Chordates • Earth.com

Iranocichla hormuzensis

(Iranocichla hormuzensis)

Description

Iranocichla hormuzensis is a species of mouthbrooding fish from the cichlid family. It is restricted to freshwater and brackish habitats in the drainage of the Mehran River in southern Iran above the Straits of Hormuz. It was formerly regarded as the only species in its genus, but another species, I. persa was described in 2016. These are the only cichlids native to Iran and among the few cichlids in Asia. I. hormuzensis attains a standard length of about 11 cm (4.3 in) and a total length of about 13 cm (5.1 in). It has a stout body. Young exhibit a silver-green coloration with no fin pigmentation. The adult is mostly black with silver speckles on the body and barring on the dorsal fin. Unlike I. persa, the breast and head of nuptial male I. hormuzensis is blackish (not orange). Although it has not been rated by the IUCN, some authorities believe it is highly threatened.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Actinopterygii
Order:Perciformes
Family:Cichlidae
Genus:Iranocichla
News coming your way
The biggest news about our planet delivered to you each day