Thorichthys

Thorichthys

The genus Thorichthys belongs to the family of cichlids (Cichlidae) and includes small to medium-sized freshwater fish that occur in Central America. The genus was first described by Seth Eugene Meek in 1904. The name Thorichthys is derived from the Greek “throsko” (to jump) and “ichthys” (fish). Meek gave the fish this name because he noticed that they were attracted to anything that fell into the water and even jumped out of the water when he touched the water with his fingers.

There are nine valid species within the genus Thorichthys: Thorichthys affinis, Thorichthys aureus, Thorichthys callolepis, Thorichthys helleri, Thorichthys maculipinnis, Thorichthys meeki, Thorichthys panchovillai, Thorichthys pasionis, and Thorichthys socolofi.

The largest species within the genus is probably Thorichthys maculipinnis (formerly T. ellioti), with a standard length of around 15 centimeters.

Characteristics that distinguish Thorichthys from other genera within the Heroini tribe include: five mandibular pores along the lower jaw (other genera have four), an elongated and moderately to strongly angular head profile with a small terminal snout, absence of scales at the base of the soft dorsal and anal fins, long pectoral fins that taper to a point and extend about a quarter of the way to the anal fin, and often elongated tips at the posterior margins of the dorsal and anal fins.

Below are the descriptions in our database: