Live from the Amazon jungle: First catches in 2010

[animalmgc]

biting flies

man I know your pain.One year I happened in the everglades during rainy season and the mosquitoes were herendous.In the morning you could scoop coffee cans full from the showers.One nite a raccoon tore a hole in the side of our tent needless to say not alot of sleep that nite.We were pretty much depending on our bikes we had boxed up and Greyhound so ecscape was not an option,It sounds like you're having a good time though as we did at the time collecting different species of butterflies

 

[Tom C]

As you folks can see from the pics i look a little bit wet....so i favour a net....

Do you mean when you stumbled and fell into the water with a net in your hand? :biggrin:

 

[slimbolen99]

Thank you so much for taking the time to document your trip(s) here. I truly enjoy your chronicles.

Brian

 

[Tom C]

Finally, a little challenge for you. What species do you think this is ?

(No, it's not A. cf. eunotus, nor A. sp. Masken, nor A. sp. Schwarzbrust)

Nobody wants to try?

Looking at the map, and showing what's inside the red square:

We have this:

The area marked red is where the fish was collected

In other words; the fish is found in Peru, in southern (right) tributaries to the Rio Amazonas, between Pebas in Peru and Leticia in Colombia, in the area between San Pablo de Loreto and Mayoruna.

Here is the female (yes I know, she doesn't show many black markings here!)

 

[Erik82]

First guess would be cf eunotus, but it is not that one like you said. Maybe sp winkelfleck? Though i can't see the dark vertical bars on the flank of the fish.

 

[bourdinite]

apistogramma sp christoffersenae or apistoramma sp coolbreeze lol

seriously, I don't know

 

[Mike Wise]

A new regani-complex form/species is my guess. For now I'd call it A. cf. sp. Masken (Mayoruna), or something like that. It fits in nicely with A. sp. Masken around Iquitos, Peru and the A. cf. sp. Masken (Juruá) that Heiko Bleher found near Eirunepé, Brazil on the middle Rio Juruá.

Have a safe trip home along with your fish, of course!

 

[Tom C]

.... Maybe sp winkelfleck? Though i can't see the dark vertical bars on the flank of the fish.

A new regani-complex form/species is my guess.

Nice one, Erik! Now you can see the vertical bars :wink:

What about the dark form of A. sp. "Winkelfleck" (A 45 ), Mike?

 

[Erik82]

Aaaah that picture makes it a lot easier

It is really a beautiful colored fish!

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, I agree, a Winkelfleck form; probably the same as the dark form. It really helps to see multiple photos for a good ID.

 

[Tom C]

These were collected in the Rio Pucacuro drainage, a northern (left) tributary of Rio Tigre, quite a few hours upstreams of Intuto.

I have no idea what they are (I see some similarities within the Regani-group, of course)

These pictures, photographed in situ, are so far the only ones I have of them.
Will take more as soon as they have settled down properly.

 

[jose_vogel]

A. sp. "Masken" ?

 

[Mike Wise]

I think that Jose is correct. They have the dark markings of A. sp. Masken, but not the red head markings. They could possibly be the same population as Römer's "A. sp. Peru-regani", which I believe is only a less colorful form of A. sp. Masken. Let us wait for better photos to be certain.

 

[Microman]

Both Tom and i thought these might have been a less colourful population of A.sp.Masken but when you see them in the flesh theres something slightly different about them.
I dont have these fish to look at now but i cannot remember seeing the highly irridescent rows of scales above the lateral line as in Romers "Peru Regani" males.
If they are the said fish i will rue not taking some home with me but your boxes can only hold so much.
Will be very interesting to see more if Tom is able to put pics up when they settle.
Mark....

 

[Tom C]

I think that Jose is correct. They have the dark markings of A. sp. Masken, but not the red head markings. They could possibly be the same population as Römer's "A. sp. Peru-regani", which I believe is only a less colorful form of A. sp. Masken. Let us wait for better photos to be certain.

Yes, A. sp. "Masken" was our first guess, too. But the habitat is quite far away from where this species has been found earlier.

Do you think that the distribution of this species could follow the northern shores of the Acre-system, 7-11 mill. years ago, Mike?

Source: "Amazonaia: Landscape and species evolution. A look into the past" (C. Horn and F.P. Wesselingh)
http://www.wiley.com/go/hoorn/amazonia

 

[Mike Wise]

It is hard to say when or how the regani-complex entered the western Amazon Basin. Together with the cruzi-subcomplex, they seem to have appeared on the Napo megafan fairly early, probably even before it formed. If A. acrensis is a regani-complex species (I think it is), then it and A. cf. sp. Masken (Juruá) indicate an early migration along the southern part of the paleo-Amazon-0rinoco system. Right now I believe they arrived together with the eunotus-complex and nijsseni-group (don't know where the nijsseni-group originated!) as early as 14 million years ago (early Miocene Epoch).

This is all probably 'Greek' to everyone but Tom and I, unless you've read the book "Amazonia: Landscape and species evolution -A look into the past".

 

[Tom C]

......Right now I believe they arrived together with the eunotus-complex and nijsseni-group (don't know where the nijsseni-group originated!) as early as 14 million years ago (early Miocene Epoch).......

Wow - that early!
Then we are talking about an epoch where the Pebas-system was dominating the Amazonia:

Source: "Amazonaia: Landscape and species evolution. A look into the past" (C. Horn and F.P. Wesselingh)
http://www.wiley.com/go/hoorn/amazonia


A couple of pictures today from the A. sp. "Masken"-like Rio Tigre fish:

 

[bigbird]

Hi Tom,

Very nice and as usual very jealous...enjoy and thanks for sharing..cheers jk

 

[Mike Wise]

Tom, I think that it is possibly that early. Also note that the (Lago) Pebas system most likely wasn't an open body of water. It was more likely similar to the Everglades of Florida - a large swamp with water channels running through it.

Based on the new photos, the fish looks like a population of A. sp. Masken to me. The caudal spot seems slightly smaller than that on the Río Nanay form however.

 

[Tom C]

Yes, and considering that the water in the Pebas system drained out in the sea at the (northern) top of the continent AND at the west coast, the system was obviously quite different from what we know today.

I agree with your ID, Mike.

This is a normal A. sp. "Masken", collected in the Rio Nanay drainage (30 km east of Nauta) in October 2010 .

Compared to this one; the "new" Rio Tigre population's blue spots in the face are different, and the caudal spot seems to be both smaller AND slightly different in shape.
I really look forward to see what they will look like when reaching adult size.

Should we just call the new population A. sp. "Masken" (Rio Tigre), or should we add a "cf." ?
Anyway, let's hope these two populations never get mixed.
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