Results for “gene”

A rather rare fish in the UK hobby. It occasionally shows up as a contaminant among imports of more popular species. The taxonomic status of all species in the genus Moenkhausia is currently Incertae Sedis, meaning uncertain. The genus is currently used as something of a catch-all for a large number of small characin species. Most experts agree that a full revision is required, with the likely outcome that many of these will be placed into new or different genera....

All Mystacoleucus species possess a procumbent predorsal spine orientated towards the head, though it can be difficult to spot with the naked eye. This can become entangled in an aquarium net so care must be taken when handling the fish. The trait is shared by members of Tor, Spinibarbus and Paraspinibarbus although there exists no strong evidence to suggest that these genera form a monophyletic lineage and it is...

Nannacara Anomala are widely available in the trade, and are generally regarded as an excellent beginner's fish. If a beginner is interested in keeping Cichlids and learning about breeding, then these fish are absolutely ideal. Anomala are attractive, hardy and usually quite cheap to purchase. Like some species of the Apistogramma genus, the mother may use fascinating body language to communicate with her fry when she is caring for them. If there is more than one male in a tank smalle...

This species has been referred to the genera Poecilobrycon and Nannobrycon in the past and in the aquarium hobby is also known as 'rocket', 'brown', 'brown-tailed', 'diptail', or 'tubemouth' pencilfish.It's a popular aquarium fish and has an interesting oblique swimming-style, a behavioural trait shared only with N. unifasciatus among congeners. In the original description the colour pattern is given by Steindachner as a brown lateral stripe exte...

Inhabits sluggish blackwater tributaries, small rivers and swampy areas, particularly in areas with dense growth of aquatic or overhanging riparian vegetation, submerged woody structures and leaf litter. The water is typically stained darkly with humic acids and other chemicals released by decaying organic material, the dissolved mineral content is generally negligible and pH can be as low as 4.0. N. minimus occurs sympat...

This species has been referred to the genera Poecilobrycon and Nannobrycon in the past and in the aquarium hobby is also known as 'oneline' or 'red fin' pencilfish. It's a popular aquarium fish and has an interesting oblique swimming-style, a behavioural trait shared only with N. eques among congeners. The most recent diagnosis of the species appears to be that giv...

'N.' anguilla can be told apart from other Indian members of the genus by possessing dark flank markings which are partially or completely merged to form a lateral stripe, and an almost-complete lateral line extending to the anal-fin. Kottelat (2012) states that its generic placement requires additional study hence the genus name i...

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).

Deservedly one of the most popular Tanganyikan species available in the hobby, N. brichardi is ideal for newcomers to both Rift Lake cichlids and cichlids in general, being beautiful and easy to keep and breed. It is seen for sale under several common names including "Fairy Cichlid", "Lyretail Cichlid" and "Princess of Burundi". There are several colour morphs available, although these do not vary much in patterning, and an albino form is also occasionally available...

Several geographical morphs of this species are available, including "Sambia" and "Kipili". These vary in base colour from blue to yellow to white. It is not recommended for the general Tanganyikan community due to its aggressive and predatory nature....

It can be distinguished from the similar N. sexfasciatus by the presence of only five, rather than six, vertical bars on it's flanks. It is not recommended for the general Tanganyikan community due to it's aggressive nature, particularly when breeding....

Not a fish for the general Malawi cichlid community, N. livingstonii is an ambush predator in nature, often being seen hanging motionless around rocky structures, in Vallisneria thickets or on the floor of the lake. It is a sedentary species and does not move around a lot. This is a behavioural adaptation known as thanatosis, or 'playing dead'. This strategy is usually used as for defensive means in other animals but in N. livingstonii is adapted for offensive means. The fish has a mot...

Not a fish for the general Malawi cichlid community, N. venustus is an ambush predator in nature. It is often found hanging motionless around rocky structures, in Vallisneria thickets or on the floor of the lake. It is a sedentary species and does not move around a lot. This is a behavioural adaptation known as thanatosis, or 'playing dead'. This strategy is usually used as for defensive means in other animals but in N. venstus is adapted for offensive means. The fish has a mottled col...

One of the largest goby species in the world, O. marmoratus is unsuitable for the vast majority of aquaria, but is an interesting oddball for the true enthusiast with the facilities to house it properly. It is a nocturnal ambush predator and generally remains motionless during daylight hours unless striking at food. It is a popular food fish in some of its native countries, where it is known as soon hock....

Pangasianodon is separated from other pangasiid generea primarily on the basis of some morphological differences including a lack of teeth and massively reduced barbels in adult specimens. Sadly it's numbers are declining rapidly in nature, through a combination of unsustainable fisheries, damming and habitat destruction. Since 1990 wild stocks are thought to have undergone a decrease of over 80%. From an annual catch of over 60 specimens in 1990, only 8-11 were being caught per year in ...

One of a handful of Pangio spp. traded under the generic name 'eel loach'. Wild populations tend to differ in colour pattern to some extent, with some exhibiting a more intense lateral stripe while others display an irregular pattern of fine dark spots on the body, for example.

One of a handful of Pangio spp. traded under the generic name 'eel loach', though it's most commonly available as bycatch among shipments of other fishes. Some authors have suggested it may be synonymous with P. anguillaris bu...

Some Sumatran and Bornean populations of the highly variable P. shelfordii superficially resemble P. piperata which can cause issues with identification as the two often occur together. In general however the body patterning in P. piperata is than that of P. shelfordii and they differ in vertebral counts (mode 47 vs. 50, respectively).

The fish in our images don't correspond to any of the described members of the genus but can be assigned to the P. oblonga species group with a degree of certainty. It's apparently exported as a contaminant among shipments of a uniformly brown-coloured fish with unpublished genetic analyses suggesting the two might be variants of the same species (J. Bohlen, pers. comm.). Among congeners it may be related to P. alcoides Kottela...

Pangio species are often generically referred to as 'kuhli' or 'coolie' loaches in the aquarium hobby, the latter a variation of the former which was itself derived from the surname of German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl (1797-1821). Ichthyo...