''Mesonauta'', the flag cichlids, is a small

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 ...

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 native to the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

, Essequibo, Paraná and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

basins in South America. ''Mesonauta'' is included in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Cichlasomatinae The Cichlasomatinae are a subfamily of cichlid fishes, including all ciclids native to the Greater Antilles (Cuba and Hispaniola), United States (southern Texas), Mexico and Central America, and many of the cichlids from South America (the other ...

. They occur in various freshwater habitats such as streams and lakes, especially in areas with little water movement and aquatic vegetation. They are generally found in small groups that stay near the water surface. To avoid predators, adults may jump out of the water and juveniles

mimic MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in ...

leaves. Some species are popular in the

fishkeeping Fishkeeping is a popular hobby, practiced by aquarists, concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a piscicultural fishkeeping industry, serving as a branch of agriculture. Origins of fishkeeping Fish have ...

hobby and are frequently kept in

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

s.Linke H, Staeck L (1994) ''American cichlids II: Large Cichlids. A handbook for their identification, care and breeding.'' Tetra Press. Germany. These have traditionally been referred to as ''M. festivus'', but following

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

reviews of the genus in 1991 and 1998, the species most often seen in the aquarium trade are ''M. guyanae'', ''M. insignis'' and ''M. mirificus''. The species are similar in general appearance, but they have different distributions and can be separated by the bars they show on the body when stressed or excited (very faint when relaxed).

Species

There are currently six recognized species in this genus: * ''

Mesonauta acora ''Mesonauta acora'' is a species of cichlid fish native to blackwater in the Xingu and Tocantins River basins in South America. The species was named by François Louis de la Porte, comte de Castelnau in 1855. All Mesonauta Acoras are omnivor ...

'' ( Castelnau, 1855) * '' Mesonauta egregius'' S. O. Kullander & Silfvergrip, 1991 * '' Mesonauta festivus'' ( Heckel, 1840) (Flag cichlid) * '' Mesonauta guyanae'' I. Schindler, 1998 * '' Mesonauta insignis'' ( Heckel, 1840) ("Acará") * '' Mesonauta mirificus'' S. O. Kullander & Silfvergrip, 1991

References

Heroini Cichlid genera Freshwater fish of South America Taxa named by Albert Günther {{Cichlidae-stub

Species

See also

References