6 assorted Apistogramma that came with D. maculatus

[Melanochromis]

I've got 6 Apistogramma from an importer. According to her, the fish are contaminants in a Dicrossus maculatus shipment from Brazil. She can't/won't give me the exact location of collection. Yesterday I convinced her to show me the fish and was surprised to find multiple species. Some look familiar, others not so. I bought 6 fish as followings:

Fish No. 1 has a very unique shape - small and pointed head and deep body. At some ankle I can see blue iridescence on the body. See the picture below:

Fish No. 2 looks very much like Fish No. 1. Most likely the same species but I have a tiny hope they are different sexes. See the picture below:

Fish No. 3 has slightly extended dorsal spines. This is the only one of the six fish that has this feature. See the pic below:

Fish No. 4 reminded me of a male bitaeniata at the first glance, but then I noticed its dorsal fin is not extended all all. Perhaps a paucisquamis-like fish?

Fish No. 5 was picked because I thought it could be a female counterpart of Fish No. 3 or No. 4. But now I'm not even sure if it's female. See below.

Fish No. 6 looks very female too me. The thick band on the body extends into the caudal fin. This is the only fish that looks like this.

Any opinion on what they are? And is it possible to guess the collection location from looking at these species?

I never thought buying random assorted Apisto would be this fun. I might go back to get some more. LOL

 

[HaakonH]

It's always fun to encounter wild Apistogrammas mixed in with other species

Fish 1 & 2: close to agassizii/pulchra, possibly gephyra. The round tail is more pulchra-like, but these fishes could be young and not fully developed gephyra males as well I guess. The red dorsal seam fits with gephyra.

Fish 3: can't say. Agassizii-group face markings though. Young bitaeniata maybe?Could even be elizabethae.

Fish 4: male paucisquamis

Fish 5: possible female paucisquamis

Fish 6: possible agassizii/gephyra female

Strangely, I don't recall these species being found together in the Tapajos-area where D.maculatus is usually caught. Exporter mix-up perhaps?

And now I wouldn't be surprised if Mike comes along and corrects all my suggestions

Haakon

 

[Melanochromis]

Hi, HaakonH.

Fish 1 & 2: What about the body shape? It doesn't look as elongated as agassizii.

Fish 3: elizabeth would be nice !

Fish 4: Yeah, I thought it was paucisquamis too, but my knowledge about this group is limited, so I don't know if there're other similar fish.

Fish 5: A female paucisquamis would be good too.

Fish 6: Hmm... can it be A. sp. "Abacaxis" too?

 

[Mike Wise]

The first 2 fish are regani-group species, possibly a resticulosa-complex species. I can't say for sure; not enough diagnostic features visible. Cannot ID the 3rd photo; no unique visible diagnostic features. Fish #4 is belongs to the agassizii-sublineage, probably bitaeniata-group. The body is too deep/high-backed to be A. paucisquamis. It might be the cross-striped form of A. mendezi?? Fish #5 appears to be an agassizii-lineage species, but not sure which. The photos of it and fish #6 just don't show any unique diagnostic features. The first 2 fish may have come in with D. maculatus, but the others probably were from the Rio Negro, not the Rio Tapajos. Better photos would definitely help.

 

[dpien]

Would be great to see a "stressed" photo of fish no. 3. Could it possibly be A. arua?

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, it could be a young male A. arua - or any of several other species I can think of.

 

[Melanochromis]

Thank you, Mike and dpien. I guess I have to take more pictures of the fish. They have settled in the tank now and are showing different coloration and pattern.

Like an addict, I went back to the importer and got some more of these assorted apisto!

 

[dpien]

Good for you that you went back! This is just one of the fantastically fun parts of keeping apisto's. Even if you don't get pairs from a mixed import or collection, you still get the chance to marvel and contemplate over identification, plus you get to see them develop into beautiful interesting specimens. Look forward to seeing more photo's in future. Enjoy!

 

[HaakonH]

I aggree! I just received 30 each of wild gibbiceps and gephyra, hoping for some contaminants...but the Brazilians must have sharpened their vision, because to my surprise they seem to be just that, apart from a single uaupesi among the gibbiceps. Anyhow, looking forward to see more pics of the batch in this thread, exciting topic!

Haakon

 

[Melanochromis]

Here are recent pictures of the fish.

Fish#1 and #2 are still very much similar to each other, although Fish#1 is more dominant and shows more colors. Now I believe they could be A. gephyra as I found out that the importer actually placed an order for this species together with D. maculatus. See the pics below:

Fish#3 remains the only one with extended dorsal fin, although it's not clear in this picture. Interestingly, after a water change last night, the fish turned yellow and darkened its eyes just like a breeding female. She/he is pretty aggressive and is spending most time chasing all other fish in the middle of the tank.

Fish#4 and #5 as well as other paucisquamis-like fish that I got afterward tend to hang around at the back of the tank. So, it's very difficult to get a good picture. I got only one of them. See the picture below:

Fish#6 sometimes shows breeding color. It looks like a female and I still believe it could be A. Wilhelmi/Abacaxis. I found out that the importer ordered this species too.

Fish#7 - I didn't have this one when I made the first post. I got it from the same importer afterward along with a few paucisquamis-like fish. Its behavior is quite strange. Instead of occupying a spot like others, this little one wanders around everywhere! I hope it's a female gephyra but can't be sure.

There are some more. I currently have 11 unidentified fish from this particular importer but half of them, especially the paucisquamis-like ones, don't give me any chance for a good picture

Anyway, let me know what you think they are...

 

[Mike Wise]

Fish 1 and 2 are agassizii-lineage species (rather obese). Yes, they could be young A. gephyra. They look young. A few months of growing should develop the fins better. Fish 3 appears to be an agassizii-lineage species, too. Are only the spines on the front of the dorsal fin elongated? If so, it probably is A. bitaeniata. Again, a young fish that a few month of development would help with ID. Fish 4 does look like an A. paucisquamis, but rather fat for the species. Fish 6 and 7 could be agassizii-lineage species, too, but I can't see anything that points directly to any specific species. Again, they look young. They could be females or immature males. Sorry that I can't be more specific. Sometimes it's not easy to identify fish (especially immature specimens) from just a few photos.

 

[Melanochromis]

Thanks for your help, Mike. Most of the fish are indeed very fat. The importer fed them tubifex worms during the past two months. I'm trying to wean them.

Yes, for Fish#3 only the front of the dorsal fin is elongated. It now looks like a bitaeniata to me too.

I kept asking the importer about the location. She is probably annoyed now but did mention a name, something like "Meta" or "Mata". I think there is a "Rio Meta" in Colombia but not sure if the fish were actually gathered there. Any idea?

 

[Mike Wise]

There are no known agassizii-lineage species that occur in the Orinoco system, to which the Río Meta belongs. The fish all appear to be from the Amazon system.

 

[Melanochromis]

I see. So, Meta is not a possible location. I guess I won't be able to get the real location from the importer if she's giving out random names.

 

[Northman]

Wow, they are all so pretty. Best of luck with them.