Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
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Online Publication Date: 20 May 2010

Ontogenetic Color Change in the Firemouth Cichlid, Thorichthys meeki

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Page Range: 189 – 195
DOI: 10.1643/CG-09-132
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Abstract

Color pattern changes in fishes can vary from nearly instantaneous changes to long term, developmental (ontogenetic) changes. Species-typical patterns of ontogenetic color change (OCC) can provide insight regarding the behavior, ecology, and evolution of a taxon. Observations performed on laboratory-reared Firemouth Cichlids, Thorichthys meeki, from hatching to age 205 days, revealed 16 dynamic color pattern elements. Color pattern changes were correlated with age, but a significantly better correlation was found with body size. Ontogenetic color change in the Firemouth Cichlid featured the expression of some transitory color pattern elements not found in adults, and several elements and their sequence of expression were similar to those previously described for other cichlid species.

Copyright: 2010 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Fig. 1
Fig. 1

Representative subjects at ages 4 (A), 7 (B), 18 (C), 48 (D), 54 (E), 80 (F), and 96 (G) days.

Fig. 2
Fig. 2

Thorichythys meeki operculae at age 143 days (A) and adult (B).

Fig. 3
Fig. 3

Standard and total length for 155 Firemouth Cichlids aged 4–205 days.

Fig. 4
Fig. 4

Median standard length for appearance (and loss) of 16 color pattern elements in Firemouth Cichlids.

Contributor Notes

Associate Editor: J. F. Webb.

1 Department of Biology, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania 16057, E-mail: (SCB) simon.beeching@sru.edu; and (REP) rep7877@gmail.com. Send reprint requests to SCB.
Received: 17 Jul 2009
Accepted: 17 Nov 2009
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