Editing Cichlid (section)

{{Short description|Family of fishes}}
{{Hatnote|For the homophonous moth genus, see [[Cyclidia]].}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{Temporal range|48.6|0|earliest=67|refs=<ref name=M14/><ref name="Rican2013">{{cite journal|last1=Říčan|first1=Oldřich|last2=Piálek|first2=Lubomír|last3=Zardoya|first3=Rafael|last4=Doadrio|first4=Ignacio|last5=Zrzavy|first5=Jan|date=March 2013|title=Biogeography of the Mesoamerican Cichlidae (Teleostei: Heroini): Colonization through the GAARlandia land bridge and early diversification|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260138359|journal=[[Journal of Biogeography]]|volume=40|issue=3|pages=579–593|doi=10.1111/jbi.12023 |bibcode=2013JBiog..40..579R |access-date=27 March 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240321133311/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260138359_Biogeography_of_the_Mesoamerican_Cichlidae_Teleostei_Heroini_Colonization_through_the_GAARlandia_land_bridge_and_early_diversification|archive-date=21 March 2024}}</ref>}} <small>[[Ypresian|Early Eocene]] - [[Holocene|present]]</small>
| image = Sea Life Centre, Blackpool 2016 009 - Malawi Cichlid.jpg
| image_caption = A [[mbuna]]
| display_parents = 3
| taxon = Cichlidae
| authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1835
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies and Tribes
| subdivision = Current taxonomy:
*[[Cichlinae]]
*[[Etroplinae]]
*[[Pseudocrenilabrinae]]
*[[Ptychochrominae]]
Alternate taxonomy:
*[[Cichlinae]]
**[[Astronotini]]
**[[Chaetobranchini]]
**[[Cichlasomatini]]
**[[Cichlini]]
**[[Geophagini]]
**[[Heroini]]
**[[Retroculini]]
*[[Etroplinae]]
**[[Bathybatini]]
**[[Benthochromini]]
**[[Boulengerochromini]]
**[[Chromidotilapiini]]
**[[Coelotilapiini]]
**[[Coptodonini]]
**[[Cyprichromini]]
**[[Cyphotilapiini]]
**[[Ectodini]]
**[[Eretmodini]]
**[[Etiini]]
**[[Etroplinae|Etroplini]]
**[[Gobiocichlini]]
**[[Greenwoodochromini]]
**[[Haplochromini]]
**[[Hemichromini]]
**[[Heterochromidinae|Heterochromidini]]
**[[Heterotilapiini]]
**[[Lamprologini]]
**[[Limnochromini]]
**[[Oreochromini]]
**[[Pelmatochromini]]
**[[Pelmatolapiini]]
**[[Perissodini]]
**[[Ptychochrominae|Ptychochromini]]
**[[Steatocranini]]
**[[Tilapiini]]
**[[Tropheini]]
**[[Tylochromini]]
For [[genus|genera]], see [[#Genera|below]].
}}

'''Cichlids''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɪ|k|l|ᵻ|d|z}}){{efn|
''Cichlid'' is frequently mispronounced in the pet trade as if spelled "chicklid" {{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɪ|k|l|ᵻ|d}}, presumably from confusion with names like [[Chiclets]], and with Italian words like {{lang|it|cioppino}} and {{lang|it|ciao}} that start with ''ci-'' and the sound {{IPAc-en|tʃ}}.
}}
are a large, diverse, and widespread family of [[Percomorpha|percomorph]] [[fish]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] '''Cichlidae,''' order [[Cichliformes]]. At least 1,760&nbsp;[[species]] have been [[Binomial nomenclature|scientifically described]], making it one of the largest [[vertebrate]] families, with only the [[Cyprinidae]] being more speciose.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CAS - Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes - Genera/Species by Family/Subfamily |url=https://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/SpeciesByFamily.asp |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=researcharchive.calacademy.org}}</ref> New species are discovered annually, and many species remain [[Undescribed taxon|undescribed]]. The actual number of species is therefore unknown, with estimates varying between 2,000 and 3,000.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Stiassny, M. |author2=Teugels, G.G.  |author3=Hopkins, C.D. |year = 2007 |title = The Fresh and Brackish Water Fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa |volume=2 |publisher=Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale |page=269 |isbn=978-90-74752-21-3}}</ref> They are native to the [[Neotropics]], Africa (including [[Madagascar]]), the Middle East, and the [[Indian subcontinent]], although some species have been introduced worldwide.

Many cichlids, particularly [[tilapia]], are important food fishes, while others, such as the ''[[Cichla]]'' species, are valued game fish. The family also includes many popular [[freshwater aquarium]] fish [[fishkeeping|kept]] by hobbyists, including the [[freshwater angelfish|angelfish]], [[Astronotus ocellatus|oscars]], and [[Symphysodon|discus]].<ref name="Loiselle"/><ref name="Chapman">{{Cite journal |last=Kosswig |first=Curt |date=June 1963 |title=Ways of speciation in fishes |journal=Copeia |volume=1963 |issue = 2 |pages=238–244 |jstor=1441338 |doi=10.2307/1441338}}</ref> Cichlids have the largest number of [[endangered species]] among [[vertebrate]] families, most in the [[haplochromine]] group.<ref name="Reid">{{cite journal|last = Reid |first = G.M. |date=December 1990 |title= Captive breeding for the conservation of cichlid fishes |journal = Journal of Fish Biology |volume = 37 |pages = 157–166 |doi= 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1990.tb05031.x |bibcode = 1990JFBio..37S.157R }}</ref> Cichlids are particularly well known for having [[Adaptive radiation|evolved rapidly]] into many [[Species flock|closely related but morphologically diverse species]] within large lakes, particularly Lakes [[Lake Tanganyika|Tanganyika]], [[Lake Victoria|Victoria]], [[Lake Malawi|Malawi]], and [[Lake Edward|Edward]].<ref name=Salzburger>{{cite journal |author1=Salzburger, W. |author2=Mack, T. |author3=Verheyen, E. |author4=Meyer, A. |year = 2005 |title = Out of Tanganyika: Genesis, explosive speciation, key-innovations and phylogeography of the haplochromine cichlid fishes |journal = BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume = 5 |number = 17 |page = 17 |doi = 10.1186/1471-2148-5-17 |pmid = 15723698 |pmc = 554777 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=Snoeks>{{cite book |author = Snoeks, J. |year = 2004 |title = The Cichlid Diversity of Lake Malawi / Nyasa / Niassa: Identification, distribution, and taxonomy |publisher = Cichlid Press |isbn = 978-0-9668255-8-9}}</ref> Their diversity in the African Great Lakes is important for the study of [[speciation]] in evolution.<ref name = Kornfield2000>{{cite journal |author1 = Kornfield, Irv |author2 = Smith, Peter |date=November 2000 |title = African Cichlid Fishes: Model Systems for Evolutionary Biology |journal = Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics |volume = 31 |issue = 1 |pages = 163–196 |doi= 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.31.1.163|bibcode = 2000AnRES..31..163K }}</ref> Many cichlids [[Introduced species|introduced]] into waters outside of their natural range have become nuisances.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fact sheet for ''Oreochromis mossambicus'' {{small|(Peters, 1852)}} |publisher=Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission |url=http://nis.gsmfc.org/nis_factsheet2.php?toc_id=195 |access-date=20 October 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818063320/http://nis.gsmfc.org/nis_factsheet2.php?toc_id=195 |archive-date=18 August 2007}}</ref>

All cichlids practice some form of parental care for their eggs and fry, usually in the form of guarding the eggs and fry or [[Mouthbrooder|mouthbrooding]].
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