Jack Dempsey (Rocio octofasciata)

Image source: Benoît Segerer | inaturalist.org
General data
- Main name: Jack Dempsey
- Climates: Tropical, Subtropical
- Habitat: Freshwater
- Native: North America
- Distribution: Papaloapan River, Ulua River
Classification
- Genus: Rocio - Rocio
- Family: Cichlidae - Cichlids
- Order: Cichliformes - Cichlids
- Class: Teleostei - Ray-finned fishes
- Superclass: Osteichthyes - Bony fishes
Description
North and Central America: Atlantic slope from southern Mexico (Papaloapán River) to Honduras (Ulua River). Max length: 25 cm TL; common length : 7.5 cm TL Dorsal spines (total): 17 - 19; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-10; Anal spines: 8-9; Anal soft rays: 7 - 9. This species has spots on sides smaller than scales, aligned in about 15 regular series (vs. not clearly aligned); abdomen predominantly whitish or greyish in life (similar to R. gemmata, vs. reddish in R. ocotal; ventral angle of articular is acute (vs. right); the first neural spine oriented rostrad (vs. caudad); circumpeduncular scales as few as 17 (vs. always more than 19); distance from the caudal esophageal loop in gut to esophagus always greater than 24% gut length (vs. less than 16%) (Ref. 74403). There are no unique autapomorphies.