| Geophagini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geophagus brasiliensis | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Subfamily: | Cichlinae |
| Tribe: | Geophagini Haseman, 1911 |
| Type genus | |
| Geophagus Heckel, 1840 | |
Geophagini is atribe ofcichlids from thesubfamilyCichlinae, the American cichlids. It is the sister taxon to the clade which includes theCichlasomatini andHeroini. Fishes in the Geophagini are distributed from Panama south to Argentina, it is the most speciose of the seven tribes within the Cichlinae and it is subdivided into three sub-tribes, Acarichthyina, Crenicaratina, and Geophagina which together contain over 200 species.[2] Geophagines show morphological and behavioural specialisations to enable them to sift the substrates within their mouths so that they can separatebenthic invertebrates from substrates dominated by sand or silt.[3]
The Geophagini are classified as follows:[2]