''Caquetaia'' is a small

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

cichlid Cichlids () are a large, diverse, and widespread family of percomorph fish in the family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families, with on ...

fishes from tropical

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. The genus currently contains three

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

. ''Caquetaia spp.'' are ambush predators that predominantly feed on invertebrates. Seasonal fluctuations in water level have been shown to contribute to ''Caquetaia spp.'' consuming a larger variety of invertebrates, especially when the water level is low during dry seasons. ''Caquetaia'' are known for their highly protrusible jaws, an adaptation hypothesized to improve their ability to capture prey by enhancing overall ram velocity.

Species

There are currently three recognized species in this genus: * '' Caquetaia kraussii'' (

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner descri ...

, 1878) * '' Caquetaia myersi'' ( L. P. Schultz, 1944) * '' Caquetaia spectabilis'' (

, 1875) The turquoise (or umbee) cichlid was formerly included, but is now placed in its own genus ''Kronoheros''.

References

Cichlid fish of South America Cichlid genera Taxa named by Henry Weed Fowler {{Cichlasomatinae-stub