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''Geophagus'' is a genus of
Some cichlids previously included in this genus have been reallocated to ''Biotodoma'', ''Gymnogeophagus'' or ''Satanoperca''. Even with these as separate genera, ''Geophagus'' is currently polyphyletic and in need of further Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic revision. There are three main groups:
* ''Geophagus sensu stricto'' are mostly relatively peaceful, often have long fin extensions and are native to the Amazon basin, Amazon, Orinoco and Parnaíba River, Parnaíba basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas. This group can be divided into two subgroups: The first is the ''G. surinamensis'' Species complex, complex, which includes most species (fish in the aquarium trade often are identified as ''G. surinamensis'' itself, but they are typically other members of this complex.) The second subgroup contains ''G. argyrostictus'', ''G. gottwaldi'', ''G. grammepareius'', ''G. harreri'' and ''G. taeniopareius'', which are somewhat less peaceful and can be separated from the ''G. surinamensis'' complex by their dark stripe below the eye (however, this feature is shared with the next group).
* ''G. brasiliensis'' complex (including ''G. diamantinensis'', ''G. iporangensis'', ''G. itapicuruensis'', ''G. multiocellus'', ''G. obscurus'', ''G. rufomarginatus'' and ''G. santosi'') are more robust and aggressive species found in river basins of eastern and southeastern Brazil, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina.
* ''G. steindachneri'' complex (including ''G. crassilabris'' and ''G. pellegrini'' and undescribed species entering the aquarium trade from Colombia) found west of the Andes in northern and western Colombia, northwestern Venezuela and Panama where adult males develop a distinct, bulbous red forehead.
There are currently 32 recognized species in this genus. Additionally, plus the species already described in 2022 that are know
The new species of Geophagus naming a cichlid species in 2022
* ''Geophagus abalios'' Hernán López-Fernández, López-Fernández & Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle, Taphorn, 2004 * ''Geophagus altifrons'' Johann Jakob Heckel, Heckel, 1840 * ''Geophagus argyrostictus'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander, 1991 * ''Geophagus brachybranchus'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander & Han Nijssen, Nijssen, 1989 * ''Geophagus brasiliensis'' (Jean René Constant Quoy, Quoy & Joseph Paul Gaimard, Gaimard, 1824) (Pearl cichlid) * ''Geophagus brokopondo'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander & Han Nijssen, Nijssen, 1989 * ''Geophagus camopiensis'' Jacques Pellegrin, Pellegrin, 1903 (Oyapock eartheater) * ''Geophagus crassilabris'' Franz Steindachner, Steindachner, 1876 (Panamanian eartheater) * ''Geophagus crocatus'' Frances E. Hauser, Hauser & Hernán López-Fernández, López-Fernández, 2013Hauser, F.E. & López-Fernández, H. (2013): ''Geophagus crocatus'', a new species of geophagine cichlid from the Berbice River, Guyana, South America (Teleostei: Cichlidae). ''Zootaxa, 3731 (2): 279–286.'' * ''Geophagus diamantinensis'' José Leonardo de Oliveira Mattos, Mattos, Wilson José Eduardo Moreira da Costa, W. J. E. M. Costa & Alexandre Clistenes de Alcantara Santos, A. C. A. Santos, 2015 * ''Geophagus dicrozoster'' Hernán López-Fernández, López-Fernández & Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle, Taphorn, 2004 * ''Geophagus gottwaldi'' Ingo Schindler, I. Schindler & Wolfgang Staeck, Staeck, 2006Schindler, I. & Staeck, W. (2006): ''Geophagus gottwaldi'' sp. n. - a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae) from the drainage of the upper rio Orinoco in Venezuela. ''Zoologische Abhandlungen (Dresden), 56: 91-97.'' * ''Geophagus grammepareius'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander & Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle, Taphorn, 1992 * ''Geophagus harreri'' Jean-Pierre Gosse, J. P. Gosse, 1976 (Maroni eartheater) * ''Geophagus iporangensis'' John Diederich Haseman, Haseman, 1911 * ''Geophagus itapicuruensis'' John Diederich Haseman, Haseman, 1911 * ''Geophagus megasema'' Johann Jakob Heckel, Heckel, 1840 * ''Geophagus mirabilis'' Gabriel de Carvalho Deprá, Deprá, Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander, Carla Simone Pavanelli, Pavanelli & Weferson Júnio da Graça, da Graça, 2014 * ''Geophagus multiocellus'' José Leonardo de Oliveira Mattos, Mattos & Wilson José Eduardo Moreira da Costa, W. J. E. M. Costa, 2018 * ''Geophagus neambi'' Paulo Henrique Franco Lucinda, P. H. L. Lucinda, Carlos Alberto Santos de Lucena, C. A. S. de Lucena & Newton C. Assis, Assis, 2010 * ''Geophagus obscurus'' (François Louis Nompar de Caumat de Laporte Castelnau, Castelnau, 1855) * ''Geophagus parnaibae'' Wolfgang Staeck, Staeck & Ingo Schindler, I. Schindler, 2006Staeck, W. & Schindler, I. (2006): ''Geophagus parnaibae'' sp. n. - a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae) from the rio Parnaiba basin, Brazil. ''Zoologische Abhandlungen (Dresden), 55: 69-75.'' * ''Geophagus pellegrini'' Charles Tate Regan, Regan, 1912 (Yellowhump eartheater) * ''Geophagus proximus'' (François Louis Nompar de Caumat de Laporte Castelnau, Castelnau, 1855) * ''Geophagus pyrocephalus'' * ''Geophagus rufomarginatus'' José Leonardo de Oliveira Mattos, Mattos & Wilson José Eduardo Moreira da Costa, W. J. E. M. Costa, 2018 * ''Geophagus santosi'' José Leonardo de Oliveira Mattos, Mattos & Wilson José Eduardo Moreira da Costa, W. J. E. M. Costa, 2018 * ''Geophagus steindachneri'' Carl H. Eigenmann, C. H. Eigenmann & Samuel Frederick Hildebrand, Hildebrand, 1922 (Redhump eartheater) * ''Geophagus surinamensis'' (Marcus Elieser Bloch, Bloch, 1791) (Red-striped eartheater) * ''Geophagus sveni'' Paulo Henrique Franco Lucinda, P. H. F. Lucinda, Carlos Alberto Santos de Lucena, C. A. S. de Lucena & Newton C. Assis, Assis, 2010 * ''Geophagus taeniopareius'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander & Ramiro Royero-León, Royero-L., 1992 * ''Geophagus winemilleri'' Hernán López-Fernández, López-Fernández & Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle, Taphorn, 2004
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 that mainly live in South America as far south as Argentina and Uruguay, but a single species, ''G. crassilabris'' is from Panama.Mattos, J.L.O., Costa, W.J.E.M. & Santos, A.C.A. (2015): ''Geophagus diamantinensis'', a new species of the ''G. brasiliensis'' species group from Chapada Diamantina, north-eastern Brazil (Cichlidae: Geophagini). ''Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters, 26 (3): 209-220.'' They are found in a wide range of freshwater habitats. They are part of a group popularly known as eartheater
Geophagini is a Tribe (biology), tribe of cichlids from the subfamily Cichlinae, the American cichlids. It is the sister taxon to the clade which includes the Cichlasomatini and Heroini. Fishes in the Geophagini are distributed from Panama south ...
s and mostly feed by picking up mouthfuls of sediment to sift out food items such as invertebrates, plant material and detritus
In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...
. The largest species reach up to in standard length. They are often kept in aquariums.
As an invasive species
Geophagus Surinamensis was an invasive species in Malaysia, recently found in Putrajaya, the populations are now controlled by giant snakeheads.Taxonomy
Some cichlids previously included in this genus have been reallocated to ''Biotodoma'', ''Gymnogeophagus'' or ''Satanoperca''. Even with these as separate genera, ''Geophagus'' is currently polyphyletic and in need of further Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic revision. There are three main groups:
* ''Geophagus sensu stricto'' are mostly relatively peaceful, often have long fin extensions and are native to the Amazon basin, Amazon, Orinoco and Parnaíba River, Parnaíba basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas. This group can be divided into two subgroups: The first is the ''G. surinamensis'' Species complex, complex, which includes most species (fish in the aquarium trade often are identified as ''G. surinamensis'' itself, but they are typically other members of this complex.) The second subgroup contains ''G. argyrostictus'', ''G. gottwaldi'', ''G. grammepareius'', ''G. harreri'' and ''G. taeniopareius'', which are somewhat less peaceful and can be separated from the ''G. surinamensis'' complex by their dark stripe below the eye (however, this feature is shared with the next group).
* ''G. brasiliensis'' complex (including ''G. diamantinensis'', ''G. iporangensis'', ''G. itapicuruensis'', ''G. multiocellus'', ''G. obscurus'', ''G. rufomarginatus'' and ''G. santosi'') are more robust and aggressive species found in river basins of eastern and southeastern Brazil, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina.
* ''G. steindachneri'' complex (including ''G. crassilabris'' and ''G. pellegrini'' and undescribed species entering the aquarium trade from Colombia) found west of the Andes in northern and western Colombia, northwestern Venezuela and Panama where adult males develop a distinct, bulbous red forehead.
Species
There are currently 32 recognized species in this genus. Additionally, plus the species already described in 2022 that are knowThe new species of Geophagus naming a cichlid species in 2022
* ''Geophagus abalios'' Hernán López-Fernández, López-Fernández & Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle, Taphorn, 2004 * ''Geophagus altifrons'' Johann Jakob Heckel, Heckel, 1840 * ''Geophagus argyrostictus'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander, 1991 * ''Geophagus brachybranchus'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander & Han Nijssen, Nijssen, 1989 * ''Geophagus brasiliensis'' (Jean René Constant Quoy, Quoy & Joseph Paul Gaimard, Gaimard, 1824) (Pearl cichlid) * ''Geophagus brokopondo'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander & Han Nijssen, Nijssen, 1989 * ''Geophagus camopiensis'' Jacques Pellegrin, Pellegrin, 1903 (Oyapock eartheater) * ''Geophagus crassilabris'' Franz Steindachner, Steindachner, 1876 (Panamanian eartheater) * ''Geophagus crocatus'' Frances E. Hauser, Hauser & Hernán López-Fernández, López-Fernández, 2013Hauser, F.E. & López-Fernández, H. (2013): ''Geophagus crocatus'', a new species of geophagine cichlid from the Berbice River, Guyana, South America (Teleostei: Cichlidae). ''Zootaxa, 3731 (2): 279–286.'' * ''Geophagus diamantinensis'' José Leonardo de Oliveira Mattos, Mattos, Wilson José Eduardo Moreira da Costa, W. J. E. M. Costa & Alexandre Clistenes de Alcantara Santos, A. C. A. Santos, 2015 * ''Geophagus dicrozoster'' Hernán López-Fernández, López-Fernández & Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle, Taphorn, 2004 * ''Geophagus gottwaldi'' Ingo Schindler, I. Schindler & Wolfgang Staeck, Staeck, 2006Schindler, I. & Staeck, W. (2006): ''Geophagus gottwaldi'' sp. n. - a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae) from the drainage of the upper rio Orinoco in Venezuela. ''Zoologische Abhandlungen (Dresden), 56: 91-97.'' * ''Geophagus grammepareius'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander & Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle, Taphorn, 1992 * ''Geophagus harreri'' Jean-Pierre Gosse, J. P. Gosse, 1976 (Maroni eartheater) * ''Geophagus iporangensis'' John Diederich Haseman, Haseman, 1911 * ''Geophagus itapicuruensis'' John Diederich Haseman, Haseman, 1911 * ''Geophagus megasema'' Johann Jakob Heckel, Heckel, 1840 * ''Geophagus mirabilis'' Gabriel de Carvalho Deprá, Deprá, Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander, Carla Simone Pavanelli, Pavanelli & Weferson Júnio da Graça, da Graça, 2014 * ''Geophagus multiocellus'' José Leonardo de Oliveira Mattos, Mattos & Wilson José Eduardo Moreira da Costa, W. J. E. M. Costa, 2018 * ''Geophagus neambi'' Paulo Henrique Franco Lucinda, P. H. L. Lucinda, Carlos Alberto Santos de Lucena, C. A. S. de Lucena & Newton C. Assis, Assis, 2010 * ''Geophagus obscurus'' (François Louis Nompar de Caumat de Laporte Castelnau, Castelnau, 1855) * ''Geophagus parnaibae'' Wolfgang Staeck, Staeck & Ingo Schindler, I. Schindler, 2006Staeck, W. & Schindler, I. (2006): ''Geophagus parnaibae'' sp. n. - a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae) from the rio Parnaiba basin, Brazil. ''Zoologische Abhandlungen (Dresden), 55: 69-75.'' * ''Geophagus pellegrini'' Charles Tate Regan, Regan, 1912 (Yellowhump eartheater) * ''Geophagus proximus'' (François Louis Nompar de Caumat de Laporte Castelnau, Castelnau, 1855) * ''Geophagus pyrocephalus'' * ''Geophagus rufomarginatus'' José Leonardo de Oliveira Mattos, Mattos & Wilson José Eduardo Moreira da Costa, W. J. E. M. Costa, 2018 * ''Geophagus santosi'' José Leonardo de Oliveira Mattos, Mattos & Wilson José Eduardo Moreira da Costa, W. J. E. M. Costa, 2018 * ''Geophagus steindachneri'' Carl H. Eigenmann, C. H. Eigenmann & Samuel Frederick Hildebrand, Hildebrand, 1922 (Redhump eartheater) * ''Geophagus surinamensis'' (Marcus Elieser Bloch, Bloch, 1791) (Red-striped eartheater) * ''Geophagus sveni'' Paulo Henrique Franco Lucinda, P. H. F. Lucinda, Carlos Alberto Santos de Lucena, C. A. S. de Lucena & Newton C. Assis, Assis, 2010 * ''Geophagus taeniopareius'' Sven Oscar Kullander, S. O. Kullander & Ramiro Royero-León, Royero-L., 1992 * ''Geophagus winemilleri'' Hernán López-Fernández, López-Fernández & Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle, Taphorn, 2004
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1754747 Geophagus, Geophagini Cichlid fish of South America Cichlid genera Taxa named by Johann Jakob Heckel