Any locations in Paraguay ?

[AquaAlbatros]

I friend of mine is heading to a week stay in paraguay, he is going to collect native aquatic plants, but has no problems to search apistos :tongue:
Any locations ?, kowolsky book has no good data.-
Thanks
Juan

 

[Mike Wise]

The only apisto species that he will probably find are A. borellii & A. trifasciata. Both are found in most suitable habitats.

 

[AquaAlbatros]

Thank's !
My collecting experience is very small, but he must search in the banks of large ponds with heavy loads of floting aquatic plants, isn´t ?
I found all my apistos in this type of ponds (or small lagoons, i don´t know the exact english term, "lagunita" "charco" in spanish).
Never had luck in open water rivers.
In your experience, wich country is better for an apisto collecting trip, Bolivia or Paraguay ?, i know that brazil is just by the corner, but the paperwork to get the fishes out of the country is harder if you are not in a scientific expedition or in a trip organized by some local people.
Thank´s again,
Juan

 

[Mike Wise]

My collecting experience is very small, but he must search in the banks of large ponds with heavy loads of floting aquatic plants, isn´t ?
I found all my apistos in this type of ponds (or small lagoons, i don´t know the exact english term, "lagunita" "charco" in spanish).
Never had luck in open water rivers.

Yes, very few apistos live in open waters.

In your experience, wich country is better for an apisto collecting trip, Bolivia or Paraguay ?, i know that brazil is just by the corner, but the paperwork to get the fishes out of the country is harder if you are not in a scientific expedition or in a trip organized by some local people.

Bolivia has more species. They are divided into 2 different regions. A. commbrae, A. inconspicua & cf. inconspicua/similis, A. trifasciata (Guaporé) & A. t. maciliensis, A. sp. Mamoré (Guaporé), A. cf. staecki (Guaporé) are found in the eastern region (east of the Rio Mamoré) closest to Paraguay. A. similis, A. cf. resticulosa (Aruã), A. rubrolineata, A. sp. Mamoré, A. staecki, A. luelingi are found in the Beni & Madre de Dios systems of northwestern Bolivia.

The problems with exports from Brazil seems to be for 2 reasons This is what a Brazilian friend told me.:

1: Non-Brazilian collectors have ignored Brazil's laws too many times. Brazilians (rightfully) are a proud people & do not like what happened in the past.

(and probably the most important)

2: Brazil has plans to turn most of the tributaries of the lower Amazon into hydroelectric power plants. This means flooding many of the channels of these rivers. This will destroy major fish habitats & the fish that live in them. Brazil is systematically trying to drive Brazilian commercial fish collectors out of business by restricting the species that they can export. The government has also listed some popular aquarium fish as extinct (e.g. the Zebra Pleco), although they are not. They blame over-fishing by commercial collectors for their extinction. In doing this, they restrict collecting and interest in the fish of the region. This makes many environmental organizations, which are against commercial fishing, happy. If the government destroys the commercial ornamental fish industry, there will be no organized opposition to their plans to flood the lower Amazon.

 

[AquaAlbatros]

Wow. Itapu River dam is a huge one. But your are right, brazil is an energy limited country, they often buys electricity from argentina. It's weird, in my experience, there is no more nature conservation aware people than the brazilians (in latinoamerica).In fact, it's a country who reduced they dependece on foreign oil in 50 % in 20 years. But in the process they burn a lot of virgin lands to cultivate the sugar cane needed to make ethanol.
Well, thank's for the information, now bolivia is in my plans
Greetings,
Juan

 

[bussardnr]

mike do you have anymore info on the brazil thing?

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, I have maps of proposed impoundments (dams), information on protest movements by the (mostly) poor Brazilian farmers that will be affected, etc., but I have too much on my plate to pull it all together right now (I will be speaking at the San Francisco Aquarium Society this Friday). Give me some time.