Apistogramma pulchra & co.

[HaakonH]

I'm currently trying to learn how to separate some of the similar Apistogrammas in the group containing pulchra. There's a lot of misleading info out there, and I don't think the apparent misidentification made by Römer in his Vol.1 made it much easier for people...

I recently developed a growing interest for the very nice A.sp."Blauspiegel", this was what set me off trying to find the traits that separate the similar forms.

Hopefully we can get some correct and helpful info added to this thread on how to identify the species/forms belonging in this group of what can be loosely described as "round-tailed agassiziis". I'm under the impression we are dealing with the following forms (but would be glad for additions I have overlooked).

PLEASE correct any wrong information I may have added, as the goal of this thread is to eliminate such misidentifications and try to add the right traits:

A.sp."Blauspiegel"
- originates from middle Rio Xingu/Rio Iriri. Has a "zigzag" lateral band, which in high aggression mode runs from the caudal to about the middle of the flank where it ends (a unique feature?), and each scale has a metallic blue sheen giving the fish it's name ("Blauspiegel" is German for "Bluemirror"/"Bluereflection"/"Bluespangle"...you get the idea). These are slightly more high-bodied than A.pulchra, and males develop a slightly spade-shaped caudal fin which has a yellow/red egde.

A.sp."Vitoria do Xingu"
- originates from Rio Xingu. Has a broader lateral band than A.sp."Blauspiegel" and different tail pattern.

A.sp."Aripuana"
- originates from Rio Aripuana. "Zigzag" lateral band, round caudal with multiple light spots. May be identical to A.sp."Branco Pulchra"(?), but is found in an area far away from them.

A.sp."Branco Pulchra"
- originates from Rio Branco. Has a different bodyheight than A.pulchra, but it seems unclear which is the one with a more slender/lower body...Caudal fin is round with a yellow/orange edge.

A.pulchra
- originates from Rio Preto (Madeira) and Rio Xingu (unless this info refers to A.sp."Blauspiegel" or A. sp. "Vitoria do Xingu"?). Caudal fin is rounded and can be all red, with a dark edge.

A.sp."Chingarno"
- I can only find some info about these at Japanese websites. They do look abit different from the other forms, dorsal fin has a different colour and the black markings on the flanks seem a bit different too. Tail is round and has light blue spots.

A.sp."Abacaxis" (A.sp."Wilhelmi")
- originates from Rio Abacaxis. Has a very broad dark lateral band. Has a unique darkly marked throat area which makes it easy to ID. Round caudal fin with a (usually) yellow/black edge.


Haakon

 

[Mike Wise]

This is an interesting question, one that I doubt can be answered fully at this time. Nevertheless, this is my opinion, others might have different opinions.

The agassizii-group can be separated into 2 complexes. The species of pulchra-complex show a north-south distribution along the Rio Negro and Rio Madeira systems of Brazil. It probably represents the more primitive (ancestral) forms of the species-group. There really are few features that separate the pulchra-complex from the agassizii-complex. The most noticable features are that species of the pulchra-complex possess a round caudal fin and the lateral band is slightly narrower. Species of the agassizii-complex show a more east-west pattern of distribution along the Amazon (and the lower reaches of its tributaries) from Peru to the Atlantic coast. The species of the agassizii-complex possess caudal fins with slightly-to-highly elongated middle rays that form a spade/lance-like fin and the lateral band is quite wide. Of the species listed in the original post, all are members of the pulchra-complex except A. sp. Blauspiegel and A. sp. Vitoria do Xingu. These 2 forms are members of the agassizii-complex. Now let's look at the different forms.

According to Miller & Schliewen (2005), A. sp. Blauspeigel and A. sp. Vitoria do Xingu are genetically identical. Thus, they are the same species. They appear as 2 distinct populations separated by major rapids on the Rio Xingu, below Altamira, Brazil. They can be separated by the appearance of the lateral band and, to a lesser extent, by the pattern in the caudal fin. A. sp. Blauspiegel usually shows rather narrow lateral band, but it can be fairly wide at times, depending on the specimen and its mood. The lateral band usually appears to end in front of a broad caudal spot that extends into the caudal fin. A. sp. Vitoria do Xingu (I never owned a specimen) apparently always shows a broad lateral band that expands in the posterior caudal peduncle where if forms an even wider blotch at the root of the tail. There is no separate caudal spot. The caudal fin pattern of A. sp. Blauspiegel show spots throughout most of the fin with a black margin and either a narrow white or broad red/orange submarginal band. The caudal fin pattern of A. sp. Vitoria do Xingu is similar to that of A. sp. Blauspiegl except that the rows of spots are restricted to the middle part of the tail.

A. pulchra, A. cf. pulchra “Aripuanã”, and A. cf. pulchra “Chingarno”, in my opinion are populations of the same species - A. pulchra. Other names used for this species include A. sp. "Mikschofsky", A. sp. "Aripuanã", A. sp. "Chingarno" and "A. sp. New Chingarno". A. pulchra shows a variable caudal fin pattern in the type locality. The holotype shows a caudal that is regularly cross-striped throughout the fin, with a dark outer marginal band. Some of the paratypes from the same area only show cross-stripes in the central part of the caudal fin, with a broad red/orange outer margin. A. cf. pulchra “Chingarno”, A. sp. "Chingarno" and "A. sp. New Chingarno" appear to be the same form or, at most, only color morphs of the same form of A. pulchra. The dark markings are nearly identical to some specimens of A. pulchra. The caudal fin is cross-striped throughout the entire caudal fin with a dark outer margin. The rows of spots in the central section of the fin, however, are slightly offset from those on the rest of the fin. A. cf. pulchra "Aripuanã" (= A. sp. "Aripuanã") are just names for the same form/population. This form possesses many more and narrower rows of spot over the entire caudal fin.

A. sp. "Branco" (= A. sp. "Branco-Pulchra" and A. cf. pulchra (Branco)) and A. cf. sp. Branco (Uautumã) (= A. cf. pulchra (Uautumã) and A. sp. "Deep Red") are most likely populations of the same species. In many respects, there is little difference between A. pulchra and A. sp. "Branco". The major difference is in the black margin of the flank scales. On A. pulchra, the scales show dark pigment on both the front and back of each scale. On A. sp. "Branco" the dark pigment only occurs on the posterior edge of each scale. Instead of showing a cross-hatch or narrow rows of diagonal lines on the flanks seen on A. pulchra, the flanks of A. sp. "Branco" show dark curved 'scallops'.

A. sp. "Abacaxis" (= A. sp. "Wilhelmi", A. cf. pulchra (Abacaxis)) and A. cf. sp. "Abacaxis (Marimari)" (= A. cf. pulchra (Marimari)) are probably populations of the same species. The pattern of the caudal fin is the major difference between the 2 forms. A. sp. "Abacaxis" shows only a few (2-4) rows of spots in the middle of the caudal. A. cf. sp. "Abacaxis (Marimari)" shows broader rows of spots throughout the caudal fin.

 

[HaakonH]

Mike, what a great and clarifying answer! So to sum it up we are basically dealing with what appears to be 4 species, occuring in a few different forms:

1) A.sp."Blauspiegel"/sp."Vitoria do Xingu"

2) A.pulchra/sp."Aripuanã"/cf. pulchra “Aripuanã”/sp."Chingarno"/cf. pulchra “Chingarno”/sp."New Chingarno"/sp"Mikschofsky"

3) A.sp."Branco"/sp."Branco-Pulchra"/cf.sp."Branco"(Uautumã)/cf.pulchra (Uautumã)/sp."Deep Red"

4) A.sp."Abacaxis"/sp."Wilhelmi"/cf.pulchra(Abacaxis)/cf.sp."Abacaxis"(Marimari)/cf.pulchra(Marimari)

I still wonder though; is there a difference in bodyshape and dorsal fin size between A.pulchra and A.sp."Branco"?
And is there a variety of A.pulchra found in Rio Xingu, or does this information likely refer to A.sp."Blauspiegel"/"Vitoria do Xingu"?

Haakon

 

[Mike Wise]

Haakon, A. sp. Branco is very sligthly more slender than the typical A. pulchra. The body shape of both A. sp. Branco and A. pulchra are within a similar range; more slender A. pulchra are identical in shape with more robust A. sp. Branco. The major difference between the 2 forms - besides distribution - is the pattern of markings on the body of the fish. As far as I know, there is no pulchra-complex species found in the Rio Xingu. I believe that the Pulchra-Xingu form refers to A. sp. Blauspiegel. This fish was originally sold commerically as A. gephyra Red-fin Rio Xingu. Due to its round caudal fin when young, many thought that it was a pulchra form. Even I originally had it placed in the pulchra-complex.