Thorichthys

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Thorichthys aureus - AquaPorteDoree 02.JPG | image_caption = ''Thorichthys aureus'' | taxon = Thorichthys | authority = Meek, 1904 | type_species = ''Thorichthys ellioti'' | type_species_authority = Meek, 1904 }}

'''''Thorichthys''''' is a genus of cichlid fish that is native to the Atlantic slope of Middle America, ranging from southern Veracruz and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, to Guatemala and Honduras, with introduced populations in a few other countries.<ref name=Mahan2015>{{cite journal | author = McMahan, C.D. | author2 = Matamoros, W.A. | author3 = Piller, K.R. | author4 = Chakrabarty, P. | name-list-style = amp | year = 2015 | title = Taxonomy and systematics of the herichthyins (Cichlidae: Tribe Heroini), with the description of eight new Middle American Genera | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3999 | issue = 2 | pages = 211–234 | url = http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2015/f/zt03999p234.pdf | doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3999.2.3 | pmid=26623572}}</ref><ref name=SFmeeki>{{cite web| title=Thorichthys meeki | url=https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/thorichthys-meeki/ | publisher=SeriouslyFish | accessdate=28 December 2021 }}</ref> They tend to inhabit moderately-flowing to standing water such as rivers, streams, lakes, ditches and lagoons, and they are primarily freshwater fish, although ''T. helleri'' and ''T. meeki'' may occur in slightly brackish habitats.<ref name=SFmeeki/><ref>{{cite web| title=Thorichthys | url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Thorichthys&searchType=species | publisher=IUCN | access-date=28 December 2021 }}</ref>

''Thorichthys'' have somewhat pointy heads and their body often has a large blackish spot, a broad dark horizontal stripe and/or a sometimes inconspicuous pattern of vertical bands. They mostly feed on invertebrates and detritus. Members of ''Thorichthys'' do not exceed {{convert|17|cm|in|abbr=on}} in standard length,<ref name=fishbase>{{FishBase genus | genus = Thorichthys| month = July | year = 2017}}</ref> and they are popular aquarium fish, especially the well-known firemouth cichlid (''T. meeki'').<ref name=SFmeeki/> Genetic evidence shows that ''Thorichthys'' is most closely related to Salvin's cichlid, the only species of the genus ''Trichromis'', which is morphologically and behaviorally rather different. In contrast, ''Thorichthys'' is not particularly close to ''Cribroheros'' despite having several features that are similar.<ref name=Rican2016>{{cite journal|title=Diversity and evolution of the Middle American cichlid fishes (Teleostei: Cichlidae) with revised classification|author=Říčan, O.|author2=Piálek, L.|author3=Dragová, K.|author4=Novák, J.|name-list-style=amp|journal=Vertebrate Zoology|pages=1–102|volume=66|issue=1|year=2016|doi=10.3897/vz.66.e31534 |doi-access=free |url=http://www.senckenberg.de/files/content/forschung/publikationen/vertebratezoology/vz66-1/01_vertebrate_zoology_66-1_rican_1-102.pdf|accessdate=2019-01-25}}</ref>

==Species== thumb|The well-known firemouth cichlid, ''T. meeki''

There are currently 9 recognized species in this genus:<ref name=Mahan2015/><ref name=fishbase/>

* ''Thorichthys affinis'' (Günther, 1862) (Yellow meeki) * ''Thorichthys aureus'' (Günther, 1862) (Blue flash) * ''Thorichthys callolepis'' (Regan, 1904) (San Domingo cichlid) * ''Thorichthys helleri'' (Steindachner, 1864) (Yellow cichlid) * ''Thorichthys maculipinnis'' (Steindachner, 1864) * ''Thorichthys meeki'' Brind, 1918 (Firemouth cichlid) * ''Thorichthys panchovillai'' Moral-Flores, López-Segovia & Hernández-Arellano, 2017 * ''Thorichthys pasionis'' (Rivas, 1962) (Blackgullet cichlid) * ''Thorichthys socolofi'' (R. R. Miller & J. N. Taylor, 1984) (Chiapas cichlid)

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Heroini Category:Freshwater fish of Central America Category:Cichlid genera Category:Taxa named by Seth Eugene Meek