Results for “spp.”

This species may also be sold variously as 'yellow regal cichlid', 'Baensch's peacock', 'sunshine peacock' and 'Nkhomo-Benga peacock'. The easiest way to distinguish it from similar-looking congeners is to look at the profile of the snout, which is steeper and more curved than that of its congeners. Aulonocara spp. are benthophagous by nature employing a method of feeding whereby mouthfuls of substrate are taken and sifted for edible items with the remaining material expelled via the gills and mouth. They're equally-skilled at hunting as grazing, tending to hover above the substrate until tiny movements are detected, and possess enlarged sensory pores on the head which assist in this technique.

Endemic to Lake Malawi where it was described from and only occurs around 'Chitendi Island', now normally referred to as Chitande island plus a short stretch of coastline between Ngara and Chilumba along the lake's northwestern shoreline. Aulonocara spp. are benthophagous by nature employing a method of feeding whereby mouthfuls of substrate are taken and sifted for edible items with the remaining material expelled via the gills and mouth. They're equally-skilled at hunting as grazing, tending to hover above the substrate until tiny movements are detected, and possess enlarged sensory pores on the head which assist in this technique.

This was one of the first Aulonocara spp. to enter the hobby and its popularity has endured. It's known by several other vernacular names including 'Freiberg's peacock', 'fairy cichlid' and 'African butterfly' as well as the erroneous 'scientific' names Trematocranus trevori, T. jacobfreigbergi and T. regina. A naturally-occurring, yellowish form from Undu reef, Tanzania is often referred to as 'lemon jake'. It can be told apart from most other members of the genus by the broad, pale distal margins in the dorsal, anal and caudal fins, more deeply-forked caudal fin and larger adult size.

Barbucca spp. are uncommon in the aquarium trade but available periodically. There exist several undescribed species and it's possible that more than one has been exported, although to date only B. diabolica is officially recognised. Most of the fish we've seen possess red eyes (when viewed at certain angles), unique tuberculation and six dark body stripes as mentioned in Roberts' description although there are exceptio...

'B.' candens is not really suitable for most community aquaria as it has something of a shy, retiring nature and may be intimidated or outcompeted for food by larger/more boisterous tankmates. Choose similarly-sized, peaceful African species such as 'B.' jae, Aplocheilichthys spp., Ladigesia roloffi or Lepidarchus adonis. We suspect it will also do ok with many small South American characins, Otocinclus or smaller Corydoras catfish and other cyprinids like Trigonostigma or Boraras species.

Barilius spp. are near-exclusive surface-feeders preying mostly on flying insects in nature with some small fishes and benthic invertebrates probably taken as well but in the aquarium they're largely unfussy and will accept most foods.

Batasio spp. are obligate inhabitants of headwater streams and the upper reaches of smaller rivers characterised by shallow, fast-flowing, highly-oxygenated stretches of riffles and runs broken up by pools or cascades in some cases. Images of the Ataran correspondingly depict flowing sections of forest-shaded, seemingly well-oxygenated headwaters containing clear water, a mixed sand/rock substrate and lots of submerged driftwood/leaf litter.

This species is the only member of the B. edithae group within the genus, and separated from all other Betta spp. by the fact that the branchiostegal membrane and posterior portion of the opercle are opaque or translucent. The original diagnosis by Vierke also states that it has relatively small eyes and short fins with a typical pattern of partial barring.

Apparently restricted to slow-moving or standing freshwater habitats such as marshes, temporal swamps and floodplains where aquatic vegetation and submerged grasses proliferate. One locality consisted of undisturbed marshland with lightly tannin-stained water and dense growth of Vallisneria spp.

Brachyplatystoma spp. are distinguished from all other catfishes by two synapomorphies. The first comprises several morphological characters relating to the skull, specifically that the mandibular suspensorium (that which connects the lower jaw bone to the skull) is greatly expanded mediodorsally to form a large plate approaching the parasphenoid bone, with the hyomandibula and metapterygoid similarly enlarged.

This species is not traded for aquaria but is occasionally exported as bycatch among shipments of other species. It differs from congeners in that the outermost row of teeth are not enlarged plus the interorbital space and cheek below eye are not scaled. Butis spp. are largely nocturnal ambush predators with cryptic...

Butis spp. are largely nocturnal ambush predators with cryptic patterning to help them blend in with their surroundings. They can also lighten and darken their body colouration to an extent, have a habit of aligning themselves with solid surfaces whether horizontal, vertical, or inverted, and often swim in an upside-down position. The genus is usually included in the family Eleotridae of which members are often referred to...

Members of the genus Callochromis feed in a similar way to the South American "eartheaters" such as Geophagus species. They extract invertebrates and other items hidden in the substrate by taking in mouthfulls of sand and sifting it through the gills. The common term "sand sifters" is applied to these and other Tanganyikan species that inhabit a similar ecological niche, such as Enantiopus and Xenotilapia spp. Several geographical colour forms of this species exist. These ...

Prefers a dimly-lit aquarium with plenty of cover in the form of live plants, driftwood branches, terracotta pipes, plant pots, etc., arranged to form a network of nooks, crannies, and shaded spots. Surface vegetation such as Ceratopteris spp. is also appreciated and makes the fish less inclined to conceal themselves.

Not difficult to keep in a well-maintained set-up, though we recommend aquascaping the tank to resemble a flowing stream/river with a substrate of variably-sized, water-worn rocks, sand, fine gravel and perhaps some small boulders. This can be further furnished with driftwood roots or branches, and while the majority of aquatic plants will fail to thrive in such surroundings hardy types such as Microsorum, Bolbitis or Anubias spp. can be grown attached to the décor.

This species is diagnosable from other members of the genus primarily by its unique colour pattern which consists of 7-11 dark blue, irregularly-shaped, parallel vertical bars on the anterior portion of each flank plus a short horizontal stripe on the caudal peduncle which extends into the central caudal fin rays. Phylogenetic analyses suggest it's most closely-related to Indian Devario spp. plus D. xyrops from the western slope of the Rakhine Yoma mountains in Myanmar (Fang et al., 2009; Fang and Kullander, 2009).

Thrives in an aquarium set up to resemble a flowing stream or river with a substrate of variably-sized, water-worn rocks, sand, fine gravel and perhaps some small boulders. This can be further furnished with driftwood roots or branches, and while the majority of aquatic plants will fail to thrive in such surroundings hardy types such as Microsorum, Bolbitis or Anubias spp. can be grown attached to the décor.

Most members of Epalzeorhynchos were formerly regarded as Labeo spp. and are thus referred to as such in older literature. According to Rainboth (1996) they're characterised by absence of a dorsal spine, possession of 10-13 branched dorsal fin rays, a thin membrane connecting the upper and lower lips and rigid, freely moveable rostral lobes. Epalzeorhynchos itself has undergone some quite recent changes with a handful of species hav...

The ornamental albino variant is widely-available and has become extremely popular in the hobby and there is a commercially-produced anerythristic (lacking red pigment) mutation that has pale yellowish fins and has sometimes been misidentified as E. munense. Also worthy of note is that the specific name is sometimes misspelled 'frenatus'. Most members of Epalzeorhynchos were formerly regarded as Labeo spp. and are thus referred to as such in older literature. According to Rainboth (1996) they're characterised by absence of a dorsal spine...

Confusion with similar-looking fishes from other genera, such as Garra cambodgiensis, laterally-striped Crossocheilus spp. or Gyrinocheilus aymonieri is not uncommon, and are largely attributable to the use of trade names such as 'false flying fox' or 'Siamese flying fox'. When compared with the other species E. kalopterus exhibits several unique characters but perhaps the simplest way to identify it is by the characteristic white-edged, red and black coloured fins and the presence of two pairs of barbels.