Re: Brazil fish pics

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

Marco Lacerda wrote:

> Dear Kathy and Erik:
> Well, here goes my id's and comments.
> Mike Wise, pls criticize them. As I in my id's will not go deep into
> pertensis-meinkeni-"Balzfleck", regani-like fish differences.
>
> Rio Cuieiras:
> 1. Crenicichla sp.: Kathy, I feel this specimen is C. regani, but not
> very sure, bcs the spot near caudal peduncle is larger than usual; if
> not a real dwarf pike (like C. regani), then it is a young C. johana,
> also common in Rio Negro drainage. Vinny, pls clear us with this.
> 2. and 3. A. sp. Rotkeil (Red-wedged) [that is possibly same fish as A.
> uaupesi], young specimens. At this stage, they are easy to misidentify
> as A. pertensis. Bellow lateral line the Rotkeil-Apisto has black points
> arranged as lines, this is how I separate both (Rotkeil and pertensis)
> when young.

Does A. uaupesi (Rotkeil) come from the lower Rio Negro? I didn't know they
occurred south of the mouth of the Rio Uaupés. At first I thought they were A.
sp. Vierstreifen (4-stripes), but that didn't agree with the collecting location,
either. This is why I labeled them A. sp. indet. (indeterminent); I just wasn't
sure. I'd like to see them when they are fully mature.

> 4. A. paucisquamis

I think you are right. That was my first thought, too, but just accepted on faith
that Kathy was correct in saying they were all the same species. The clamped
caudal and dorsal fins made it hard to tell.

> 5. A. sp. Rotkeil

See 2 & 3 above

> 6. A. paucisquamis; note: the caudal-fin pattern is not clear in some
> specimens; if only horizontal stripes, the fish may be A. mendezi,
> although all of them seem to be not A. mendezi (that is much more rare
> than A. mendezi; from almost 400 A. paucisquamis which I have collected
> in Rio Negro drainage, only 3 or 4 were real A. mendezi).

See 4 above

> 7. Pyrrhulina semifasciata, a species described by Steindachner in 1876,
> with type locality "mouth of Rio Negro" (pararypes from other localities
> along the Rio Solimões (=Amazonas after the confluence with Rio Negro).

P. semifasciata may be correct, but it is a more elongate species, with more
longitudinal scales, and the black medial stripe extends from the mouth back as
far as the origin of the dorsal fin. Kathy's fish is a much chunkier species and
the medial stripe ends on the flanks behind the operculum - well before the
origin of the dorsal fin (Well, if you look real hard at Kathy's fish it does
look like it runs intermittently farther back.). I'll stick with P. brevis-group
for now. Either way, they are closely related. In addition Géry thinks that P.
semifasciata is a possible junior synonym for P. laeta. I don't know what he
bases this on, considering P. laeta is described from a single specimen - well,
actually half a specimen, since the head half of the body is missing!

> Cow pond:
> I think all related to A. regani, and would identify all as so, but in
> most specimens in your photos the caudal spot is not extended vertically
> as in A. regani (Kullander's fig. 10 in the original description is very
> clear about the the shape of the caudal spot).
> Mike, pls help me with this id!!!

I'm not certain either. I actually think there might be 3 different species here.
Apisto 1 & 4 are deeper bodied, more regani-like species, with abdominal stripes
and an oval caudal peduncle spot. These actually look like a blue form of A. sp.
Gelbwangen (Yellow-cheeks), if there is such a thing. The last apisto (bottom,
right) also has abdominal stripes, but the c.p. spot looks more elongate. It
looks very much like a fish I once found as a contaminant with pencilfish (N.
marginatus & trifasciatus). I called it A. sp. aff. regani. The remaining 3 (# 2,
3, 5 left) are the ones that look the most like A. sp. Blauglanz (Blue-sheen). On
first glance, their bodies have the deep body appearance of the regani-complex.
The lateral band, however, has the narrow zigzag look of a resticulosa-complex
fish. They have a c.p. spot similar to Blauglanz. The suborbital (cheek) stripe
is similar, too, broad at the eye and narrowing to a point at the edge of the
operculum. Their deep bodies are atypical of Blauglanz, but one of the B&W photos
in Koslowski's introduction shows a breeding deep bodied female. Like I said,
"Very close to A. sp. Blauglanz (Blue-sheen)" but maybe not the same.

> The other fish is likely a Hoplosternum-species, although there has been
> published recently a revision with several Hoplosternum-related new
> genera (Cascadura was one of these new genera, I don't remember the
> names of the others).
>
> Rio Negro:
> 1. and 2. A. hippolytae confirmed
> 3. A. paucisquamis

I agree. See #4 Rio Cuieiras.

> 4. A. regani
> 5. A. pertensis

Could very well be. Wait for it to grow up.

> Solimões (variousŠ):
> 1, 2, 3 and 4: A. cf. regani

#1 sure looks like a yellow aggie to me. #3-5 are hard to tell because the flash
washed out the flanks. These may be (#3) Blauglanz and (#4&5) Gelbwangen.

> 5. and 6.: An Abramites species; as far as I know, only two valid
> species within this genus: A. solarii (from Rio Paraguay drainage)

According to Géry A. solarii is a possible junior synonym of A. hypselonotus. He
claims that it is a superspecies or polytypic species.

> and
> A. hypselonotus (synonym: A. microcephalus). So, I would id them as A.
> hypselonotus.

I don't think so. Abramites species are much deeper bodied, laterally compressed
with a post ventral keel, and have a wider anal fin (>10 branched rays). They
also have a more oblique stripe pattern. Kathy's fish appear more fusiform, with
very little lateral compression. I'll stick with Leporinus sp. fasciatus-group
for now. Abramites & Leporinus are very closely related genera, however.

> Creek off Rio Negro:
> 1. out-of-focus photo, possibly A. pertensis
> 2. and 3. A. paucisquamis
> 4. and 5. A. hippolytae
> 6. and 7. (first plane fish): A. pertensis

The caudal pattern seems to break, like in A. meinkeni.

> 7. (second plane fish): A. paucisquamis

I agree with this one.
Your IDs are as good as mine. Most of the photos don't show enough details.

> Locations can't remember:
> 1. A. cf. regani

It looks like a pertensis-group fish to me. Which one, I'm not sure.

> Comments, please!
> Marco.
>
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