''Rocio'' is a small
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
cichlid freshwater fishes from 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 ...
and northern
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
.
Species
There are currently four recognized species in this genus:
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, Mexico
* '' Rocio octofasciata'' (Regan
The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó RÃogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...
, 1903) (Jack Dempsey) – from Honduras to southern Mexico
* ''Rocio spinosissima
''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 – ...
'' ( Vaillant & Pellegrin, 1902) – Lake Izabal
Lake Izabal (), also known as the Golfo Dulce, is the largest lake in Guatemala with a surface area of 589.6 km² (145,693 acres or 227.6 sq mi) and a maximum depth is 18 m (59 ft). The Polochic River is the largest river that dra ...
basin, Guatemala
These have historically been placed in the genera ''Cichlasoma
''Cichlasoma'' is a genus of freshwater fish in the cichlid family. The genus was previously very large (a wastebasket taxon), including cichlids from North America, including Central America, and South America.
Reclassification and subsequent ...
'' or '' 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 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