False Firemouth Cichlid, Cribroheros robertsoni

False Firemouth Cichlid, Cribroheros robertsoni, Juvenile. Underwater photograph taken within the within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, Quintana Roo, March 2021. Photograph courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden. Identification courtesy of Dr. John Lyons, Madison, Wisconsin.

False Firemouth Cichlid, Cribroheros robertsoni. Underwater photograph taken within the within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, Quintana Roo, March 2021. Photograph courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.

The False Firemouth Cichlid, Cribroheros robertsoni, is a member of the Cichlid and Tilapia or Cichlidae Family, that is also known as the Emerald Cichlid and in Mexico as mojarra hondureña. Globally, there are eight species in the genus Cribroheros, with only one, this species, being found in the freshwater systems of Mexico.

The False Firemouth Cichlid is a freshwater robust, gregarious fish that is found in groups in ponds, lakes, sink holes, slow-moving rivers and streams over soft substrate including mud, sand and small stones. They are not found within coastal lagoons. They reach a maximum of 19 cm (7.5 inches) in length. They have a “bluegill” body profile with the adults having a striking bright blue-green scales over most of their body. The False Firemouth Cichlid is an omnivore sand sifter that consume insects, mollusks and zooplankton. Reproduction is oviparous, occurring in depressions in sandy and muddy substrate, with the female laying up to 400 eggs which are immediately fertilized by the males. Both sexes care for the eggs and the males vigorously defend their territory. The False Firemouth Cichlid is poorly studied with very limited information available about their morphology, lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, colorations, fin ray counts, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The False Firemouth Cichlid are very similar to and often confused with a series of other Cichlids found within their same environment. Any identification should be considered as tentative until confirmed by a professional ichthyologist.

The False Firemouth Cichlid is native to the lowland areas on the Atlantic Slope of southeast Mexico from the Coatzacoalcos Río in Veracruz southward within the states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Veracruz.

From a conservation perspective the False Firemouth Cichlid is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their long-term viability is threated by human developments that cause altered water supplies and pollution and the introduction of non-native species by commercial and sports fishermen and highly invasive aquatic vegetations. They are popular with the aquarium trade but have fairly aggressive behavior. They can be bred in captivity.