Full Boa Vista Trip

[Hudson Ensz]

Note the scientific names included are not confirmed, merely guesses.
Rio Caumé
I caught most of the fish in a small clearwater creek running into the rio Caumé

Fish

Green Spring

I didn't have much time here and only caught A. gibbiceps The trio I kept survived the trip home.

I collected in a muddy water hole too.

Apistogramma hippolytae or rupununi with what apears to be Laetecara thayeri

Collecting at Agua Boa

I caught a few tiny apistos here more fotos of them later.

The next fishing spot was another clearwater creek

There were a lot of fish here

But the best were apistogramma gibbiceps

And Crenicichla

Back at home
Pencilfish from Agua Boa

Apistogramma gibbiceps or A. rorimae

Apistogramma wapisana? I couldnt find one of the 120 or so that I caught, close to an inch

More photos and info on my blog passionate4pikes.wordpress.com

 

[animalmgc]

thanx for sharing

 

[Mike Wise]

It is hard to say which gibbiceps-group species you have from these photos. Nevertheless, if they continue to show the fine diagonal striations instead of broader diagonal bars below the lateral band, then they are A. roraimae. And yes the other fish look like A. wapisana to me. Good finds!

 

[Pelvicachromis]

Hudson, I want to thank you for sharing your trips and finds with us. The hobby is lucky to have you in Brazil, going out exploring and sharing with us!

Keith

 

[ste12000]

Thanks Hudson, without your informative posts the world would be a much duller place.

The picture below must rank as one of the prettiest habitat photos ive seen from South America.. Beautiful.

 

[Hudson Ensz]

Thanks Hudson, without your informative posts the world would be a much duller place.

The picture below must rank as one of the prettiest habitat photos ive seen from South America.. Beautiful.

Wow that is really encouraging, thank you. I will try to get an underwater camera one of these days but I dont know if I will be able to go back there anytime soon.

Hudson, I want to thank you for sharing your trips and finds with us. The hobby is lucky to have you in Brazil, going out exploring and sharing with us!

Keith

Wow, thanks a lot, greatly apreciated.

It is hard to say which gibbiceps-group species you have from these photos. Nevertheless, if they continue to show the fine diagonal striations instead of broader diagonal bars below the lateral band, then they are A. roraimae. And yes the other fish look like A. wapisana to me. Good finds!

Is there any other way to tell them apart? When were the species seperated? or maybe a better question, when was A. roraimae found to be a seperate species?

thanx for sharing

Your very welcome

 

[Mike Wise]

A. roraimae was originally described by Dr. Kullander in 1980. At the time he only had females (holotype) and some juvenile specimens. As such, little was known about the species as a whole. Later collections around Boa Vista found males that looked like A. gibbiceps. Some of the specimens were actually a population of A. gibbiceps. Based on these, Kullander synonymized A. roraimae with A. gibbiceps. At the turn of the century, hobbyists/collectors collected a gibbiceps-like species in Guyana and the Rio Uraicoera near Boa Vista. These fish had a different pattern of dark markings on the body and slightly different finnage. The 2 forms/species can be separated by:

A. gibbicep: (wild specimens) diagonal abdominal bars formed from the vertical bars below the lateral band; male dorsal fin serrated, often with extended anterior spines; caudal fin typically shows distinct horizontal stripes and well developed extensions, top and bottom.

A. roraimae: fine diagonal striations across the abdomen - including the area between the vertical bars - below the lateral band; male dorsal fin barely serrated, with anterior spines not noticeably elongated; caudal fin shows finer horizontal stripes with short extension, top and bottom.

 

[Hudson Ensz]

Wow thanks a lot. I will have to wait a few months before making a positive ID I find it interesting how the A. wapisana were almost always found in groups, sometimes in shoals. even in the aquarium they are always together in the open, while the gibbiceps/roraimae stay in the driftwood. I ussually dont see apistogrammas swimming around in large groups with no cover. A. wapisana is the smallest cichlid right? or does that title belong to apistogrammoides?

 

[Crazygar]

Huddy The Collector

As usual, thanks Hudson for the wonderful photographic images and cool Apistos (and other fish) you have access to! It's wonderful that you share them here and on your blog. I think the next time I am down in South America, I am totally paying yourself a visit. This will also give me a chance to finally meet your parents.

Thanks again!

Gary A.MacDonald

 

[Mike Wise]

A. wapisana is one of the smallest known cichlid. It does not get more than 1¾"/35mm (female being the larger sex). My A. wapisana first spawned in a bare quarantine tank. The eggs were hung on the glass in a corner.

 

[Hudson Ensz]

Cool! What is the smallest known cichlid? Apistogrammoides pucallpensis(?)? Thanks a lot Gary I deffinately would love to meet you! Btw in a few years I will be moving to Mozambique. Not an april fools day joke

 

[Mike Wise]

Not many apistos in Mozambique, sad to say. Looks like you'll be fishing mostly for Lake Malawi cichlids.

 

[Hudson Ensz]

Yeah unfortunately. Willl miss them a lot

 

[Hudson Ensz]

I finally found a TFH article on A. wapisana written by Anthony Conrad, I found it very interesting especially since I had been to 2 of the four listed type localities and found them in abundance. My A. wapisana are doing well and I will fish monday at Itapiranga. I have fished there before and I expect to catch A. agassizi and A. cf pertensis

 

[DaRe]

Hudson,

Any updates on your wapisana or possible roraimae?