''Rocio'' is a small genus of

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 ...

freshwater fishes from southern Mexico and northern Central America.

Species

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

Rocio gemmata ''Rocio'' is a small genus of cichlid freshwater fishes from southern Mexico and northern Central America. Species There are currently four recognized species in this genus: * '' Rocio gemmata'' Contreras-Balderas & Schmitter-Soto, 2007 � ...

'' Contreras-Balderas & Schmitter-Soto, 2007 – from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico * ''

Rocio ocotal ''Rocio'' is a small genus of cichlid freshwater fishes from southern Mexico and northern Central America. Species There are currently four recognized species in this genus: * '' Rocio gemmata'' Contreras-Balderas & Schmitter-Soto, 2007 � ...

'' Schmitter-Soto, 2007 – from

Lake Ocotal A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

, Mexico * ''Rocio octofasciata'' (Charles Tate Regan, Regan, 1903) (Jack Dempsey) – from Honduras to southern Mexico * ''Rocio spinosissima'' (Léon Vaillant, Vaillant & Jacques Pellegrin, Pellegrin, 1902) – Lake Izabal basin, Guatemala These have historically been placed in the genera ''Cichlasoma'' or ''Heros (fish), Heros'', but they are quite distinct. ''R. gemmata'' and ''R. ocotal'' were typically regarded as populations of the closely related ''R. octofasciata'' until 2007; a review in 2018 recommended that ''R. gemmata'' should be considered a Synonym (taxonomy), synonym of ''R. octofasciata'', whereas a review in 2021 argued that they should be recognized as separate.

Etymology

The genus name is derived from name of J. J. Schmitter-Soto's wife. Meaning dew of the morning in Spanish, this ties in with the colorful spotting that is found in members of this genus.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1941961 Fish of Central America Cichlid genera Heroini