Re: Apistogramma contaminant

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

Bill,

I thought that I should comment on this question. A. gibbiceps is usually found
in the middle Rio Negro between the Rio Branco & Rio Uaupés. A. agassizii has
been found in the lower reaches of the  Rio Negro, but is replaced in the
Anavilhanus Archipelago by a different agassizii-complex species, A. gephyra.
Mayland's photo of "A. agassizii Santarém" in the Aqualog book is not A.
agassizii. It is A. gephyra (or something close to it). It probably is the same
fish Römer reports as A. gephyra from Lago Jurucuí near Santarém. My guess,
without seeing your fish, is that you have a group of A. gephyra from the Rio
Negro.

I go along with Gary about names on fish. If it hasn't descended from stock that
originated in an absolutely, positively, expressly recorded collecting location _
do not _ give it a population name. Because it is an export station, there are
probably a half dozen aggie populations with "Santarém" in their names. Just list
species with unknown location as whatever species it is and leave it at that.
This is especially true with A. agassizii where I feel that we are dealing with a
superspecies - a grouping of several closely related sibling species
(semispecies) that can interbreed in the aquarium but don't have the opportunity
to do so in the wild. There are those who consider A. gephyra to be the ultimate
expression of a semispecies within the A. agassizii superspecies, but this is
taxonomist fodder, nothing worth worrying about.

Mike Wise

Bill Phillips wrote:

> Hello from Australia and hoping that someone can shed some light on a wild
> apisto pair that I was fortunate enough to obtain as a contaminant.
>
> A shipment of apisto gibbiceps came into the wholesaler and my LFS found
> some Apisto agassizii (about 3 pairs) in the shipment. The problem then
> arose as to what strain the fish is - comparing with the AQualog catalogue
> suggests the strain is "santarem".
>
> My question (crossing my fingers) is whether gibbiceps is localised in a
> particular area which may shed some light on the possible agissizii strain.
> Probably just my luck that gibbiceps is widespread in its distribution.
>
> Many thanks for any help
>
> Bill Phillips
>
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