Amphilophus citrinellus
The mojarra of Nicaragua's great lakes, famous in the aquarium trade for its orange form. Small and feisty, it is light-tackle fishing from rocky shores.
Also called: ciclídeo-midas, midas, mojarra-do-lago-nicarágua, Midas cichlid
Cichlid from the San Juan River basin in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, including Lakes Nicaragua (Cocibolca) and Managua (Xolotlán), and crater lagoons such as Masaya and Apoyo. It lives on rocky shores, with crevices where it spawns and guards its young, and is uncommon in rivers. It eats algae and what grows on the rocks, snails, larvae and small fish. About one in ten changes color as it grows and turns orange or gold; the rest are gray, brown or black, camouflaged on the bottom. It is the basis of one of the most studied cases of speciation in fishes. For anglers it is a light, fun target, caught with natural bait or micro-lures.
Deep, compressed body, small mouth with thin lips; adult males develop a bump on the nape and longer fins. Two color patterns: gray to brown with dark bars, or orange to gold, sometimes with black spots. The red devil (Amphilophus labiatus) has thick lips and a more pointed snout; tilapias have a different mouth and a dark spot on the dorsal fin of juveniles.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Not found in Brazil. San Juan River basin in Nicaragua and Costa Rica: Lakes Nicaragua and Managua and crater lagoons such as Masaya and Apoyo. It was released outside its native range by aquarists (for example, in Puerto Rico), with no importance for fishing.
Habitat: Rocky lake shores, with crevices and walls; calm stretches of low rivers.
Fishable all year. During spawning, pairs guard their crevices and strike any lure that comes close.
Daytime. Active by day, feeding on the rocks in shallow water; at night it shelters in crevices.
Rare in the region.
Little effect.
Little effect.
Heavy rain muddies the shore and reduces visual fishing.
A stable level favors fishing on the rocks.
Not very wary near the rocks.
Strong waves on the rocky shore hinder light-tackle fishing.
From 0.5 to 5 m near the rocks.
lures
natural baits
accessories
Fish tight to the rocks with small bait: the midas nibbles a lot, so the hook must be small.
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
The official table of minimum catch sizes from INPESCA for inland waters sets 15 cm for the mojarra (Amphilophus citrinellus). Smaller specimens must be returned to the water.
Source: INPESCA — Minimum catch sizes allowed, inland waters (2019)
Small, tough fish: remove the hook with pliers and release it quickly, near the rocks.
Eaten fried whole in the region, like other mojarras.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02692, b = 3.03; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana para a família e o formato do corpo); peso máximo calculado por esta relação). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
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