Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Ovalentaria
Superordo: Cichlomorphae
Ordo: Cichliformes
Familia: Cichlidae
Subfamilia: Cichlinae
Genus: Heros
Species: H. efasciatus – H. liberifer – H. notatus – H. severus – H. spurius
Name
Heros Heckel, 1840
Type species: Heros severus Heckel, 1840
References
Primary references
Heckel, J.J. 1840. Johann Natterer's neue Flussfische Brasilien's nach den Beobachtungen und Mittheilungen des Entdeckers beschrieben (Erste Abtheilung, Die Labroiden). Annalen des Wiener Museums der Naturgeschichte 2: 325–471, Pls. 29–30. BHL Zobodat. Reference page.
Heros is a genus of cichlids native to the Amazon, Orinoco and Essequibo River basins in South America.[1] They were previously included in the genus Cichlasoma before its restriction to the distinct group of "Port Cichlids."
The Heros species most commonly encountered in the aquarium trade are fish referable to the species Heros efasciatus. However, the trade name generally used is "Severum Cichlids." Trade fish are very often line bred specimens of color sports such as "Super Red Severums" or "Gold Severums." The provenance of these is not clear, but they seem to have been derived from the base "Green Severum" form that is most closely identified with H. efasciatus.
Species
There are currently five recognized species in this genus:[2]
| Image | Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 |
Heros efasciatus Heckel, 1840 | Amazon basin |
 |
Heros liberifer Staeck & I. Schindler, 2015[1] | Orinoco basin in South America |
 |
Heros notatus (Jardine, 1843) | Rio Negro and Essequibo River in South America |
 |
Heros severus Heckel, 1840 | upper Orinoco and upper Rio Negro basins in South America |
| Heros spurius Heckel, 1840 | Guaporé River drainage in the Amazon basin |
Many authorities also cite a previously described species, Heros appendiculatus. It has a form quite distinct from H. efasciatus but was synonymized with H. efasciatus by Dr. Sven O. Kullander. Another color form, Heros sp. Rotkeil ("Red Shoulder") is thought by hobby specialists to represent an undescribed Heros species.
References
Staeck, W. & Schindler, I. (2015): Description of a new Heros species (Teleostei, Cichlidae) from the Rio Orinoco drainage and notes on Heros severus Heckel, 1840. Bulletin of Fish Biology, 15 (1/2): 121-136.
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Heros". FishBase. January 2017 version.
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