Cichlidae, Bonaparte, 1835

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 778-780

Family Cichlidae

Cichlids

A large family of mostly small freshwater fishes with approximately 1750 named (and several hundred unnamed) species distributed throughout tropical and temperate Africa, Madagascar, South and Central America, a few species are found in India, Sri Lanka, Iran, and the Levant. Some species have been introduced almost pan-tropically. Cichlids are immediately distinguishable from similar perch-like fishes by two lateral lines on the flank, with an anterior upper line and a posterior lower line. Eight species are native to West Asia, with seven being introduced. Iranocichla and Tristramella are endemic to West Asia, both having relationships to African genera and potentially representing the relics of a once much wider distribution of cichlids in the area. Cichlid fossils have been recorded from the Arabian Peninsula until the Pliocene, indicating a continuous distribution from the Levant through the Arabian Peninsula to Iran. Cichlids were “reintroduced” in Arabia in the modern era as non-native species for aquaculture and mosquito control. Cichlids are generally very sensitive to temperatures below 10°C, with mortality occurring if exposed for more than a few hours. This renders them susceptible to low winter temperatures, which restrict their distribution to warm springs in the northern part of West Asia. They represent a highly significant group for evolutionary studies and the pet trade, with numerous species being kept in aquaria, including in West Asian countries. Until now, Amatitlania nigrofasciata is the most widespread species released from aquaria. Other species, such as Rubricatochromis guttatus , an African species already found at several locations in Europe, are also expected to be found in West Asia in the future.

It is unknown how many cichlid species from East African Lake Malawi have established themselves in the warm springs of Nahal Amal in Bet She’an ( Israel). At least Aulonocara hybrids, Dimidiochromis compressiceps , Labidochromis caeruleus and Chindongo elongatus have formed stable populations. Aulonocara are domesticated hybrids produced for the aquarium trade. Other species might have also been established, and more research is needed. Malawi cichlids are included in the identification key but do not have separate species chapters. Several other cichlids have been reported from West Asia but have yet to be established. More introduced cichlids will inevitably find their way from aquariums into the wild, especially in artificial waters in parks or private areas. To identify them, consulting specialist books on aquarium fish is necessary.

Further reading. Trewavas 1983; Lévêque et al. 1992 (identification); Schwarzer et al. 2016 (molecular phylogeny).

Key to species of Cichlidae native and introduced to West Asia

1a - Anal with 8–10 spines. ……………… Amatitlania nigrofasciata

1b - Anal with 3 spines. ………………2

2a - Scales ctenoid; yellow or orange ocelli on anal in adult male. ………………3

2b - Scales cycloid; no ocelli on anal. ………………7

3a - Lower jaw strongly projecting upper jaw, a continuous, bold-black midlateral stripe. ……………… Dimidiochromis compressiceps

3b - Upper jaw slightly projecting upper jaw or both jaws equally projecting. ………………4

4a - Dorsal with a bold-black subdistal stripe on yellow background; flank yellow without bars or with very indistinctive bars. ……………… Labidochromis caeruleus

4b - Dorsal black, grey, yellowish, blue, red, marbled, often with whitish or yellow distal margin, without a boldblack subdistal stripe on yellow background; flank with indistinctive or bold bars or without bars. ………………5

5a - Snout roundish; head below eye dark-grey to bluish-black; flank with 4–8 dark-grey to bluish-black bars in male, less pronounced or absent behind dorsal base. ……………… Chindongo elongatus

5b - Snout pointed; head below eye same colour as above eye, with blue iridescent shine or with a bold bar between eye and corner of mouth; flank with indistinctive dark-grey or brown-black bars. ………………6

6a - Flank without stripe or horizontally elongated blotches; no bar between eye and corner of mouth; flank with bold dark-grey or brown bars in female and juveniles. ……………… Aulonocara sp. 6b - Flank with a short stripe between opercle and about middle of spined part of dorsal, continued as 1–2 blotches on lateral midline behind spined part of dorsal; bold bar between eye and corner of mouth; flank with indistinctive dark-grey or brown bars. ……………… Haplochromis flaviijosephi

7a - No scales on chest, belly, and isthmus in front of pelvic origin; nuptial male dark-grey or black with many white spots or short vermiculation on flank. ………………8

7b - Chest, belly, and isthmus in front of pelvic covered by small scales; nuptial male pale-grey or pinkish white without white spots or vermiculation on flank. ………………9

8a - Chest and lower part of head black in nuptial male; black blotch on last spinous part of dorsal distinct; no or very few white spots on caudal. ……………… Iranocichla hormuzensis

8b - Chest and lower part of head bright orange in nuptial male; black blotch on last spinous part of dorsal pale-grey or invisible; white spots forming wavy bars or stripes on caudal. ……………… Iranocichla persa

9a - 8–14 gill rakers on lower part of first branchial arch. ………………10

9b - 18–27 gill rakers on lower part of first branchial arch. ………………12

10a - Chest red or red and black in adults (rarely absent), red colour restricted to lateral chest in juveniles; lower jaw not projecting; 8–11 gill rakers on lower part of first branchial arch. ……………… Coptodon zillii

10b - Chest not red; lower jaw projecting; 10–14 gill rakers on lower part of first branchial arch. ………………11

11a - Lower jaw slightly projecting; outer teeth bicuspid, inner teeth tricuspid (Fig. 66). ……………… Tristramella simonis

11b - Lower jaw very strongly projecting; teeth conical, unicuspid (Fig. 66). ……………… Tristramella sacra

12a - Flank scales without dark-grey scale pockets in preserved individuals, isolated black scales pockets or fields of black scale pockets in some individuals; anterior processes of lower pharyngeal bone not or very slightly projecting beyond anterior margin of toothed pads; without red or orange colour in life; caudal almost without pattern. ……………… Sarotherodon galilaeus

12b - All flank scales with dark-grey scale pockets in preserved individuals, dark-grey scales pockets never organised in fields; anterior processes of lower pharyngeal bone clearly projecting beyond anterior margin of toothed pads, tips of dorsal rays and orange caudal in life adult male ( O. aureus , O. mossambicus ) or caudal with regular bars ( O. niloticus ); caudal with strong pattern. ………………13

13a - Caudal with regular vertical bars in individuals larger than 80 mm SL; tip of membrane between dorsal spines grey to black. ……………… Oreochromis niloticus

13b - Caudal with tessellate or marbled pattern or few irregularly shaped bars, without regular vertical bars in individuals larger than 80 mm SL; tip of membrane between dorsal spines pink to red. ………………14

14a - Nuptial male bright blueish or grey with whitish lower part of head and orange dorsal- and caudal margins; snout in male larger than 200 mm SL not duck-bill-like elongated. ……………… Oreochromis aureus

14b - Nuptial male black or dark-grey with whitish lower part of head and orange or red dorsal- and caudal margins; snout in male larger than 200 mm SL duck-bill-like elongated. ……………… Oreochromis mossambicus

Figures

Rubricatochromis guttatus