The Mayan cichlid (Cichlasoma urophthalmus) is native to Atlantic
Central America fresh and brackish waters, and is distributed from
the river Coatzacoalcos in Mexico, southward into Nicaragua (Miller,
2005). It is an important fish resource for human consumption and natural
populations are under pressure. Therefore, in SoutheasternMexico
there has been a public interest in the development of research and
technology to produce this species under culture conditions (Pérez-
Sánchez and Páramo-Delgadillo, 2008). Its potential for aquaculture
has been studied, considering the regional preference over the introduced
tilapia, with a 20–40% higher market price (Chávez-López et al.,
2005).