A new Apistogramma: Apistogramma playayacu sp. n.

[Tom C]

A brand new Apistogramma has been described:

Apistogramma playayacu sp. n.: Description of a new cichlid species
(Teleostei: Perciformes: Geophaginae) from the Rio Napo system,
Ecuador
UWE RÖMER, JOSCHA BENINDE & INGO HAHN

 

[Jonathan Aquari]

One, small step for fish nerd; one, giant leap for fish nerd kind \o/

 

[regani]

nice looking fish. What always amazes me is how they manage to relate the preserved specimens to live ones, they don’t really look that much alike… but I guess that some of the underlying dark colorations, pores, and of course bone structures don’t change, we just don’t notice them that much in live fish

 

[Mike Wise]

This is the same species previously introduced to the hobby as "A. sp. Caquetá" (A 84). When Uwe, David Soares, and I were at Chicago's Field Museum a few years back, to examine the holotype of Heterogramma trifasciatum macilense - aon another completely different topic, we were invited to look at preserved apisto specimens from Ecuador that they had in their collection. We recognized A. payaminonis, but there were 2 other eunotus/cruzi-like species. One was this species (now the holotype and some of the paratypes). We all looked at each other and just smiled. We finally knew a location for this beautiful fish. Sadly Ecuador is very restrictive on their fish exports (actually all native plants and animals). It is not likely to find its way into the hobby unless someone smuggles the fish out of the country or it is found in the Peruvian parts of the Río Napo system. OK, Tom, here is your next collecting expedition!

 

[apistodave]

Mike do you have the paper--I have had it in Pdf for a while....

PS do you know who Ingo Hahn is???

 

[Mike Wise]

David, I just got a copy of the paper. I don't know Dr.Hahn personally. I understand that he is primarily an ecologist who has done research in many places: Siberia, Arizona, Chile, and lately in Peru. He works as much with bird ecology as with fish.

 

[apistodave]

Yes Ingo is a great guy and good friend. His thesis had something to do with ants. One trip we all took from San Francisco to Gold Beach up Hwy one so Uwe could photograph shore birds. When we got to my house he got tripped out on a giant ant hill by my deck. He would take a cooler full of beer and a chair out there and watch the ants. He once spent a year on an island off the coast of Chile and and ate nothing but goat. He was studying finches of course. His work in Peru now is associated with the rain forest. He is a brainy guy.