[3][4] These are diurnal predatory fishes native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas, in tropical South America.

[13] Where established as an introduced species, they may become invasive and damage the ecosystem because of their highly predatory behavior, feeding extensively on smaller native fish.

Most display a color pattern based on a theme of three wide vertical stripes on their bodies, sometimes with smaller intermediate bands, only a grey, brown, yellow, or green background.

These include dark rosettes instead of stripes, light speckles, and impressive shades of bright green, orange, blue, and gold.

Following a taxonomic review published in 2006,[2] 15 Cichla species are recognized by FishBase:[18] Sabaj, López-Fernández, Willis, Hemraj, Taphorn & Winemiller, 2020[20]

[24] Some of the species have relatively small distributions,[2] and C. melaniae is restricted to the lower Xingu River in an area that will be heavily affected by the Belo Monte Dam.

In addition, fly fishing techniques, including lures such as poppers and large streamers, are becoming increasingly popular for catching them.

ocellaris was unintentionally introduced into Panama via a freshwater creek in the Rio Chagres drainage region in the late 1950s (experts are not certain of the exact date).

A well-known aquarist and medical doctor began raising peacock bass in a small pond in his back yard for sale as aquarium fish.

Within a year, heavy rains flooded the pond, causing some fry to escape into a nearby creek which drained into Gatun Lake.

By 1964, the lake and nearby rivers and creeks were overrun with the cichlids, providing sport fishing opportunities that had not existed previously.

Local extinctions and a decrease in abundance of many species led to cascading second-order effects on zooplankton and tertiary consumer communities.

[32] Malaria incidence was reported to have risen significantly in the area around Gatun following the elimination of prey fishes that had previously kept the mosquito population at lower levels.

In 1984, after 10 years of study, Florida officials deliberately introduced butterfly peacock bass and speckled peacock bass to the southern region of that state[33] to prey on other non-native species, including the oscar (Astronotus ocellatus), Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus), and spotted tilapia (Tilapia mariae).

Peacock bass prey on any species that catches their eye, but those in which they seem most interested are tilapia, crayfish, tadpoles, mosquitofish, minnows, and guppies.

However, most professional American anglers recommend practicing catch and release for these species to protect their numbers in the United States.