It is indeed the H. cyanoguttatus........my mistake. )Old books, and older
mind, haha!)
BG
----- Original Message -----
From: Leo Arieux <HOLLIS1506_at_webtv.net>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2001 1:40 PM
Subject: NANFA-- RE: The Only Cichlid Indigenous to Mexico and the U.S.
>
> Several years ago, I was made aware of the existence of "a fish" living
> and competing in Lake Pontchartrain (Louisiana) with our native fish. A
> close friend of mine brought six small fish between 3/8" to 1/2" for me
> to identify. I remarked to him that they were cichlids of a type I was
> unfamiliar with. Not having any good fish books capable of making a
> positive identification, I then placed them in my garden pond.
>
> We then returned to the drainage canal where he caught them in a cast
> net. A man was fishing with a cane pole, a cork
> and using crickets as bait. He had a white five gallon plastic bucket
> that he had placed his "catch" in. There were 19 of the unknown
> cichlids, three ordinary sunfish and two goggle-eyed perch. He claimed
> that most of the fish he had been catching in the past couple of years
> were the unidentified cichlids and they were quite tasty.
>
> The realization and concern that a serious problem was developing in the
> lake began to take shape in my mind. Cichlids give their fry a distinct
> advantage by protecting them to a size where they can better survive
> than our native species do. I was puzzled about this problem.
>
> A little over one year later I discovered that I could make a
> non-indigenous species report via the internet. I did so and was
> contacted by a doctor with the same agency of the government in
> Gainesville, Florida. She referred me to Dr. Robert Cashner, the Dean
> of the Graduate School at the University of New Orleans. We made
> arrangements for the Dr. his wife and daughter to come to my house and
> see the fish. When he saw the fish, he identified them as Cichlasoma
> cynaguttatum or Hericthys cynaguttatum AKA the Rio Grande perch a very
> prolific breeder.
>
> I brought to his attention that there was about six generations of
> various sizes in my pond and the large breeding pair had just hatched a
> new group of fry and were protecting them from their siblings.
>
> We then went down to the Lake Villa pumping station canal where we
> verified that the fish had constructed breeding nests (depressions in
> the gravel/sand) approximately every eight to ten feet along the
> shoreline of the canal. Dr. Cashner became even more concerned and said
> that he would have to study this further.
>
> Dr. Cashner and some graduate students did an extensive field study
> confirming our fears. The fish were located all along a 35 mile stretch
> of Lake Pontchartrain shoreline and canals. This information was given
> to the Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Service. Dr. Cashner wrote a paper
> on this co-authored by the Dr. with the governmental service in Florida.
> This was presented at a symposium in North Carolina two years later.
>
> The fish and wildlife people rotononed (poisoned) the canal and drainage
> canals which led into Lake Pontchartrain but as the old saying goes they
> were closing the barn door after the horses had gotten out. To my
> knowledge, C. cynaguttatum is still living and breeding on the edges of
> Lake Pontchartrain today.
>
> Leo
>
> ************************************
> Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler'
>
>
>
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/----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes / Association" / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association / nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to / nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to / nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead. / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org