Jan responds:
I e-mailed a taxonomist very familiar with SW Cichlasoma. He writes:
"The pearl cichlid, Cichlasoma carpintes, sometimes called the
'Texas green cichlid' or 'Texas blue cichlid' isn't from Texas. It's
native to the Rio Panuco system and used to be a subspecies of C.
cyanoguttatum...
To tell them apart (using my pitiful translation from Jose Alverez's keys
to the Mexican species)
cyanoguttatum= 30 to 33 scales in the lateral series; head length about 3
times in standard length
carpinites=frequently less than 30 scales in the lateral series; head
length about 2 times in standard length
Hope that's some help. If I recall correctly, it was European aquarists
that messed up the name for carpintes and called it the Texas cichlid. "
He also points out that the official common name for C. cyanogutatum is Rio
Grande cichlid.
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