Geophagus

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}} {{Distinguish|geophagy}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Cichlidae - Geophagus altifrons.JPG | image_caption = ''Geophagus altifrons'' | taxon = Geophagus | display_parents = 3 | authority = Heckel, 1840 | type_species = ''Geophagus altifrons'' | type_species_authority = Heckel, 1840 }}

'''''Geophagus''''' is a genus of cichlids that mainly live in South America as far south as Argentina and Uruguay, but a single species, ''G. crassilabris'' is from Panama.<ref name=fishbase>{{FishBase genus | genus = Geophagus| month = October | year = 2017}}</ref><ref name=Mattos2015>{{cite journal|author=Mattos, J.L.O.|author2= Costa, W.J.E.M. |author3= Santos, A.C.A. |year=2015|title= ''Geophagus diamantinensis'', a new species of the ''G. brasiliensis'' species group from Chapada Diamantina, north-eastern Brazil (Cichlidae: Geophagini)|journal=Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters|volume= 26 |issue=3|pages= 209–220}}</ref> They are found in a wide range of freshwater habitats.<ref name=Sleen2017>{{cite book | editor1=van der Sleen, P. | editor2=J.S. Albert | year=2017 | title=Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas | publisher=Princeton University Press | pages=374–375 | isbn=978-0-691-17074-9 }}</ref> They are part of a group popularly known as eartheaters and mostly feed by picking up mouthfuls of sediment to sift out food items such as invertebrates, plant material and detritus.<ref name=Sleen2017/> The largest species reach up to {{convert|28|cm|in|abbr=on}} in standard length.<ref name=Sleen2017/> They are mostly kept in aquariums.<ref name=SeriouslyFish>{{cite web| title=Geophagus sp. 'orange head' | url=http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/geophagus-sp-orange-head/ | publisher=SeriouslyFish | access-date=22 October 2017 }}</ref>

==As an invasive species== ''Geophagus “surinamensis”'' was an invasive species in Malaysia, recently found in Putrajaya, the populations are now controlled by giant snakeheads.

==Taxonomy== [[File:Geophagus surinamensis1.jpg|thumb|A species in the ''Geophagus surinamensis'' complex, a member of ''Geophagus sensu stricto'']] [[File:Geophagus brasiliensis.jpg|thumb|Young ''Geophagus brasiliensis'']] [[File:Geophagus steindachneri in Tropicarium-Oceanarium Budapest.jpg|thumb|''Geophagus steindachneri'']]

Some cichlids previously included in this genus have been reallocated to ''Biotodoma'', ''Gymnogeophagus'' or ''Satanoperca''.<ref>{{cite book| author=Kullander, S.O. | year=1986 | title=Cichlid fishes of the Amazon River drainage of Peru | publisher=Swedish Museum of Natural History | isbn=91-86510-04-5 }}</ref> Even with these as separate genera, ''Geophagus'' is currently polyphyletic and in need of further taxonomic revision. There are three main groups:<ref name=Sleen2017/><ref name=LopezFernandez2004>{{cite journal | author1=López-Fernández, H.. | author2=D.C. Taphorn | year=2004 | title=''Geophagus abalios'', ''G. dicrozoster'' and ''G. winemilleri'' (Perciformes: Cichlidae), three new species from Venezuela | journal=Zootaxa | volume=439 | pages=1–27 | doi=10.5281/zenodo.157563 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=López-Fernández, H. |author2=R.L. Honeycutt |author3=M.L.J. Stiassny |author4=K.O. Winemiller | year=2005 | title=Morphology, molecules, and character congruence in the phylogeny of South American geophagine cichlids (Perciformes, Labroidei) | journal=Zoologica Scripta | volume=34 | issue=6 | pages=627–651 | doi=10.1111/j.1463-6409.2005.00209.x }}</ref><ref name=Mattos2018>{{cite journal | author1=Mattos, J.L.O. | author2=W.J.E.M. Costa | year=2018 | title=Three new species of the 'Geophagus' brasiliensis species group from the northeast Brazil (Cichlidae, Geophagini) | journal=Zoosystematics and Evolution | volume=94 | issue=2 | pages=325–337 | doi=10.3897/zse.94.22685 | url=https://zenodo.org/record/1311992 | doi-access=free }}</ref>

* ''Geophagus sensu stricto'' are mostly relatively peaceful, often have long fin extensions and are native to the Amazon, Orinoco and Parnaíba basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas. This group can be divided into two subgroups: The first is the ''G. surinamensis'' complex, which includes most species (fish in the aquarium trade often are identified as ''G. surinamensis'' itself, but they are typically other members of this complex.) The second subgroup contains ''G. argyrostictus'', ''G. gottwaldi'', ''G. grammepareius'', ''G. harreri'' and ''G. taeniopareius'', which are somewhat less peaceful and can be separated from the ''G. surinamensis'' complex by their dark stripe below the eye (however, this feature is shared with the next group). * ''G. brasiliensis'' complex (including ''G. diamantinensis'', ''G. iporangensis'', ''G. itapicuruensis'', ''G. multiocellus'', ''G. obscurus'', ''G. rufomarginatus'' and ''G. santosi'') are more robust and aggressive species found in river basins of eastern and southeastern Brazil, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina. * ''G. steindachneri'' complex (including ''G. crassilabris'' and ''G. pellegrini'' and undescribed species entering the aquarium trade from Colombia) found west of the Andes in northern and western Colombia, northwestern Venezuela and Panama where adult males develop a distinct, bulbous red forehead.

===Species=== [[File:Geophagus surinamensis - Blue Reef Aquarium Newquay.jpg|thumb| ''Geophagus pyrocephalus'' also known as ''Geophagus'' sp. "orange head" from the Tapajós River.<ref name=RedHead/><ref name=SeriouslyFish/>]]

There are currently 33 recognized species in this genus.<ref name=fishbase/><ref name=COF>{{Cof genus |genus=Geophagus |access-date=15 November 2025}}</ref>

* ''Geophagus abalios'' López-Fernández & Taphorn, 2004 * ''Geophagus altifrons'' Heckel, 1840 * ''Geophagus argyrostictus'' S. O. Kullander, 1991 * ''Geophagus brachybranchus'' S. O. Kullander & Nijssen, 1989 * ''Geophagus brasiliensis'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) (Pearl cichlid) * ''Geophagus brokopondo'' S. O. Kullander & Nijssen, 1989 * ''Geophagus camopiensis'' Pellegrin, 1903 (Oyapock eartheater) * ''Geophagus crassilabris'' Steindachner, 1876 (Panamanian eartheater) * ''Geophagus crocatus'' Hauser & López-Fernández, 2013<ref name=Hauser2013>{{cite journal|author=Hauser, F.E. |author2= López-Fernández, H. |year=2013 |title=''Geophagus crocatus'', a new species of geophagine cichlid from the Berbice River, Guyana, South America (Teleostei: Cichlidae)|journal=Zootaxa|volume= 3731 |issue=2|pages= 279–286|doi= 10.11646/zootaxa.3731.2.8 |pmid= 25277570 }}</ref> * ''Geophagus diamantinensis'' Mattos, W. J. E. M. Costa & A. C. A. Santos, 2015<ref name=Mattos2015/> * ''Geophagus dicrozoster'' López-Fernández & Taphorn, 2004 * ''Geophagus gottwaldi'' I. Schindler & Staeck, 2006<ref name=Schindler2006>{{cite journal|author=Schindler, I. |author2= Staeck, W. |year=2006|title=''Geophagus gottwaldi'' sp. n. - a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae) from the drainage of the upper rio Orinoco in Venezuela|journal=Zoologische Abhandlungen |location=Dresden|volume= 56|pages= 91–97}}</ref> * ''Geophagus grammepareius'' S. O. Kullander & Taphorn, 1992 * ''Geophagus harreri'' J. P. Gosse, 1976 (Maroni eartheater)<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web | url = http://www.etyfish.org/cichlidae7/ | title = Order CICHLIFORMES: Family CICHLIDAE: Subfamily CICHLINAE (d-w) | access-date= 19 March 2022 | author1 = Christopher Scharpf | author2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara | date = 22 September 2018}}</ref> * ''Geophagus iporangensis'' Haseman, 1911 * ''Geophagus itapicuruensis'' Haseman, 1911 * ''Geophagus megasema'' Heckel, 1840 * ''Geophagus mirabilis'' Deprá, S. O. Kullander, Pavanelli & da Graça, 2014<ref name=Depra2014>{{cite journal |author=Deprá, G.C. |author2=Kullander, S.O. |author3=Pavanelli, C.S. |author4=da Graça, W.J. |year=2014 |title=A new colorful species of ''Geophagus'' (Teleostei: Cichlidae), endemic to the rio Aripuanã in the Amazon basin of Brazil |journal=Neotropical Ichthyology |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=737–746 |url=http://www.ufrgs.br/ni/niv12n04/NI-2014-0038.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229162648/http://www.ufrgs.br/ni/niv12n04/NI-2014-0038.pdf |archive-date=2014-12-29 |doi=10.1590/1982-0224-20140038}}</ref> * ''Geophagus multiocellus'' Mattos & W. J. E. M. Costa, 2018<ref name=Mattos2018/> * ''Geophagus neambi'' P. H. L. Lucinda, C. A. S. de Lucena & Assis, 2010 * ''Geophagus obscurus'' (Castelnau, 1855) * ''Geophagus parnaibae'' Staeck & I. Schindler, 2006<ref name=Staeck2006>{{cite journal|author=Staeck, W. |author2= Schindler, I. |year=2006|title=''Geophagus parnaibae'' sp. n. - a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae) from the rio Parnaiba basin, Brazil|journal=Zoologische Abhandlungen |location=Dresden|volume=55|pages=69–75}}</ref> * ''Geophagus pellegrini'' Regan, 1912 (Yellowhump eartheater) * ''Geophagus pirangaensis'' Assis, Dergam, Cunha, Machado, Hrbek, Vicente, Queiroz et Henschel, 2026 * ''Geophagus proximus'' (Castelnau, 1855) * ''Geophagus pyrineusi'' Deprá, Ohara & Silva, 2022 * ''Geophagus pyrocephalus'' Chuctaya et al., 2022<ref name=RedHead>{{cite journal|title=A new species of ''Geophagus'' (Teleostei: Cichlidae): Naming a cichlid species widely known in the aquarium hobby as 'Geophagus sp. Tapajos red head'|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364309841|journal=Journal of Fish Biology|date=October 2022|volume=101|issue=6|doi=10.1111/jfb.15207|author=Junior Chuctaya|author2=Pedro Nitschke|author3=Marcelo Ândrade|author4=Juliana Mariani Wingert|author5=Luiz R Malabarba|pages=1388–1404 |pmid=36059085 |bibcode=2022JFBio.101.1388C |via=ResearchGate}}</ref> * ''Geophagus rufomarginatus'' Mattos & W. J. E. M. Costa, 2018<ref name=Mattos2018/> * ''Geophagus santosi'' Mattos & W. J. E. M. Costa, 2018<ref name=Mattos2018/> * ''Geophagus steindachneri'' C. H. Eigenmann & Hildebrand, 1922 (Redhump eartheater) * ''Geophagus surinamensis'' (Bloch, 1791) (Red-striped eartheater) * ''Geophagus sveni'' P. H. F. Lucinda, C. A. S. de Lucena & Assis, 2010 * ''Geophagus taeniopareius'' S. O. Kullander & Royero-L., 1992 * ''Geophagus winemilleri'' López-Fernández & Taphorn, 2004

==References== {{Commons category|Geophagus}} {{Reflist}}

Category:Geophagus Category:Cichlid genera Category:Taxa named by Johann Jakob Heckel