Rocio is a small genus of cichlid freshwater fishes from southern Mexico and northern Central America.[1]

Rocio
Jack Dempsey (R. octofasciata)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Tribe: Heroini
Genus: Rocio
Schmitter-Soto, 2007
Type species
Heros octofasciatus
Regan, 1903

Species

edit

There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[1][2]

These have historically been placed in the genera Cichlasoma or Heros, but they are quite distinct.[1] 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,[3] whereas a review in 2021 argued that they should be recognized as separate.[4]

Etymology

edit

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.[2]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Říčan, O.; Piálek, L.; Dragová, K. & Novák, J. (2016). "Diversity and evolution of the Middle American cichlid fishes (Teleostei: Cichlidae) with revised classification" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 66 (1): 1–102. doi:10.3897/vz.66.e31534. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  2. ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Rocio". FishBase. January 2019 version.
  3. ^ Artigas Azas, Juan Miguel (2018). "Rocio gemmata Contreras-Balderas & Schmitter-Soto, 2007: a subjective junior synonym of R. octofasciata". Cichlid News. 27: 22–27.
  4. ^ Schmitter-Soto, Juan J. (2021). "Validity of Rocio gemmata (Teleostei: Cichlidae)". Zootaxa. 4991 (1): 195–200. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4991.1.13. PMID 34186725. S2CID 235685253.