Re: Apisto I.D. Help

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

plasticolor@guate.net wrote:

> A few months ago I ordered a box of Apistos from Florida through a LFS.
> This retailer in Fla. specializes in surprise Apistos, as none of the
> species offered coincide with the species he ships.  Among 4 bags with
> about 100 fish (mostly juveniles), I separated 3 distinct individuals that
> I haven´t been able to identify.
> I went through Roemer´s Key several times, but I always end up at a species
> description that has at least one different diagnostic feature.

Yes, this is a problem with Uwe's key. There are just too many variables for it
to work reliably every time.

> The general shape resembles the illustration of the Parallel-striped
> Apistogramma in Linke & Staeck, with no elongated spines or fin membranes.

The Parallel-striped Apisto in L&S is NOT A. cruzi, but a related fish. Look for
an excellent update on new apistos from Peru written by Koslowski in DATZ later
this year.

> All three animals show two clear abdominal stripes, a continuous black
> lateral line and no tail spot.  The caudal fin is rounded, transparent and
> has no color pattern or edge.  They have a single lateral spot.

If it has a lateral spot it can't be a regani-group fish (like A. cruzi, regani,
etc.)

>  Color
> pattern and body shape of both sexes is quite similar, except for the black
> anterior edge of the ventral fins of the females.  The ground color is a
> dirty chrome yellow.  Transversal bars are not noticeable, just a series of
> diffuse dorsal blotches.  The male is also slightly larger (45 mm) than the
> females (40 mm).
> In shock coloration the abdominal stripes intensify, the lateral band
> becomes gray and the dorsal area a mottled brownish-gray.
> I´m sure I have at least a pair, as I found a batch of 25 orange eggs stuck
> to the glass of the quarantine tank, which unfortunately dissapeared the
> next day.
> The trio is probably less than a year old, so I presume that they just may
> slip through the taxonomic key, as they haven´t developed all their
> characteristic features.  I´d appreciate any hints on what they might be,
> or what other characteristics to look for to I.D. them.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Peter
>

The body shape and present fin shapes point to an ancestral form of apisto
(regani-, steindachneri-, Rotpunkt-, & macmasteri-groups). The only species
within these groups that have lateral spots belong to the steindachneri-group (A.
steindachneri, A. rupununi, A. hippolytae,  A. sp. Rio Preto & and possibly A.
sp. Erdfresser). All of the species in this group, however, have caudal spots and
some sort of pattern on the caudal fin. The patterned tail on A. hippolytae often
is not very distinct. Maybe it's this fish. Otherwise it sounds like a member of
the regani-complex without a patterned tail (A. gossei, A. geisleri (some), A.
sp. Amapá, etc.). It might help to learn what other fish came with them.
Otherwise a good photo or more detailed description will be needed for me to even
guess what species-group it belongs to.

Mike Wise

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