A review on introduced Cichla spp. and emerging concerns
Shantika Maylana Sastraprawira,
Iqbal Harith Abd. Razak,
Salwa Shahimi,
Siddhartha Pati,
Hisham Atan Edinur,
Akbar Bavajohn John,
Amirrudin Ahmad,
Jayaraj Vijaya Kumaran,
Melissa Beata Martin,
Ju Lian Chong,
Ahmed Jalal Khan Chowdhury,
Bryan Raveen Nelson
Affiliations
Shantika Maylana Sastraprawira
Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Corresponding author.
Iqbal Harith Abd. Razak
Faculty of Marine and Environmnetal Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Salwa Shahimi
Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Faculty of Marine and Environmnetal Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Siddhartha Pati
Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Research Division, Association of Biodiversity Conservation and Research, Devine Colony, 756001 Balasore, Odisha, India
Hisham Atan Edinur
Forensic Science Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia; Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
Akbar Bavajohn John
Institute of Oceanography and Maritime Studies, Kulliyyah of Science, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
Amirrudin Ahmad
Faculty of Marine and Environmnetal Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Jayaraj Vijaya Kumaran
Centre of Excellence for Entrepreneurship Research and Innovation, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Locked Bag 36, Pengkalan Chepa, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
Melissa Beata Martin
Faculty of Marine and Environmnetal Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Ju Lian Chong
Faculty of Marine and Environmnetal Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Ahmed Jalal Khan Chowdhury
Department of Marine Science, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia Kuantan, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 25200, Kuantan, Malaysia
Bryan Raveen Nelson
Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Research Division, Association of Biodiversity Conservation and Research, Devine Colony, 756001 Balasore, Odisha, India; Corresponding author.
Peacock bass (Cichla spp.) originates from the Neotropical environments of Brazil and Venezuela but, through trade and smuggling for aquarium keeping, sport fishing and aquaculture, it is now an emerging concern. Yet, less is known for Cichla spp. distribution and its ability to invade new environments. Aimed to communicate on Cichla spp. ecology, biology and introduction schemes from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and also National Centre for Biotechnology Information, this review also contains management strategies for invading fish species. While Cichla spp. can displace native fish populations, this concern is explained using ecological functions, physiological demands, direct and secondary invasion, disease tolerance and parasite spillover. Briefly, Cichla spp. has rapid embryogenesis (72 h) and matures in short periods (11–12 months), giving it an advantage to colonize new environments. With a large appetite, this true piscivore gains territorial control over water bodies by making it their feeding and nursery grounds. Perceived as an emerging concern after becoming introduced, seal-off or sport fishing were used to manage Cichla spp. but, this practice is not sustainable for the entire ecosystem. Hence, we recommend bottom-up management that involves community participation because they interact with the fish and have knowledge about their environment.
