Taxonomy & naming
Mikrogeophagus maculicauda was described in 2022 by Wolfgang Staeck, Flávio Ottoni and Ingo Schindler. It sits in Mikrogeophagus, the genus of the ram cichlid, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi, and the Bolivian-Brazilian M. altispinosus. The authority carries no parentheses because the species was described in its present genus.
Morphology
Size and colour measurements are not recorded in the sources available to the atlas. The epithet refers to a spotted tail, which is the character the name points to.
Habitat
The type locality is the Rio Pindaituba (or Ribeirão Pintaituba), north of Vila Bella da Santissima Trindade, a tributary to the Rio Sararé, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The Sararé belongs to the upper Guaporé system. Habitat measurements are not recorded.
Feeding
Diet in the wild is not recorded. Other Mikrogeophagus pick small invertebrates from the substrate.
Mating
Mating behaviour is not recorded for this species.
Breeding
Breeding is not recorded for this species. Its relatives in the genus are substrate spawners with biparental care.
In the aquarium
Because the species is new to science, aquarium husbandry data are sparse. Treat it as a small, soft-water South American dwarf cichlid until keeper experience is published.
Conservation
No IUCN assessment is known. The species is known from a small part of the Mato Grosso drainage.