Hypsophrys nicaraguensis

Hypsophrys nicaraguensis, the moga, is a species of cichlid native to the Atlantic slope of Central America, from Nicaragua to Costa Rica.^[1] The species is a popular aquarium fish and is traded under a variety of common names that include nickie, parrot cichlid, macaw cichlid, butterfly cichlid, Nicaraguan cichlid and nicaraguense.^[1] In Costa Rica it is known as a vieja.^[2]

Hypsophrys nicaraguensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cichliformes
Family:	Cichlidae
Tribe:	Heroini
Genus:	Hypsophrys
Species:	H. nicaraguensis
Binomial name
Hypsophrys nicaraguensis (Günther, 1864)
Synonyms[1]
Heros nicaraguensis Günther, 1864 Cichlasoma nicaraguense (Günther, 1864) Copora nicaraguensis (Günther, 1864) Herichthys nicaraguensis (Günther, 1864) Hypsophrys unimaculatus Agassiz, 1859 Heros balteatus T.N. Gill, 1877 Cichlasoma balteatum (T.N. Gill, 1877) Cichlasoma spilotum Meek, 1912

Feeding

Hypsophrys nicaraguensis is able to protrude its jaw to 3.8% of its standard length limiting its diet to only 1% evasive prey.^[3]

Classification

The species was formerly the only representative of its genus, and is part of family Cichlidae in subfamily Cichlasomatinae.^[1] However, the Poor man's tropheus, formerly Neetroplus nematopus, has also been placed into the genus Hypsophrys, as Hypsophrys nematopus.^[4]

Conservation

It occurs in the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge.^[2]