Results for “várzea”

This species is sometimes traded as 'Espei's', 'four-barred' or 'banded' pencilfish and is sought after in the aquarium hobby, though normally quite expensive to buy. It's most-easily identified by its unique colour pattern of 5 dark, vertically-orientated bar-like markings on each flank, this in direct contrast to the horizontal stripes seen in other congeners...

N. binotatus is distinguished from similar-looking congeners such as N. longistriatus and N. ornatus by its unique body patterning consisting very simply of two dark stripes, one running along the dorsal surface and the other from the tip of the snout, through the eye and along the flank. There are usually 1-3 small, vertically-orientated spots extending above the lateral stripe between the pectoral-fin and dorsal fins. These are su...

This species is distinguished from similar-looking congeners such as N. longistriatus and N. ornatus by its unique colour pattern consisting of a black lateral body stripe with 9-16 vertically-orientated blotches extending along it both above and below, plus an irregular stripe running along the dorsal surface. The anterior lateral blotch is surrounded by lighter pigment, forming an ocellus similar to that seen in N. binotatus.

Lungfish are among the most intriguing of "oddball" aquarium subjects, being able to survive in the most extreme conditions. They are very ancient fish, having remained virtually unchanged for millions of years. Unlike its African relatives, N. forsteri cannot survive in completely dry conditions for long, although it does require access to atmospheric air to survive. It possesses only a single lung (the African species have paired lungs), which is formed via a modification of the swim...

We're unsure if this species has ever been traded on a commercial basis though we know of several private collectors who've maintained it. It's difficult to confuse with any other balitorid due to the small adult size and distinctive orange to reddish-brown body colouration, and was originally described as a subgenus by Herre (1944) before Silas (1953) raised it to full genus status. It was later syonymised with Homaloptera by Alfred (1969) but has been generally accepted as a distinct, valid genus since Roberts (1989).

This stunning species was only described in 1997 and is included in the so-called "Brichardi complex", which also includes N. brichardi, crassus, falcicula, gracilis, pulcher, savoryi and splendens. The species should not be mixed in aquaria as they will hybridise freely. N. helianthus can be distinguished from others in the complex by its overall yellow-orange patterning and v-shaped cheek marking....

Inhabits ephemeral, water-filled depressions, pools and swamps mostly located in lowland floodplains. Water levels in these seasonally-variable habitats typically decrease during the dry season and eventually become completely dessicated for several months each year. Near Bagamoyo it's been collected from pools of a flat, grassy floodplain alongside the congeners N. annectens, N. janpapi and N. melanospilus, while at Soga it occus together with N. janpapi and N. ocellatus. Most habitats appear to be heavily overgrown with terrestrial vegetation.

One of the most invasive fish species in the world, O. mossambicus is one of the species farmed for supermarkets and restaurants across the globe. Several colour varieties have been selectively bred from the natural green fish to make the fish more appealing to consumers and unsurprisingly, it is these more brightly coloured forms which are usually seen in aquaria. Some of these variants are cross breeds with other species of Oreochromis. The destructive effect of O. mossambicus on non-nativ...

Commonly known as 'Japanese rice fish' or simply 'rice fish', O. latipes is well-known to science having been widely used as a model organism in genomic and experimental biology for well over a century and was the first vertebrate animal to mate in space during the mid-1990s. It's also been a popular aquarium fish for many years, though is less widely-available than it once was, with the ornamental 'gold' vari...

The majority of original populations have already been extirpated due to introduction of invasive species such as Gambusia holbrooki and Poecilia reticulata, ongoing deforestation of the Ambohitra Massif, and physical diversion of the source of the Sakaramy River for domestic use by locals. An additional population may exist in a stream on the southern slope of the Ambohitra Massif on the road between Bobasokoa and Anivorano, near the village of Andranotohiliny, but this requires verification.

Not difficult to maintain under the correct conditions; we strongly recommend keeping it in a tank designed to simulate a flowing stream with a substrate of variably-sized rocks, sand, fine gravel, and some water-worn boulders. This can be further furnished with driftwood branches, terracotta pipes, plant pots, etc., arranged to form a network of nooks, crannies, and shaded spots, thus providing broken lines of sight.

It's told apart from congeners by a combination of characters as follows: large scales present on body and sides of head; caudal fin deeply forked with subequal lobes; 10-13 dark, vertical bars on the body; a dark, ocellated spot in the centre of the caudal-fin base; two bars on top of head, dorsal-fin with two rows of greyish spots; caudal-fin lobes with 3-4 dark bands on each; anal-fin with one indistinct band and another, more distinct, submarginal band; ventral fins with two indistinct bands.

Known with certainty from tributaries of the middle Río Orinoco between the city of Puerto Ayacucho, Amazonas state, Venezuela and the lower Río Meta, Colombia. It may have a wider distribution within the Meta system since some reports suggest it to occur around Villavicencia, Colombia, some 600 km upriver.

Apparently most abundant in shallow streams and minor tributaries, sometimes at relatively high altitudes, and apparently shows a preference for substrates of mud or silt. Given the extent of its range it would seem sensible to assume that it inhabits various habitat-types which also vary in water depth, flow, and turbidity depending on the time of year.

In Brazil P. castexi is currently banned from export, although it can still be legally obtained from other countries. There's a high level of polychromatism (differences in colour and pattern) displayed by this species, and in the hobby some of the colour forms have been given distinguishing names. Below is a list of some of the commoner varieties, along with some defining characteristics: Otorongo Ray (also known as "Jaguar" Ray, P25, P26, P28 or P35): This popular variant has...

P. henlei is one of the more sought after ray species in the hobby due to its striking colours and impressive adult size. A fully grown one of these makes a stunning sight. Sadly exports from Brazil are now illegal under the IBAMA regulations, although captive bred fish are available occasionally. The price tends to be very expensive as a result. The species exists in various colour forms, with either white or yellow spots and a background colour varying between black and dark brown. The patt...

Lungfish are among the most intriguing of "oddball" aquarium subjects, being able to survive in the most extreme conditions. They are very ancient fish, having remained virtually unchanged for millions of years. The natural habitat of P. a. annectens is wet for only part of the year and the fish has developed several incredible adaptations in order to counteract this. When the waters begin to recede, the fish will find a suitable nesting site, usually amongst heavy vegetation. Here...

Lungfish are among the most intriguing of "oddball" aquarium subjects, being able to survive in the most extreme conditions. They are very ancient fish, having remained virtually unchanged for millions of years. Some of the natural habitats of P. dolloi are wet for only part of the year, and it has developed several incredible adaptations in order to counteract this. When the waters begin to recede, the fish will find a suitable nesting site, usually amongst heavy vegetation. Here ...

This species is traded under various vernacular names including 'Chinese hillstream loach', 'Chinese butterfly plec' and 'Hong Kong Otocinclus. It's the commonest member of the genus in the hobby but has been frequently misidentified as the congener P. cheni in the past with the two often said to be indistinguishable in terms of colour pattern. Some sources additionally suggest the sole defining external character to be that in P. cheni the distance between the resp...

Type locality is given as 'Kuala Tahan, Pahang (King George V National Park)' which corresponds to the village of Kuala Tahan in Pahang state, central Peninsular Malaysia. The settlement is located at the confluence of the Tahan and Tembiling Rivers which form part of the Pahang river basin, while the national park was re...