Results for “várzea”

Another massively popular aquarium fish, with dozens of selectively bred varieties available. Some of these are produced by crossbreeding with X.helleri or X. maculatus. Unfortunately many commercially bred platies are not very hardy due to inbreeding and over-production and are prone to disease and premature death. The wild X. variatus can be distinguished from X. maculatus by its slimmer, more elongated body shape and slightly longer dorsal fin. This last feature has been seized upon by many...

This species is among the smaller members of the family. It can be differentiated from all other Akysis species by the following combination of characters: caudal peduncle length 16.1-19.8% of standard length (SL); caudal peduncle depth 6.5-9.3% SL; length of adipose-fin base 25.6-29.5% SL; interorbital distance 42.0-46.0% of head length (HL), eye diameter 13.0-20.0% HL; length of nasal barbel 44.0-66.0% HL; lateral margins of the head appear straight when viewed from above; possession of 0-5 se...

This species is among the few members of the family to be exported for the aquarium hobby and we've also seen it on sale under various names such as 'orange-banded stone catfish', 'orange micro bumblebee catfish', 'Burmese orange mini bee catfish' or more simply 'wasp catfish'. Though the majority of forms are yellowish to orange in colouration there appears to exist a bright red variant which to date we've only seen in photos.

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...

This species is rare in the hobby although other species are sometimes sold under the name. It's a member of the nominal G. surinamensis 'group' of closely-related species within the genus and can be identified by a combination of characters including: possession of dark preopercular marking; four parallel, ventrally-inclined bars on each flank (normally visible only when the fish are stressed, spawning or preserved); dark lateral spot positioned within the second vertical bar; caudal fin red with variable pattern of large, iridescent blue to white spo...

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...

Although often sold as the closely related F. acus (a species that is highly endangered and imported very rarely, if at all), F. vittata is the most common representative of the genus in hobbyists' tanks. The easiest way to distinguish the two is by comparing the shape of the rostrum, which is longer and more slender in vittata, although there are also differences in the arrangement of the ventral scutes. They are adapted for life among peripheral vegetation and tree roots along the edges o...

These are still regarded as valid by some authorities although it's widely accepted that they represent variants of R. vaterifloris due to a lack of type material hindering conclusive study. Rasboroides nigromarginata (Meinken, 1956) has also been used to refer to a reddish form in which males differ from other populations in possessing dark fin margins, but the name is currently considered synonymous with R. vaterifloris by most sources despite the fish being rediscovered in 2010.

It can be told apart from similar-looking congeners such as P. crescentus and P. muzaffarpurensis by the following combination of characters: barbels absent; lateral line incomplete with up to 5 pored scales; 20-22 lateral line scales; 8 predorsal scales; dorsal-fin with a vertically-orientated black streak and a black tip with orange markings; a dark spot at the base of the caudal peduncle.

A voracious piscivore that hunts in large shoals in the wild, this species is perfectly designed for its lifestyle. It is very streamlined and muscular and has one of the most amazing sets of teeth of any freshwater fish. These are dagger-shaped and interlock, meaning the fish can rip chunks out of its prey. The teeth are visible even when the animal's mouth is closed, which makes for a fearsome sight. It is a popular game fish in its native range, with the largest specimen caught weighi...

This species was described in 1999 and may still occasionally be seen on sale under the incorrect names R. reticulata or R. cf. reticulata as well as the trade name 'volcano rasbora'. The real reticulata is endemic to the small island of Nias which lies off Sumatra's northwestern coast and is virtually inaccessible to fish collectors so is unlikely to be in the hobby although it may have been exported on a couple of occasions. It's a deeper-bodied fish and does not exhibit th...

V. moorii exists in several geographical morphs but interestingly the only variation in colour occurs in juvenile fish. All adults exhibit a dark patterning but depending on locality the fry may be dark (like adults), yellow or orange with the yellow and orange juveniles taking on the adult colouration as they mature. It is has been observed that the forms which undergo this colour change may 'plant' broods among fry of other species with similarly coloured young, leaving them to be gu...

The common name is derived from the ability of genus members to produce audible sounds via a specialised pectoral mechanism which is unique within the family Osphronemidae. The structure comprises modified pectoral-fin tendons and muscles which are stretched and plucked by basal elevations of two fin rays in a similar way to guitar strings via rapid beating of the fins. The pectoral-fins beat alternately, each able to generate short or long bursts of sound. These sounds are produced by both sexes, predom...

Some eminent authors believe this species to be a geographical variant of the highly variable congener A. stuartgranti rather than a distinct taxon but since most popular resources continue to view it as valid we also list it here. At Masinje it has been observed to show a distinct preference for rocky caves and crevices in relatively shallow (3-6 metres deep) water. This is in contrast to most other members of the genus, which tend to forage over sand, but similar to behaviour seen in A. jacobfreibergi.

It's known by various vernacular names including 'Pirá-pacu', 'Pira-pucu' or 'Diente de cao' (central Amazon), 'Bicuda' or 'Uena' (rio Tocantins), 'Bicuda' (rio Tapajós), 'Aguejeta' or 'Picua' (Venezuela), and 'Moruwi' or 'Pirapoko' (Guyana). The entire dorsal-fin base is located anteriorly to a vertical through the anal-fin origin and this character distinguishes it from all other ctenolucids except B. lucius and B. xyrekes.

Within this assemblage P. manipurensis is most similar to 'P.' meingangbii and P. padamya by virtue of the fact that males in all three possess orange-red pigmentation on the flanks and caudal-fin. It can be told apart most easily by the fact it possesses a relatively small, spot-like humeral marking, vs. a vertically-elongated, relatively large humeral marking in both the other species.

Despite its unsuitability for the majority of home aquaria, this species is available in the aquarium trade on an irregular basis, and has also been marketed as 'violet-gilled shark', 'red-gilled violet shark' and 'blushing violet shark'. It appears likely that L. boga as currently recognised represents a complex of closely-related species.

Another popular molly in the hobby, and another that has been selectively bred to produce several different varieties, such as albino, black, red etc. Some of these are the result of cross breeding with P.latipinna. There also exists a (in our opinion) grotesque 'balloon' variety of this fish in which the body is malformed and rounded, giving a balloon-like appearance. This condition can cause swimbladder and digestive problems and may bring about premature death. It is difficult to...

This species is sometime referred to as 'Virginia's catfish', Corydoras sp. 'Sangama' or 'Zangama', and prior to description was misidentified as both Corydoras bicolor and C. delphax. Unfortunately additional diagnostic characters cannot be provided since we've been unable to obtain the type description, and little has been written about this species since it was published.

The surrounding area is semi-arid and the Bolsón de Sandia was once a beautiful oasis with a number of springs, abundant vegetation and diverse wildlife but has dried up over the last twenty to thirty years due to indiscriminate water extraction for agriculture and other human uses. Three endemic species of Cyprinodon, namely C. veronicae, C. longidorsalis and C. ceciliae, have been described from separate springs within the system...