Apistogramma sp. Tame

[aquaticclarity]

Wild caught "group" imported last summer. I just added a bunch of oak leaves two weeks ago and was rewarded with one of the females bringing out a group of fry a few days ago! (I'm working on better pictures of the male but the brooding female chases him into hiding anytime he sticks his head out!)

 

[Mike Wise]

Hmm. I would expect to see a black marginal stripe above the red edge on the top and bottom of the caudal fin. It is a form/closely related species to A. hoignei after all. I'm not sure what you have.

 

[aquaticclarity]

Great. There seems to be a LOT of fish in Columbia that we just don't know about yet. I have 1 more group of Apistos from that order I need to get pictures of. They were listed as cf. viejita, which is worthless I understand. They are super shy so I'll have to find the time to hold an all day vigil to try and get some pictures.

 

[Mike Wise]

My informant told me that the fish were from the same general area as A. sp. Tame/A. (cf.) hoignei Río Arauca/A 117. The problem is that a macmasteri-like fish also occurs in the same general area.

 

[aquaticclarity]

Thanks Mike. What ever they are they sure are pretty. The female has a metallic sheen around her upper head area that I can't seem to pick up in pictures.

Can't wait for someone to tackle all of the "macmasteri" that are out there and break them into 5 or 6 different species. But it may never be safe enough to go and collect everything!

 

[Mike Wise]

The Tame region is still rife with drug production, but most of the area to the south is becoming more peaceful now that the FARC rebels and the Colombian government have entered peace talks. Time will tell.

 

[boofeng]

The fish above reached Singapore last month with the description, Apistogramma cf hoignei "Tame". Are they the same fish as in this thread? (Sorry for the poor pictures I just snapped some with my phone while passing by the shop.)

I'm also very befuddled by the whole macmasteri complex - so I've not ventured into keeping any of them at all (I suffer from liking to know what fish I'm keeping).

 

[Mike Wise]

No, not the same species as A. cf. hoignei (Arauca) = A. sp. Tame, etc. It appears to be a population of A. macmasteri, which is known to occur in the Río Tame, too. The true A. cf. hoignei (Arauca) shows a black edge above the red streaks in the caudal fin. These fish do not.

I understand you feeling about the macmasteri-complex. Until very recently it wasn't safe even for native collectors to collect in some areas of Colombia. Now that the area is more peaceful we are seeing more fish from the area - some known, but many are new. I think things will become even more complicated for a while.

 

[boofeng]

No, not the same species as A. cf. hoignei (Arauca) = A. sp. Tame, etc. It appears to be a population of A. macmasteri, which is known to occur in the Río Tame, too. The true A. cf. hoignei (Arauca) shows a black edge above the red streaks in the caudal fin. These fish do not.

Thanks for the ID, Mike!

I understand you feeling about the macmasteri-complex. Until very recently it wasn't safe even for native collectors to collect in some areas of Colombia. Now that the area is more peaceful we are seeing more fish from the area - some known, but many are new. I think things will become even more complicated for a while.

Wah, so exciting! Looking forward to seeing all these new fish. I'll stay off them for longer though, unless some really spectacular looking fish come in (not holding my breath, though).

 

[Tom C]

Well

...Looking forward to seeing all these new fish...

Well, I show several of them in Apisto News at my site

 

[boofeng]

Well


Well, I show several of them in Apisto News at my site

That's fascinating, Tom, especially all the bitaeniata types - I wish we imported more of these fish. Maybe I will go on a trip to Hong Kong or Japan and find some. So glad someone is documenting all these!

 

[Fikret Celik]

Thank you, Tom. Especially Apistogramma cf. Megaptera/Piaroa very beautiful. Is this the kind of sales you got? Are they being sent to Europe?

 

[Tom C]

... Especially Apistogramma cf. Megaptera/Piaroa very beautiful. Is this the kind of sales you got?...

The fishes from Autana, Venezuela? A friend of mine collected them (in Venezuela), brought them home to Norway, and gave them to me...
But there shouldn't be any problems to get/order A. piaroa from Colombia.