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Apistogramma sp. "Green Spot" - Puerto Maldonado

Drayden Farci

Active Member
5 Year Member
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207
Hello! Any help ID-ing this fish would be appreciated. Sold as A. sp. "Green Spot" and from Puerto Maldonado. Video is not the best but they appear to be mostly blue-bodied. Fairly obvious caudal spot that spans almost the width of the body at the tail. First few dorsal rays are black in all specimens. There doesn't appear to be much sexual dimorphism apparent at the moment.

 

Drayden Farci

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
207
Thanks Mike! We will continue to watch them and if they color up more I will attempt to get a better video.
 

Drayden Farci

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
207
Yes, they look largely the same. However, when they are happy and not stressed (when I am not standing there with a camera in their face!), they darken up and the "green spot" becomes more apparent. You can see the shine on the scales in some of them, but it is much more drastic when they are truly colored up. I would be interested to see how they look in an established tank.

 

Frank Hättich

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
563
Location
Germany
Are you sure they have been collected near Puerto Maldonado? To me these fish look like an eunotus-subcomplex species, maybe A. cf. eunotus "Schwanzstreifen/Tail-stripes". However, I don't know of any reports about collecting any eunotus-subcomplex species in this area.
 

Drayden Farci

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5 Year Member
Messages
207
There is no reason to suspect they were caught somewhere else than what they were labeled as.
 

Frank Hättich

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563
Location
Germany
Another possibility might be that an exporter/dealer brought them to the Puerto Maldonado area and released them there to have easier access to them...
 

Drayden Farci

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
207
I will keep trying to capture their color in different moods. They are very camera shy. Perhaps some brine shrimp to distract them..
 

Drayden Farci

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
207
Here are a few updated pictures of several males and one particularly energetic female. You can finally see the origin of the "Green Spot" trade name.

20181109_103211.jpg 20181109_103246.jpg 20181109_103218.jpg 20181109_103230.jpg 20181109_103233.jpg 20181109_103241.jpg
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
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11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Frank is correct. Note the split in the vertical bar on the caudal peduncle (Bar 6). This is a typical feature seen on eunotus-subcomplex species. Also note that these fish may have been exported from Puerto Maldonado, but do occur there.

One other thing, I didn't look at the latest series of photos until Frank responded because the files were just so large and took too long for me to upload. 3.5 Mb photo files aren't really necessary. For me anything over 800x800 pixels (~ 0.5 Mb) is usually a waste of bandwidth. Just an old curmudgeon's rant in general - not directed only at you.
 

Drayden Farci

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
207
Thanks all. I'm not sure I understand or see the split you are referencing. I see the lateral band does not connect to the caudal spot but that is the only split.

Mike, you mention Puerto Maldonado - did you mean they do (not) occur there, or do occur there? Sentence structure reads as though (not) was omitted accidentally.

Regarding photos - phone camera is set to take highest quality photos it can, and I upload directly from there. Will keep it in mind.

Moved these fish to a new tank with more cover and some gravel and they have colored up nicely.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Thanks all. I'm not sure I understand or see the split you are referencing. I see the lateral band does not connect to the caudal spot but that is the only split

From my description of apisto species-groups (http://apisto.sites.no/page.aspx?PageId=116)
... Many, but not all species of the eunotus-subcomplex develop one or more split vertical bars on the posterior half of the flanks when in threat display. These splits are formed from scales that become light colored in the 5th, 6th and rarely 7th vertical bars below the lateral band (3). ...


4675.jpg


Mike, you mention Puerto Maldonado - did you mean they do (not) occur there, or do occur there? Sentence structure reads as though (not) was omitted accidentally.

You are correct I should have said "Also note that these fish may have been exported from Puerto Maldonado, but do not occur there." The eunotus-complex is distributed in the Peruvian Amazon, from the Río Ucayali to the borders of Colombia/Peru/Brazil. The upper Río Madre de Dios system, where Puerto Maldonado is situated, is considered part of the Bolivian Amazon/Rio Madeira system.
 

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