Apistogramma commbrae and other members of the commbrae complex can be distinguished from congeners by the conspicuous double caudal peduncle spot. This species may also be polymorphic, with some males exhibiting red and blue markings on the cheeks and a yellow gular region.

The smallest and most delicate of the nominal hatchetfishes. The rounded keel is shallower than related species, giving this fish a distinctive elongate profile.

The family Gasteropelecidae is separated from other Characiformes by the following combination of characters: front…

S. pappaterra is relatively rare in the ornamental trade and much sought after by enthusiasts.

It is easily distinguished from all known congeners by presence of a series of prominent black blotches beneath the dorsal-fin, plus a well-defined dark band extending along the side of the body. In recent genetic analyses its genetic distinctness was strongly supported, with S. jurupari and S. leucosticta its closest relatives.

Despite being a wholly unsuitable aquarium subject, C. idella is often traded as such, with an albino form having been developed specifically for the ornamental market.

Individuals which have outgrown their aquarium or pond should never be released into natural waters, either, since this species has proven capable of causing serious environmental damage under a wide range of climatic conditions.

Widely-distributed throughout the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo, and Tocantins river systems in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guyana.

Type locality is ‘Rio Cupai [= Rio Cupari], Rio Tapajós basin, Amazon River drainage, Pará State, Brazil’.

This species is relatively common in the aquarium hobby but is not easy to maintain and recommended only for experienced aquarists.

It can be told apart from all congeners by specimens larger than 60 mm SL possessing an extended pectoral-fin spine forming an extremely long filament that may be more than four times the length of the first branched pectoral-fin ray (vs. not possessing such a filament in other species of Lamontichthys).

This species is rare in the aquarium trade but is arguably more suitable for the home aquarium than some of its better-known relatives given its adult size and relatively docile behaviour.

Other vernacular names include ‘Dientón’ (Peru), ‘Perrito’ (Ecuador), ‘Payara-chata’ or ‘Payarin’ (Venezuela) and ‘Icanga’, ‘Minguilista’ or ‘Peice-cachorro’ (Brazil), some of which are also applied to related species.

This species was described from Suriname but no specific locality was given.

It’s currently accepted to occur throughout much of the Amazon river system in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia with additional records from coastal drainages of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana plus the island of Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago).

Type locality is given simply as ‘Amazon River, Brazil’ and according to current thinking this species has a huge natural range encompassing the Amazon River system in Brazil and Peru plus the Paraná-Paraguay drainage in southern Brazil and Paraguay and rio São Francisco basin in southern Brazil.

Specimens in our images were collected fro…

This species is very rare in the aquarium hobby and may never have been available on a commercial basis although it has been collected, bred and distributed by some private collectors.

It’s a member of the putative G. surinamensis ‘group’ of closely-related species within the genus and ca…