Traditionally, only five peacock bass were recognized, but in the review in 2006, nine new species were described and "C. nigromaculata" was revalidated. In general, the various species are similar in proportions and most meristics, but differ in colour pattern (and range). This is similar to other diurnal cichlids, where visual clues play an important role in the behavior, including breeding. The speckled or three-barred peacock bass ("C. temensis") in particular has caused problems due to its extensive variation, but the speckled pattern has now been shown to be present in nonbreeders and the three-barred when breeding. Although minor variations are known from adults of other peacock bass species, none shows the extreme variation of the speckled/three-barred peacock bass.