link to A. sp. Gigas pic

[tjudy]

http://silurus.acnatsci.org/ACSI/field/Pipe_Expedition/other fishes 2.html

 

[Richgrenfell]

Just saw that at another site, came here to see if it was posted. Anyone have a line as to when or if they will make the states? The just went onto my "must have" list!

 

[Mike Wise]

I have seen photos of the fish presently being sold as GIGAS II. The fish that were sold in Asia and by Aquarium Glaser are NOT the same as the fish labeled "A. sp. Gigas" in the above link. They actually are the same as the fish labeled "A. sp. Rio Teles Peres - AKA A. sp. Peixoto/Serpa A39. I, too, would love to see the original GIGAS fish. I personally am not certain that it is an apisto species!

 

[Richgrenfell]

Even if they turn out not to be apistos....I want some!

 

[tjudy]

Mike... the second of the two images labeled that name looks like a female apisto to me. The top image is so totally weird that I also questioned its ID as Apistogramma. The body shape is very odd. HUGE head and a very small jaw. It is hardly recognizable as a cichlid.

 

[Mike Wise]

I agree that the female shows affinities to Apistogramma, but the vertical bars, among other things, don't seem quite right. These bars have highly irregular borders, atypical for apistos. The only apisto that I recall with even vaguely wavy vertical bars is one that I keep now - A. sp. Nadelstreifen/Needle-/Pin-stripes. Based on size, markings, and location, I have my suspicions about what GIGAS represents, but am waiting to see photos of this fish in a more natural setting/aquarium.

 

[briztoon]

Come on Mike, please share your suspicions with the rest of us.

 

[tjudy]

I have spoken with Nathan Lujon, the ichtyologist I know who was on that expedition, and he said that the Brazillian scientists kept the 'giga' specimens to work on... so it will be a while before we know much about them.

 

[Apistomaster]

The "Gigas" Apistogramma does look suspiciously unlike any Apistogramma I am familiar with in their morphology from what can be divined from a small photo but the link was great. What a weird Apteronotus Different looking Ghost knife species and some other rather interesting Gymnotids.
The Rivulus was different from so many which are rather plain although their are some very colorful exceptions.