Yellowjacket Cichlid, Parachromis friedrichsthalii
Yellowjacket Cichlid, Parachromis friedrichsthalii. Underwater photographs taken in Cenote Angelita, Tulum, Quintana Roo, April 2016. Photographs and identifications courtesy of Juan Rojo, Akumal.
The Yellowjacket Cichlid, Parachromis friedrichsthalii, is a member of the Cichlid and Tilapia or Cichlidae Family, that are also known as the Monarch Cichlid and the Yellowjacket and in Mexico as Castarrica, Choveca de Cienega, Guapote, Guapote Amarillo, Guapotito, Molula and Mojarra del San Juan. Globally, there are five species in the Parachromis Genus, with three being found in the freshwater systems of Mexico.
The Yellowjacket Cichlid has an elongated robust heavy elongated body that is strongly compressed laterally with a depth that is 33% to 37% of standard length with a gradually sloping forehead with large eyes. They are known for the bright golden-yellow colored bodies with a broken band blotches that run horizontally from the eye to the caudal fin along the sides that extend to the dorsal fin and ventrally. Their fins are yellowish with their caudal fin being transparent. Their anal and dorsal fins are extended at the rear and their caudal fin is rounded.
The Yellowjacket Cichlid is a benthopelagic freshwater fish that inhabits rivers, lowland streams, lakes, lagoons and swamps with temperatures between 23oC (75oF) and 30oC (86oF). They will enter brackish waters. They prefer slow moving, sluggish waters, that can be clear to murky or muddy water. They are normally found no deeper than 2 m (7 feet). They are known to dig into the substrate and transform its environment. The Yellowjacket Cichlid is an ambush predator that mimics a dead fish to attract small prey. They are carnivorous feeding primarily on various small fish; their diet also includes aquatic and terrestrial insects. They rely on their fin spines for protection from predation. The Yellowjacket Cichlid reach a maximum of 28 cm (11 inches) in length. Reproduction is oviparous and monogamous in pairs with the females laying between 1,000 and 2,000 eggs which are immediately fertilized by the males, in depressions in sandy and muddy substrate. The eggs hatch in 5 to 7 days and fry swim freely in 7 days and receive extensive parental care for a long period. Their territories are vigorously defended by the males. The females care for the young, and each couple will raise several broods per year. They are non-migratory.
The Yellowjacket Cichlid is native to native to the Atlantic coast from western Honduras to northern Guatemala. In Mexico they are found within the Usumacinta River at elevations below 70 m (230 feet) in the States of Chiapas and Tabasco that drains into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Yellowjack Cichlid is easily confused with the female False Yellowjacket Cichlid, Parachromis motaguensis (yellow coloration with red tinges).
From a conservation perspective the Yellowjacket Cichlid is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely-distributed populations. Their long-term viability is threated by human development from mining activities that cause altered water supplies and pollution and the introduction of non-native species by artisanal, commercial and sports fishermen, as well as highly invasive aquatic vegetations. They are a popular food fish. They are also popular within the aquarium trade due to their color, small stature and ease of care, being very hardy but demonstrate a very aggressive behavior when breeding and defend their territory vigorously. All fish sold by the aquarium trade have been bred in captivity. The Yellowjacket Cichlid has been utilized by the scientific community in experimental and behavioral research.