Another new Apistogramma has been described

[Tom C]

The Apistogramma sororcula has been described by Wolfgng Staeck & Ingo Schindler:

Apistogramma sororcula, a new dwarf cichlid (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the drainage of the rio Guaporé in Bolivia and Brazil

 

[Mike Wise]

Good catch, Tom. It appears to be the same species that Linke & Staeck (1997) lists as A. sp. Rio Guapore, Koslowski (2002) as A. cf. staecki Guaporé, and Römer (2006) as A. sp Guaporé 2.

 

[Siggi]

If the official regulations about naming of new species haven't changed, the first who describes the species (in this case, apparently Linke & Staeck (1997) has the right of naming.
To me, the tradition of attributing person's names to species is uncomfortable and unfortunate - Apistogramma guapore makes more sense...

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

If the official regulations about naming of new species haven't changed, the first who describes the species (in this case, apparently Linke & Staeck (1997) has the right of naming.
To me, the tradition of attributing person's names to species is uncomfortable and unfortunate - Apistogramma guapore makes more sense...

Wolfgang Staeck is one of the authors of "Apistogramma sororcula, a new dwarf cichlid(Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the drainage of the rio Guaporé in Bolivia and Brazil".

There are a number of criteria that need to be filled before an undescribed collected fish can be named, which is why some fish (and particularly Hypancistrus ("L66" etc.), that are commonly kept, don't have a valid scientific name.

"Sororcula" means "little sister" in latin, so I assume it alludes to A. sororcula being a sister species to A. staecki.

cheers Darrel

 

[Mike Wise]

Darrel is correct. None of the earlier reports on this species conformed to the rules of nomenclature required by the ICZN - particularly no type specimen. Additionally, a species cannot be given the name of the person who describes the species. Species are generally given the name of a person in honor of discovering the species (A. nijsseni, A. linkei, A. staecki), being a respected person in the field (A. kullanderi, A. gossei, A. barlowi, A. agassizii) and even for political reasons (A. mendezi, A. atahualpa, A. huascar).