Cichlidae - Andinoacara rivulatus(Gunther, 1860) |
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| SOURCE FOR OCCURRENCE IN ECUADOR: This species is very common along the Pacific slope of Ecuador from Esmeraldas to Huaquillas. There are many references for its occurrence in the area (e.g., Eigenmann, 1922; Ovchynnyk, 1971; Barnhill et al., 1974; Glodek, 1978; Barriga, 1991; Florencio, 1993; Kullander, 2003; Prado, 2009; Laaz et al., 2009; Revelo, 2010; Laaz & Torres, 2010; Schindler & Morgenstern, 2010).
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| ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Günther, A. 1860. Second list of cold-blooded vertebrata collected by Mr. Fraser in the Andes of western Ecuador. Proceedings of the General Meetings for Scientific Business of the Zoological Society of London 1859(pt 3):402-420. |
| TYPE SPECIMENS: |
| TAXONOMIC STATUS: Valid (Eschmeyer and Fricke, 2011). Previously known as Aequidens rivulatus. |
| RANGE ECUADOR: Pacific slope of Ecuador from Esmeraldas to Huaquillas (Kullander, 2003). Recently, this species has also been reported as introduced in the Zamora River basin in the Amazonian region of Ecuador (Musilova et al., 2015). Molecular data collected by Musilova et al. (2015) indicate that A. rivulatus in Amazonian Ecuador are likely a recent introduction from western Ecuador. It is possible that they were accidentally or intentionally introduced with tilapia, which are widely cultured in both western Ecuador and in the Amazon basin east of the Andes (Fredy Nugra, personal communication). |
| RANGE OUTSIDE OF ECUADOR: Peru, Tumbes River (Kullander, 2003). |
| COLLECTIONS IN ECUADOR: |
| MAXIMUM SIZE: 30 cm (Laaz et al., 2009). |
| DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Andinoacara rivulatus is distinguished from other cichlids in Western Ecuador by having an interrupted lateral line, conical teeth, a long, continuous dorsal fin with 14 spines and 11 rays, metalic green coloration with some electric, blue. Males develop a cepahlic hump on their heads composed of subcutaneous adipose tissue (Laaz et al., 2009). |
| ECOLOGY: Andinoacara rivulatus known in Ecuador as the “vieja azul” is a large, ecologically important omnivorous species that feeds on fishes and small invertebrates (Laaz et al., 2009). |
| ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE: This is an important food fish for people in rural parts of western Ecuador (Revelo, 2010). It is also used as an ornamental species throughout the world (Laaz et al, 2009). |
| CONSERVATION STATUS: NA. This species is common in Ecuador although it is heavily exploited . |
| LINK TO FISHBASE PAGE: Click here for link |
| SPECIES PROFILE CREATED BY: Enrique Laaz |
| SPECIES PROFILE CONTRIBUTORS: Windsor Aguirre, Fredy Nugra |
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