BLOOD PARROT CICHLID
a hybrid cichlid with various deformities first bred in Taiwan about 1986. Deformities include a beak-shaped mouth that cannot close properly, a deformed gas bladder that affects swimming ability, abnormal spines contributing to their unique shape, and unusually large irises. Usually bright orange in colour, they may also be dyed, shortening their life span. The parents are uncertain but may include the midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus) and the redhead cichlid Vieja synspila), or the banded cichlid (Heros severus) and the red devil (Amphilophus labiatus). Ethically questionable, campaigns against their production and sale have been mounted. Also called bloody parrot and blood parrotfish