Peacock bass

Peacock bass
File:Butterfly-Peacock.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Cichlidae
Genus:	Cichla
Species:	C. ocellaris
Binomial name
Cichla ocellaris

The peacock bass is the common name in English for several species of tropical, freshwater fish native to the Amazon River basin of South America which also exist as non-native species in Singapore, Peninsular Malaysia and the United States (specifically Florida and Hawaii). In Brazil the peacock bass is known as the tucunaré (too-coon-a-REH), and in Spanish it is the pavón (pah-VON).

Icthylogists and expert peacock bass fishermen are quick to point out, however, that the peacock bass is not a true bass as it belongs to a different genus.

There are four known species of peacock bass: these are the Cichla temensis, the Cichla ocellaris the Cichla intermedia and the Cichla orinocensis. However, ichthyologists believe there may be as many as 12 species in the fresh water lakes and rivers of South America.

As members of the Cichlidae family, they can grow up to 62 cm (two feet) in length and can be identified by three vertical stripes on their bodies, and a spot on their tail fins that resembles the eyes on a peacock's plume feathers, a feature which gave it its common names in English and Spanish. Also, adult males have a pronounced hump on their forehead, a trait common among cichlids. Other color patterns can vary greatly depending on the species and the individual. These include but are not limited to: dark rosettes instead of stripes, light speckles and impressive shades of bright green, orange, blue and gold. The brighter colors, however, tend to fade in late adulthood.

Reputation as a sports fish

File:Larryl.jpg

Larry Larsen with a speckled peacock bass

Sports fishermen have made these cichlids prized game fish for their fighting qualities. Expert peacock bass fisherman Larry Larsen refers to them as “freshwater bullies” due to their ferocious nature when hunting and their tendency to damage and sometimes destroy fishing gear when striking. Despite these qualities, some have identified them as potential liabilities for causing ecological imbalances in some of their introduced areas.

Eating quality

Their eating quality is good. Their meat is white and sweet, and has very little oil, making it similar in taste to snapper or grouper. Also, they are not excessively bony. However, most professional American anglers recommend practicing catch and release for these species to protect their numbers in the United States. To this end, Florida officials strictly enforce bag limits for these fish.

American Introduction

Florida wildlife officials deliberately introduced two cichlid species to southern Florida in 1984: these were the Cichla orinocensis (butterfly peacock bass) and the Cichla temensis (speckled peacock bass) where they prey on other non-native, invasive fish such as the oscar and the spotted tilapia. Also, their introduction now provides additional sports fishing opportunities for local anglers along with the snook and the largemouth bass. However, because of their tropical origins, all peacock bass species cannot tolerate low water temperatures. This factor has prevented them from becoming abundant outside of Miami-Dade and Broward counties within the state of Florida.

Peacock basses have also been introduced into the fresh water systems of Hawaii.

In the aquarium

As aquarium fish they are voracious and predatory, eating any smaller tank mates and fighting with others of equivalent size. They require live food as juveniles but later in their development will accept meaty, dry or frozen foods.

These cichlids can grow large compared to other aquarium fish. While a length of 62 cm (two feet) for most is not uncommon, the speckled peacock bass can grow as large as 183 cm (three feet). For this reason, adults need very large tanks (they must hold at least 240 gallons), however larger tanks are better.

Links and References

• Speckled Peacock Bass
• Butterfly Peacock Bass
• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Cichla orinocensis". FishBase. October 2005 version.
• Florida Peacock Bass Fishing
• Peacock Bass Facts
• Peacock Bass World Records
• Florida Peacock Bass
• "Cichla orinocensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 30 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

--74.225.88.231 15:58, 17 January 2007 (UTC) Luis M. Gomez