Cichlid Fish Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Many cichlids, particularly tilapia, are important food fishes, while others are valued game fish (e.g. Cichla species). The family also includes many familiar aquarium fish, including the angelfish, oscars, and discus.[4][6] Cichlids have the largest number of endangered species among vertebrate families, most in the haplochromine group.[7] Cichlids are particularly well known for having evolved rapidly into a large number of closely related but morphologically diverse species within large lakes, particularly Tanganyika, Victoria, Malawi, and Edward.[8][9] Their diversity in the African Great Lakes is important for the study of speciation in evolution.[10] Many cichlids introduced into waters outside of their natural range have become nuisances, such as tilapia in the southern United States.[11]