Kihnichthys Explained

Kihnichthys ufermanni, the Usumacinta cichlid, is a species of cichlid found in a few rivers in the Usumacinta River basin in Guatemala and southern Mexico. It typically occurs in rivers that are about wide, fairly deep, have few or no aquatic plants, and a variable water current. This species is the only known member of its genus,^[1] but several of its features, including the chisel-like teeth, are shared with Cincelichthys and whether they should be merged into a single genus is not yet fully resolved;^[2] a review in 2020 recommended that the Usumacinta cichlid should be moved into Cincelichthys.^[3] The Usumacinta cichlid reaches a standard length of .

The generic name honours the Guatemalan ichthyologist Herman A. Kihn while the specific name honours the German aquarist, and friend of Robert Allgayer's, Alfred Ufermann who died in 2000.^[4]

Notes and References

1. McMahan, C.D. . Matamoros, W.A. . Piller, K.R. . Chakrabarty, P. . 2015 . Taxonomy and systematics of the herichthyins (Cichlidae: Tribe Heroini), with the description of eight new Middle American Genera . Zootaxa . 3999 . 2 . 211–234 . 10.11646/zootaxa.3999.2.3 . 26623572. 34699955 .
2. Diversity and evolution of the Middle American cichlid fishes (Teleostei: Cichlidae) with revised classification. Říčan, O.. Piálek, L.. Dragová, K.. Novák, J.. amp. Vertebrate Zoology. 1–102. 66. 1. 2016. 10.3897/vz.66.e31534 . free .
3. Artigas Azas . Juan Miguel . 2021 . Kihnichthys, a junior synonym of Cincelichthys . Cichlid News Magazine . 29 . 4 . 10–12 .
4. Web site: Order CICHLIFORMES: Family CICHLIDAE: Subfamily CICHLINAE (a-c) . 21 June 2024 . Christopher Scharpf . Kenneth J. Lazara . amp . The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database . Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara . 5 August 2023. v. 12.0.