Re: Paraguay and Amazonas

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

Nuno Prazeres wrote:

> Dear friends,
>
> Can somebody clarify one doubt I have.
>
> This two systems seem to connect in the Bolivian/Brazilian border just like Amazonas and Orinoco connect in the upper Rio Negro.
No. At present there is not linkage between the Amazon system and the 
Paraguay system. In the past it appears that this was not the case. It 
is even possible that the Rio Guaporé once connected with of the 
Paraguay system. We see apisto species that had their origins in the 
Amazon now living in the Paraguay system.

> Is the A. trifasciata (or trifasciatum?) the only registered species that shares the two systems?
A. trifasciata & A. inconspicua are found in both the Paraguay & Rio 
Guaporé (Amazon) drainages.

> Are A. borellii, A. commbrae and A. trifasciata the only Paraguay system apistos?
A. pleurotaenia is also believed to come from the Rio Paraguay, but no 
precise collecting locality is known for this enigmatic species.

> Is there any known collection data of A. borellii in the Guapore section where A. taeniata and A. incospicua (appart form A. trifasciata) apparently occur?
No. A. borellii is found only in the Paraguay drainage. Many 
morphological and behavioral features of A. borellii are atypical of the 
'normal' member of the genus (whatever that is). This species is not a 
typical forest dwelling apisto. It, like its closest (but not very 
close) relatives in the macmasteri-group generally inhabit savanna 
biotopes. In many respects the macmasteri-group & A. borellii mirror the 
geographic distribution of the Rams (Mikrogeophagus). They probably 
migrated into the Orinoco system at the same time. How they did this is 
a good question.

Mike Wise

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