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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: eartheater
Synonyms and Other Names: mother-of-pearl eartheater, opalescent eartheater
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: Along with their recent revision of the genus Geophagus, Kullander and Nijssen (1989) redescribed Geophagus surinamensis. A few distinguishing characteristics and a figure were also given by Page and Burr (1991). A photograph of G. surinamensis holotype appeared in Kullander and Nijssen (1989); additional photographs of this species, or a closely related form, also appeared in Axelrod (1993).
Size: 30 cm.
Native Range: Tropical America. Limited to parts of Surinam and French Guiana, northeastern South America (Kullander and Nijssen 1989).
Nonindigenous Occurrences: Two fish were taken from Snapper Creek canal north of its junction with Tamiami Canal in the Miami area of Dade County, Florida, in April 1981. A small reproducing population was observed and fry and adults were collected in the same 1-km reach of Snapper Creek during visits in May, and from June to July 1982 (Metzger and Shafland 1984). Additional specimens have been taken from Snapper Creek and one of its tributaries in the late 1980s and early 1990s and from Tamiami Canal (Shafland 1995b; Smith-Vaniz, personal communication).
Means of Introduction: Probable escape or release from fish farm, or aquarium release (Metzger and Shafland 1984).
Status: Recent collections indicate the species is established in Dade County Canals in south Florida (Shafland 1995b; Smith-Vaniz, personal communication).
Impact of Introduction: Unknown.
Remarks: According to Kullander and Nijssen (1989), most past literature on "Geophagus surinamensis" actually pertains to other species. Given the past taxonomic confusion associated with the genus Geophagus, the Florida form may very well represent another member of the genus and not G. surinamensis (Smith-Vaniz, personal communication).
Voucher specimens: Florida (UF 91897, 96391).
Axelrod, H. R. 1993. The most complete colored lexicon of cichlids. Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications, Inc., Neptune City, NJ.
Kullander, S. O., and H. Nijssen. 1989. The cichlids of Surinam, Teleostei: Labroidei. E. J. Brill, New York, NY.
Metzger, R. J., and P. L. Shafland. 1984. Possible establishment of Geophagus surinamensis (Cichlidae) in Florida. Florida Scientist 47(3):201-203.
Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. The Peterson Field Guide Series, volume 42. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.
Smith-Vaniz, W. F., J. D. Williams, L. G. Nico, and W. Loftus. Key to the cichlid fishes of Florida. Unpublished mimeograph (in prep).
Other Resources:
FishBase Fact Sheet
Author: Leo Nico
Revision Date: 9/13/1999 Citation for this information:
Leo Nico. 2009. Geophagus sp.. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=455> Revision Date: 9/13/1999
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