A. sp. D50 - another larvophilous mouthbrooder from Colombia

[Frank Hättich]

The fourth larvophilous mouthbrooder within the genus and the second one that has recently been found in Colombia (the other one is A. sp. D10). So far it seems that only the females are involved in mouthbrooding (like in A. megastoma and A. sp. D10).

Moutbrooding...

... and with fry:

 

[Bart Hazes]

Exciting and beautiful images! Am I correct that it is a close relative of megastoma/barlowi and thus mouthbrooding likely represents a single evolutionary event in this lineage? The zigzag lateral line, soothy patch on belly and red/pearly cheek lines on the male remind me of some of the macmasteri group species. Interesting combination of phenotypic features.

 

[Frank Hättich]

Thanks Bart! I'm not sure about the systematic position of the D50, but I don't think that they are closely related to barlowi and megastoma. As you say, they show quite some similarities to macmasteri-group species. However, they sometimes show what I would call a lateral spot (though not a very pronounced one):

And in this case, they can't be a macmasteri-group species either (not even a regani-lineage species). Anyway, they are for sure very interesting!

 

[rr16]

Very nice. Ray did a talk on these (at least I think it was these) a couple of months ago at Preston. Once again, beautiful fish.

 

[Bart Hazes]

The at least slightly lyrate tail (or is it round with tip extensions?), patterning in the tail and extension of dorsal spines over most of the dorsal fin length all remind me of cacatuoides, including A. megastoma/barlowi. The flank spot adds to that list. The male body seems a bit deeper than typical mcmasteri group fish but not as deep as megastoma/barlowi. The female is more convincingly mcmasteri-like. It just adds to the discussion we had earlier that apistos often seem to be a mosaic of phenotypic features that doesn't clearly follow phylogeny.

 

[Frank Hättich]

@ rr16: I think it's more likely that Ray's talk was on the D10, because unlike the D50 he keeps them himself and bred them many times.

@ Bart: From the photos and live fish I have seen so far, I would say that the caudal fin of D50 males is usually rounded, sometimes truncate in large specimens and exceptionally two-tipped. My male is very large (about 9cm) and his caudal is truncate with two small tips. But I have also seen photos of a larger male with rounded caudal fin and no tips. I think the dorsal fin of my male is very exceptional. Large barlowi/megastoma males may show similar dorsal fins. But the same is true of some macmasteri-complex species, most notably A. hoignei. In fact the only feature that prevents me from believing that D50 may be a macmasteri-group species, is their lateral spot.

The most important differences I see to barlowi/megastoma are a smaller head, mouth/jaws and lips, the lateral band and caudal spot, the females brood-dress and the sooty abdominal blotch. But apart from this phenotypic differences, there's moreover the fact that the D50 have been collected in the headwaters of the Rio Vaupes, about 600km away from the area where the barlowi-type mouthbrooders come from.

I hate when phenotypic features do not clearly follow phylogeny

 

[rr16]

That's nature for you! I think it was D10 actually!

 

[Shane]

Where are Barlowi, Megastoma and D50 collected?

I know that the Peruvians can get Barlowi and Megastoma from Leticia, so do they live near to that area?

 

[rr16]

If you go on Tom C's website there is information from where he has caught them in the wild.

 

[Frank Hättich]

Thanks to my friend Rolo, the type localities of barlowi and megastoma, as well as those of all other scientifically described species, can be found in this nice map Klick, he created. D50 has been collected about 600km to the north in the headwaters of the Rio Vaupes.

 

[rr16]

That map is awesome!

 

[Shane]

Thanks! I have seen the map, it's very cool!

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

Holy cow, what an amazing species! I love the google map, more folks should be doing that, and not just scientists. A team of dedicated hobbyists could collect a lot of good data on behalf of science using tools like Google Maps.

 

[Bart Hazes]

Holy cow, what an amazing species! I love the google map, more folks should be doing that, and not just scientists. A team of dedicated hobbyists could collect a lot of good data on behalf of science using tools like Google Maps.

I have started to do that for marine species that I have found during holiday/hobby reef surveys. I am eyeing a first trip to the Amazon but time is always the issue. Finding someone to take care of my growing collection of tanks is starting to become a second issue

You can check my website at biodives.com with the best page to look at for now: http://biodives.com/World/Red_Sea/Marsa_Alam/Marsa_Abu_Dabbab/

From the site page select Biota->Fish to see a small subset of fish I found there. Click on the blue species name for a species page including catch locations. For example:
http://biodives.com/World/Biota/Fish/Vanderhorstia_ambanoro/

If you click on a fish image you'll get a larger view with description at the top right and on the Google Map for the site it indicates where you can expect to find it.

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

I have started to do that for marine species that I have found during holiday/hobby reef surveys. I am eyeing a first trip to the Amazon but time is always the issue. Finding someone to take care of my growing collection of tanks is starting to become a second issue

You can check my website at biodives.com with the best page to look at for now: http://biodives.com/World/Red_Sea/Marsa_Alam/Marsa_Abu_Dabbab/

From the site page select Biota->Fish to see a small subset of fish I found there. Click on the blue species name for a species page including catch locations. For example:
http://biodives.com/World/Biota/Fish/Vanderhorstia_ambanoro/

If you click on a fish image you'll get a larger view with description at the top right and on the Google Map for the site it indicates where you can expect to find it.

Hey, that's pretty cool! Nice work so far.

I'm working on something similar for freshwater, targeted at catch-and-release fly fishers. I will try to post more about that here when we are nearer to launch.

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

The fourth larvophilous mouthbrooder within the genus and the second one that has recently been found in Colombia (the other one is A. sp. D10). So far it seems that only the females are involved in mouthbrooding (like in A. megastoma and A. sp. D10).

View attachment 6985
View attachment 6986
View attachment 6988

Moutbrooding...View attachment 6989 View attachment 6990

... and with fry: View attachment 6991

Really nice pictures, Frank, I've been meaning to say so.

 

[Frank Hättich]

Some days ago my female was so kind eventually to wear a full-fledged lateral spot.

 

[Bart Hazes]

Outstanding image quality and very cooperative model posing full-lateral with all fins nicely spread. You can't really argue with this species showing a flank spot then. What are the implications for relationships? Can the flank spot be the ancestral state and D50 being the most basal branch in the regani lineage, splitting off before the flank spot was lost, or not regani lineage after all. The bottom image also shows an interesting forward extension of the cheek stripe. I think I've seen that before but don't remember on what species.

 

[Shane Puthuparambil]

I see the cheek stripe in my Apistogramma Hongsloi female.

In the D50, there seems to be pronounce vertical barring as well. Never noticed it.

 

[gerald]

Sometimes phylogeny isn't a neatly branching tree. "Branches" can merge back together and then diverge again.