Theraps


Theraps is a genus from the cichlid fish found in Atlantic slope rivers of southern Mexico and northern Central America. They are relatively elongate, medium-sized cichlids.

Species and taxonomy

Historically, Theraps was included in Cichlasoma. Once recognized as its own genus, it sometimes included a wide range of species now known to belong in other genera, including Cincelichthys, Chortiheros, Chuco, Cryptoheros, Kihnichthys, Oscura, Paraneetroplus, Rheoheros, Talamancaheros, Tomocichla and Wajpamheros. In a major review of 2015, only five species remained in this genus, but in 2016 it was shown that four of these were not close relatives of the Theraps type species, T. intermedius, resulting in them being moved to Chuco and Wajpamheros. As a consequence, Catalog of Fishes now recognizes Theraps as only including the type species T. intermedius, but FishBase include both it and the three Chuco species in Theraps, resulting in a genus that is not monophyletic. The four species placed in this genus by FishBase are: