontechnical introduction to cichlids is given elsewhere at this site. Cichlids are often characterized as freshwater perchlike fishes that have only a single nostril on each side, have a divided lateral line, and lack a subocular shelf, among other features. Unfortunately, these characteristics do not a cichlid make, because they are plesiomorphies - character states that are primitive with respect to cichlids. To be sure you've got a cichlid, and to substantiate cichlids as a monophyletic group, you need to know the synapomorphies, or shared derived characters, of cichlids.
The following five apparently independent internal characters, from the cranial muscles and gill arches, are hypothesized to be synapomorphies of the Cichlidae, and provide rather strong evidence that the family is monophyletic (Stiassny, 1981a: 309):


"The loss of a major structural association between parts A2 and A of the adductor mandibulae muscle and the musculous insertion of a large ventral section of A2 onto the posterior border of the ascending process of the anguloarticular.
"The presence of an extensive cartilaginous cap on the anterior margin of each second epibranchial bone.
"The presence of an expanded head of each fourth epibranchial bone.
"The presence of characteristically shaped and distributed microbranchiospines on the gill arches.
"The transversus dorsalis anterior muscle . . . is subdivided into three distinct parts."
"



I guess without your dissection kit and your microscope, you're just going to have to trust the sticker!

Really interesting that they form 5% of all vertebrate species. That's enoooormous.

Shrimpy

good going fish whisperer

armadillo

. Somebody called me that the other day. I had to laugh! Well it was true. I WAS whispering to my fish.

Butterfly

If I'm not mistaken (and I may be ) I think I heard Cichlids are the largest group of fish in the world.
If anyone is interested in learning more about where Cichlids evolved from and the characteristics that make cichlids to be cichlids I recommend a book called The Cichlid Aquarium by Dr. Paul V. Loiselle. It is an older book so you can probably find it in a used book store..
Carol

Callum The Cat

Toddnbecka

Actually I believe catfish claim that distinction.

Howeyg

dwarf cichlids arent aggressive..