Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Cichlinae
Etymology: Herichthys: Greek, eri = very, a lot + Greek, ichthys = fish (Ref. 45335); molango: The name refers to the municipality in the State of Hidalgo where Laguna Azteca is located.
Molango is derived from the Nahuatl language.
Issue
Junior synonym of Herichthys pantostictus according to Pérez-Miranda et al., 2020 (Ref. 126993:11); this record will be deleted.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 7.0 - 8.0. Tropical; 16°C - 27°C (Ref. 94458)
Central America: Laguna Azteca in the headwaters of the Rio Panuco of the Rio Moctezuma Basin, Mexico.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.9 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 94458)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 16 - 18; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 11; Anal spines: 5 - 7; Anal soft rays: 8 - 10. Differs from other species by possessing a slender (slightly broader than long), well-spaced, and indented lower pharyngeal plate; 2 rows of 8-9 medium-sized, lightly pigmented molars flank the midline; and 11-13 non-enlarged conic teeth along the posterior margin. Distinguished from all congeners by a combination of the following characters: head short (mean 35%, SD 3%); rostral tip to the pectoral fin origin distance (mean 33%, SD 1%); caudal peduncle short (mean 15%, SD 1%) and deep (mean 16%, SD 1%); long anal fin (origin to hypural base distance; mean 40%, SD 1%); wide preorbit (mean 30%, SD 3%); eye small (mean 21%, SD 2%); predorsal contour deep and nonacute, which is not concave before the eye; and peritoneum is uniformly very dark (Ref. 94458).
Inhabits Laguna Azteca, characterized by a depth of 16 m, transparency of 1-3 m, surface temperatures of 16-27°C, and surface pH of 7-8. Does not occur sympatrically with other native cichlids. Feeds mainly on filamentous algae. Threatened by the introduction of tilapia and centrachids (Micropterus salmoides and Lepomis spp.) (Ref. 94458).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
de la Maza-Benignos, M. and Ma. De L. Lozano-Villano, 2013. Description of three new species of the genus Herichthys (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from eastern Mexico, with redescription of H. labridens, H. steindachneri, and H. pantostictus. Zootaxa 3734(2):101-129. (Ref. 94458)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5078 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02291 (0.01064 - 0.04934), b=3.07 (2.89 - 3.25), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.1 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
