Mayaheros
Description
Mayaheros is a genus of cichlid fish that is native to Mexico and northern Central America.
This genus has a disjunct distribution, with the M. urophthalmus group being found in the Atlantic drainages of southeastern Mexico (southern Veracruz east to the Yucatán Peninsula and southwards), Belize, eastern Guatemala, northern Honduras and northeastern Nicaragua, while M. beani is the northernmost cichlid in the Pacific drainage, ranging from Jalisco to Sonora in northwestern Mexico. Both inhabit a wide range of habitats such as freshwater rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, pools and marshes, as well as brackish waters like estuaries, lagoons and mangrove, with members of the M. urophthalmus group sometimes even occurring in caves or coastal marine waters.
They are medium-sized to large cichlids that are omnivorous, feeding mostly on small animals, but also plants and detritus.
