Jaguar Guapote, Parachromis managuensis
Jaguar Guapote, Parachromis managuensis, Juvenile. Fish caught from an irrigation ditch in Southeastern Florida, December 2020. Length: 8.0 cm (3.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, San Diego, California.
Jaguar Guapote, Parachromis managuensis. Fish caught from a small irrigation canal in Davies, Florida, December 2012. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Jaguar Guapote, Parachromis managuensis. Fish caught from a small irrigation canal in Davies, Florida, December 2012. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
Jaguar Guapote, Parachromis managuensis. Fish caught from a small irrigation canal within the Florida Everglades, South Florida, December 2022. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.
The Jaguar Guapote, Parachromis managuensis, is a member of the Cichlid and Talapia or Cichlidae Family, that is also known as the Managuense Cichlid and in Mexico as mojarra de Managua and guapote pinto. Globally, there are five species in the genus Parachromis, of which four are found in the streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds of Mexico’s freshwater systems.
The Jaguar Guapote has a sizable, robust heavy elongated body that is strongly compressed laterally with a depth that is 39% to 43% of standard length. The females and males are similarly colored but are smaller than the males. They have a yellowish-bronze background being green dorsally transitioning to yellow ventrally. They have numerous purple to black spots or blotches on their body and fins with a series of black squares along the sides. They have a continuous black stripe between the eyes and the gill cover margin and another than runs from the eyes to the bottom of the gill cover. Their lateral line is broken. Males have pointed anal fins and elongated extensions of the dorsal fin. Females have prominent red tinges on their body and gill covers. The iris of their eyes is red. Their head a straight upper profile, a pointed snout, and has a large terminal oblique mouth that extends to the front edge of the eyes with a protrusible lower jaw and has an abundance of teeth. The posterior edge of the opercle has a conspicuous lobe set at a lower angle, a key to the identification. Their anal fin has 6 to 8 long spines and 11 to 12 rays; their caudal fin is rounded and large; their first dorsal fin has 17 or 18 long spines; and, their second dorsal fin has 10 or 11 rays. They have 14 or 15 gill rakers. They are covered with ctenoid scales. Their lateral line is divided into two straight overlapping sections.
The Jaguar Guapote is a freshwater benthopelagic species that is found in a wide variety of habitats including rivers and lakes with muddy, rocky or sandy substrate that have temperature ranges between 25oC (77oF) and 36oC (97oF). They are found at depths between 3 m (10 feet) and 10 m (33 feet). They are tolerant of very warm waters and poor-quality oxygen depleted water. They are unable to survive in waters that are below 12oC (54oF). They reach a maximum of 63 cm (2 feet 1 inch) in length and 1.6 kg (3.5 pounds) in weight. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.67 kg (3 lbs 11 oz) with the fish caught from a lake in Kendale Lakes, Florida in September 2006. Jaguar Guapote are aggressive predatory piscivores that feed primarily on small fishes as-well-as annelids, aquatic insects, mollusks, and reptiles. Aquatic invertebrates comprise the majority of diets of the juveniles. Reproduction is oviparious with each female laying between 1,000 and 5,000 adhesive eggs in annual cycles. The eggs are fertilized by the males and then both the eggs and the young are aggressively defended by both highly territorial parents. The eggs hatch in five to seven days and the offspring are defenseless and unable to swim for the initial seven days.
The Jaguar Guapote is most likely confused with the Black Crappie, Pomoxis nigromaculatus (continuous lateral line) and the Wolf Cichlid, Parachromis dovii (fewer scale rows on their cheeks).
The Jaguar Guapote is a resident of Mexico’s freshwater system. They are found in all waters than drain into the Gulf of Mexico; they are also found in the freshwater systems of the States of Campeche, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatán.
From a conservation perspective the Jaguar Guapote has not been formally evaluated. They are valued as an excellent food fish and are an essential food fish in Central America. They are utilized extensively by the aquarium trade but know to be highly aggressive toward tank mates. They will also breed in captivity but are difficult to manage and the females practice cannibalism of their young. They have been introduced on a broad scale both intentionally, primarily for sport fishing and for their food value, via aquarium releases, and by accident. Where introduced they breed quickly and are voracious predators and they are now considered to be a highly invasive pest in most areas as they destroy native populations and other forms of life including frogs and salamanders. Established populations have been both difficult and expensive to control and eradicate. The Jaguar Guapote is considered to be an important recreational game fish that is actively pursued for its availability and food value. They are currently unregulated being without length and daily bag limits.