''Cincelichthys'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of high-bodied
cichlid
Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...
s found in southern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
to
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
, where they inhabit lakes, rivers (typically sluggish) and other freshwater habitats.
They are large cichlids, up to long depending on species, with females reaching smaller sizes than males.
They feed on vegetable matter,
like fruits, parts of aquatic and land plants, and algae.
[ They share their chisel-like teeth with '']Kihnichthys
''Kihnichthys ufermanni'', the Usumacinta cichlid, is a species of cichlid found in a few rivers in the Usumacinta River basin in Guatemala and southern Mexico. It typically occurs in rivers that are about wide, fairly deep, have few or no aq ...
'' and whether they should be merged into a single genus is not yet fully resolved;[ a review in 2020 recommended that ''Kihnichthys'' should be moved into ''Cincelichthys''.]
Species
There are currently 2 recognized species in this genus:[
* '' Cincelichthys bocourti'' ( Vaillant & Pellegrin, 1902) (Chisel-tooth cichlid)
* '' Cincelichthys pearsei'' ( C. L. Hubbs, 1936) (Pantano cichlid)
]
References
Heroini
Cichlid genera
{{Cichlidae-stub