Results for “sp.”

There are currently 24 described species of Serrasalmus, many of which look superficially similar. S. sanchezi has frequently been confused with S. spilopleura in the past, and is sometimes still sold as "Spilo cf" or "Ruby-red Spilo". It actually appears to be more closely related to S. rhombeus or S. irritans than S. spilopleura. The characteristic red throat has also led to it being confused with S. medinai and even the red-bellied piranha Pygocentrus nattereri on occasion...

This species is traded under several names of which others include 'sharp-nosed gourami', 'moonlight chocolate gourami', 'black-lined chocolate gourami' and 'black-tailed chocolate gourami', though it's far from common in the hobby. Its unique colour pattern makes it difficult to confuse with any of the three other members of the genus even in the absence of meristic data.

This species is traded under several names of which others include 'Samurai gourami' and 'Samurai Zebra Chocolate Gourami'. Though the former of these is arguably the most common, these names are potentially misleading since the fish is neither especially combative nor from Japan. Its unique colour pattern makes it difficult to confuse with any of the three other members of the genus even in the abse...

Puffer fish are so called as they have the ability to inflate their elastic stomachs with water or air. This is usually a response to some kind of threat, although in the aquarium many specimens appear to inflate themselves for no apparent reason. The fish becomes 2 or 3 times it's normal size, which makes the fish both big enough to scare away many potential predators, and difficult to swallow. Many parts of the body of puffers contain the deadly neurotoxin tetrodoxin. This is the same ...

T. stellatus is superficially similar to its only congener T. securis, but can immediately be identified by the presence (vs. absence) of a prominent dark spot in the dorsal-fin. It is sometimes traded as 'platinum hatchetfish'. The genus Thoracocharax was originally erected by Fowler in 1906 as a subgenus of Gasteropelecus, but was elevated to generic status by Weitzman (1960).

Like others in the genus, Tropheus duboisi is something of an enigma in the aquarium hobby and despite it's popularity, is not a good species for the beginner. There has been much arguement and discussion about how best to maintain it in the aquarium, and some of these debates still rage on. We have provided the generally accepted method of keeping the fish, but in reality what works for one aquarist may not for another. One aspect which is always true, is that water quality is of the utmos...

An incredibly hardy and adaptable species that is not so popular in the hobby as it once was, probably due to its often aggressive nature. As with other goodeids, there is less of a size difference between the sexes than in many other livebearers. This is thought to be related to the relatively primitive structure of the andropodium, as the fish tend to choose mates that are of similar size so that the sex organs are synchronised. Goodeids are unique among livebearers in that the developi...

This species was present in the hobby for some time prior to being officially described and the spectacular red fish first exported by Pierre Brichard in the 1960s appears to be a regional form of it. It was also known variously as Nanochromis sp. 'Bamanja', N. sp. 'Genema', N. sp. 'Makoua' and N. sp. Bloody Mary' prior to description, and continues to be mislabelled as N. squamiceps on trade lists. Diagnosis of C. sabinae is possible via a combination of c...

Prior to its description this species had been considered a form of A. anatoliae and also referred to as A. sp. aff. danfordii but collections in the early part of this century motivated new studies and resulted in its elevation to full species level. Phylogenetic analyses have shown it to represent the sister group to all other Anatolian Aphanius spp. The Anatolia region represents a centre of diversity for the genus with ten endemic species described to date. These are thought to have diverged ...

Prior to decription this species was known as A. sp. 'großmaul' or 'bigmouth', and it has also been assigned the code A190 under the DATZ system. The genus Apistogramma is among the most speciose of South American cichlid genera with around 70 species valid at present but many more awaiting description. In addition many species exist in two or more geographical colour forms which may or may not turn out to be distinct in the future. Hobbyists tend to label these with collection data if available in order to avoid mixing them and the potential of hybridisation.

This species can be exceptionally long-lived and there are reports of specimens surviving in aquaria for over 30 years. It is named after the explorer Mary Kingsley, and often goes by the common name of Kingsley's climbing perch. While Ctenopoma are closely related to the Asian climbing perch (Anabas sp.), they are not known to have the ability to cross areas of land like this species. Like others in the suborder Anabantoidei, the species possesses an accessory breathing organ known as t...

H. inspector can be told apart from other described species in the genus by the following combination of characters: colour pattern comprising brown to black base with large whitish to yellow spots; adpressed dorsal-fin not reaching the adipose-fin spine; spots on head much smaller than on rest of body; spots in the upper caudal-fin lobe combining to form bands in adults; 24 plates in the mid-ventral series.

Despite its patent unsuitability as an aquarium subject attractively-coloured juvenile specimens of this species are traded in quite large numbers, although the scarcity of privately-maintained adults would suggest that most fail to reach their potential. The striking, spotted patterning also disappears as this species matures, and since it also becomes increasingly bellligerent with age it can only be recommended to owners of the largest private aquaria or tropical ponds. There exists an albino...

Despite its patent unsuitability as an aquarium subject attractively-coloured juvenile specimens of this species are traded in quite large numbers, although the scarcity of privately-maintained adults would suggest that most fail to reach their potential. The striking, spotted patterning also disappears as this species matures, and since it also becomes increasingly bellligerent with age it can only be recommended to owners of the largest private aquaria or tropical ponds. There exists an albino...

All Algerian Aphanius populations were considered to be representative of A. iberus until this species was described in 2006. It differs both morphologically and genetically from A. iberusand A. baeticus, probably diverging about 5.3 million years ago during the opening of the Straits of Gibraltar. It is most easily distinguished by the distinct mottled body patterning which in males of the other two species forms distinct vertical bars and in females dark spot-like markings. A. iberusis now k...

Like most badids this species is poorly documented and has yet to find significant popularity in the aquarium hobby, though given its restricted natural distribution it is unlikely ever to be available in large numbers. Within the genus it is most easily confused with B. ruber and B. siamensis but both these species have rows of dark spot-like markings on the flanks which are lacking in B. khwae. The three also differ in the shape of the dark marking on the caudal peduncle; in B. ruber it is rel...

This fish has yet to appear in the aquatic trade and only been exported in extremely limited numbers to date. Specimens collected from the Wahumiam River close to the settlement of Shella Bholaganj by Peter Cottle and Andrew Rao in 2006 were initially considered an undescribed species and referred to as B. sp.'Wahumiam River' or B. sp. 'terracotta', but later found to match B. tuivaiei in terms of morphology, meristics, etc. (S. van der Voort, pers. comm.).

This species is included in the B. pugnax complex of closely-related species within the genus, an assemblage of which members are notoriously difficult to tell apart from one another, but which can be characterised collectively by the following set of shared characters: relatively large head measuring 28-40% SL; live colouration usually brown with green or blue iridescent spots; male with similarly-coloured scales on opercle, sometimes extending to abdomen; juveniles and females usually brown with two central body stripes and a dark marking on the caudal peduncle; anal-fin in mature specimens pointed and often elongated; caudal-fin lanceolate.

The physical appearance of B. almorhae sensu stricto is something of a mystery. No pictures of live specimens appear in any scientific publications we've read and we've been unable to find a certified image of one anywhere meaning it's possibly never been seen in the aquarium trade. Instead the most commonly available members of the nominal species grouping seem to be B. lohachata, B. sp. 'Kosi' and B. sp. 'Teesta' (see individual notes below), plus the assorted hybrids that have appeared since the turn of the century (Grant, 2007).

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...