Laetacara

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laetacara
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cichlidae
Subfamily: Cichlasomatinae
Genus: Laetacara
S. O. Kullander, 1986
Type species
Acara flavilabris
Cope, 1870

Laetacara is a small genus of cichlids native to soft, acidic freshwater habitats in South America.[1] The genus is also collectively known as the smiling acaras.[1][2] The range of the genus extends from the upper Orinoco river in Venezuela to the Paraná River in Paraguay.[3] Like all cichlids, Laetacara species have well-developed brood care.

All members of the genus are monogamous, open spawning cichlids.[1] Most species are popular in the fishkeeping hobby and are frequently kept in aquariums.[3] Most Laetacara species are relatively small cichlids, growing from 5-10 centimetres (2-4 in) in length and are part of the group known to aquarists as dwarf cichlids.[1]

Species

There are currently six recognized species in this genus:[4]

  • Laetacara araguaiae Ottoni & W. J. E. M. Costa, 2009
  • Laetacara curviceps (C. G. E. Ahl, 1923) (Flag acara)
  • Laetacara dorsigera (Heckel, 1840) (Redbreast acara)
  • Laetacara flavilabris (Cope, 1870)
  • Laetacara fulvipinnis Staeck & I. Schindler, 2007
  • Laetacara thayeri (Steindachner, 1875)

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Loiselle, Paul V. (1995). The Cichlid Aquarium. Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN 1-56465-146-0. 
  2. Kullander, S.O. (1998). "A phylogeny and classification of the South American Cichlidae (Teleostei: Perciformes)". In L.R. Malabarba, R.E. Reis, R.P. Vari, Z.M. Lucena and C.A.S. Lucena (eds.). Phylogeny and classification of neotropical fishes. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 461–498. ISBN 978-85-7430-035-1. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Linke H, Staeck L (1994) American cichlids I: Dwarf Cichlids. A handbook for their identification, care and breeding. Tetra Press. Germany. ISBN 1-56465-168-1
  4. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2013). Species of Laetacara in FishBase. February 2013 version.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.