CICHLID RANGE

Cichlids are mainly freshwater fish that are most diverse in Africa and South America, with at least 900 species in the former and 290 in the latter.[14] Substanial numbers are also found in Central America as far north as the Rio Grande in southern Texas, and Madagascar has its own distinctive fauna of cichlids phylogenetically only distantly related to those on the African mainland. [15] [16] Endemic cichlids are largely absent in Asia except for four species in the Middle East, one in Iran, and three in the Indian Subcontinent.[17] Europe, Australia, Antarctica, and most of North America do not have any native cichlids, although where environmental conditions are suitable, for example in Florida and northern Australia, feral populations of cichlids have become established as exotics. [18] [19]
Cichlids are less commonly found in brackish and salt water habitats, though many species will tolerate brackish water for extended periods; Cichlasoma urophthalmus, for example, is equally at home in freshwater marshes and mangrove swamps, and can be found living and breeding in salt water environments such as the mangrove belts around barrier islands. [20] However, only a few cichlids are found primarily in brackish or salt water, most notably Etroplus maculatus, Etroplus suratensis, and Sarotherodon melanotheron