Venezuela

Abramites spp. are separated from other anostomids primarily on the basis of their relatively deeper bodies and presence of a prominent, post-pelvic median keel, a feature unique to the genus. At time of writing A. eques is the only other species recognised and is native to the Río Magdalena drainage in western Colombia. It can be distinguished by possession of 13-14 bra...

Despite its patent unsuitability as an aquarium subject attractively-coloured juvenile specimens of this species are traded in quite large numbers, although the scarcity of privately-maintained adults would suggest that most fail to reach their potential. The striking, spotted patterning also disappears as this species matures, and since it also becomes increasingly bellligerent with age it can only be recommended to owners of the largest private aquaria or tropical ponds. There exists an albino...

The vernacular name of this fish is derived from its appearance and behaviour, rather than a genetic association with the marine barracuda, and it's also sometimes referred to as 'pike characin' or 'spotted cachorro' with local vernacular names including 'Grand dent-chien' (French Guiana), ' Cachorrinho' or 'Ueua' (Brazil). Although most species of Acestrorhynchus appear superficially similar to one another most exhibit distinguishable external chara...

This species is a member of the putative A. nasutus group of closely-related species within the genus alongside A. nasutus, A. maculipinna and A. isalineae. These are characterised by possession of two dark, longitudinal stripes, one running from the tip of the snout to the base and the other from the posterior edge of the lower maxilla to the underside of the caudal peduncle.

An obligate piscivore capable of consuming quite large prey in relation to its body size although it tends to focus on smaller prey such as tetras and related species. Newly-imported specimens may refuse to accept anything but live fishes although most can be weaned onto dead alternatives once they recognise them as edible, and some even learn to accept dried foods.

The genus Ageneiosus was at one point classified in the family Ageneiosidae alongside the genus Tetranematichthys, but this was not accepted by all authors. The grouping remains poorly-studied with the last major revision having been conducted by Watson (1990) in his unpublished dissertation, in which A. inermis was included under the currently synonymous name A. brevifilis. It can be separated from the majority of the genus (except A. marmoratus) by possession of a truncate caudal fin, and from...

This species may also be seen on sale as 'Guyana slopehead catfish' 'dolphin catfish' or 'hammerhead catfish'. The attractive juvenile patterning is largely lost as the fish grow but this nevertheless remains an impressive predatory species for the larger aquarium. The genus Ageneiosus was at one point classified in the family Ageneiosidae alongside the genus Tetranematichthys, but this was not accepted by all...

Apparently this species is polymorphic with body patterning varying significantly depending on locality. Individuals collected from black water habitats tend to be noticeably darker in overall colouration, for example, with this being particularly evident among populations from the Guiana Shield. The genus Ageneiosus was at one point classified in...

The eye of Anableps species is split horizontally by a band of epithelial tissue. It has two corneas, two pupils, a single, egg-shaped lens and one retina that's also split into two sections. The lens is oval and asymmetric with the upper part flattened as in the human eye and the lower section curved as in most other fishes. The upper cornea is thicker and enriched with glycogen which possibly helps to protect it from drying and UV irradiation. Two horizontal flaps of the iris are thought ...

A biotope-style set-up could consist of a sandy substrate, piles of smooth rocks and driftwood roots and branches, some of which should penetrate the water surface. Aquatic vegetation can be included if you wish but is likely to be eaten.

This species is widely-distributed in the Río Orinoco system in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela plus coastal drainages in Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana including the Essequibo and Mazaruni. Type locality is 'Palital, Estado Guárico, Venezuela' which appears to correspond to a wetland called Esteros de Palital in the Aguaro-Guariquito National Park of Guárico state, northern Venezuela.

The genus Apistogramma is among the most speciose of South American cichlid genera with around 70 species valid at present but many more awaiting description. In addition many species exist in two or more geographical colour forms which may or may not turn out to be distinct in the future. Hobbyists tend to label these with collection data if available in order to avoid mixing them and the potential of hybridisation. Member species have also been organised into a series of species lineages, sublineages, complexes and groups by authors in order to better separate them.

The genus Apistogramma is among the most speciose of South American cichlid genera with around 70 species valid at present but many more awaiting description. In addition many species exist in two or more geographical colour forms which may or may not turn out to be distinct in the future. Hobbyists tend to label these with collection data if available in order to avoid mixing them and the potential of hybridisation.

The German term 'breitbinden' translates literally as "broad-banded" and refers to the uniformly broad suborbital stripe seen in males of this 'species' which remains undescribed despite being known in the aquarium hobby for several decades. It's often imported as bycatch among shipments of wild-collected A. iniridae. Some of the populations have also been assigned th...

An obligate predator by nature, but captive specimens readily accept strips of white fish, whole shrimp, earthworms, and similar once they are recognised as food. Adult individuals are unlikely to require feeding on a daily basis with 1-2 meals per week sufficient.

This species is also referred to as 'velvet cichlid', 'red oscar', 'tiger oscar', or 'marble cichlid'. It is a popular aquarium fish although its adult size and typical life-span of 10-20 years must be taken into account before purchase. Numerous ornamental strains are now available, and while care is more-or-less identical for all of them a degree of additional care must be taken with the 'long-finned' variety which is a little less competitive than other forms.

A. bimaculatus is not a popular aquarium fish but is available on occasion exception, most often as a contaminant among shipments of other species. It's identity is also in question to an extent with the name currently applied to what is considered to represent a species complex comprising at least four taxa.

Prior to description this species was traded under the DATZ code L239. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus and other hypostomines (see below for definition of this grouping) by its uniformly black to brownish body and fin colouration with a turquoise to bluish sheen, and the acutely bent shape of midventral body plates 3-5 which form a distinctive keel running along the body, above the pectoral fins...

This species is very similar to Hemiancistrus subviridis in appearance and the two occur sympatrically in nature, although B. demantoides is less common in the aquarium trade. Both have been marketed under the DATZ code L200 with B. demantoides sometimes referred to as 'L200 high-fin' or 'L200a', the former name in reference to its comparatively long dorsal-fin spine (average length in the type series 42.1 mm vs. 34.3 mm in H. subviridis).

Populations known in the aquarium trade include 'Cuao', 'Orinoco', 'San Antonio', and 'Sipapo Ventuari'. B. wavrini and its congener B. cupido can be separated by body shape and position of the dark blotch on the posterior portion of the flank. In B. cupido the body is relatively compact and the blotch located above the upper lateral line, whereas in B. wavrini the body is noticeably elongate and the blotch on or below the upper lateral line.

Boulengerella differs from Ctenolucia, the only other genus currently contained in the family Ctenolucidae, by a series of derived features including possession of 87-124 (vs. 45-50) lateral line scales, presence of a strongly (vs. weakly) developed fleshy appendage at the tip of the snout and absence (vs. presence) of fleshy flaps on the lower jaw. Within the order Characiformes the family Ctenoluciidae is also distinguished by a set o...

Both species also possesses a broader dark midlateral stripe on the body which tends to be more well-defined in B. lateristriga than in B. maculata. Colour pattern in B. maculata varies considerably with some specimens noticeably paler than others, for example, and the the broad midlateral stripe usually less intense in such individuals. This does not app...

The genus Brachychalcinus currently contains four other species: B. copei (Steindachner 1882) from the rio Madeira and rio Solimões; B. nummus Böhlke 1958 from the Upper Amazon region in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru; B. parnaibae Reis 1989 from the rio Parnaíba basin, and B. retrospina Boulenger 1892 from the Rio Paraguay system. The group is often referred to collectively as 'silver dollar tetras' and tho...

Gasteropelecids are commonly-referred to as 'freshwater hatchetfishes' due to their heavily-keeled body shape which has evolved in such a way due to possessing an enlarged, heavily-muscled pectoral girdle, and which resembles the shape of a hatchet head. They are sometimes said to be capable of propelled flight above the water surface by beating their pectoral fins but in fact this is not the case and was disproven by Wiest (1995) who used...

C. strigata is an enduringly popular species in the aquarium hobby but is not bred on a commercial basis with all fish offered for sale collected in the wild. It can be told apart from other members of the genus by its larger adult size and dark, marbled colour pattern appearing as a series of dark and light stripes running diagonally across the body below the lateral line. This colour pattern is variable and popul...

Omnivorous and will accept most foods offered, with the stomach contents of wild specimens varying on a seasonal basis but mostly comprising insects and insect larvae (orders Trichoptera, Hemiptera, Homoptera) plus some terrestrial fruits and even scales of other fishes (Sánchez et al., 2003). In the aquarium offer live Daphnia, Artemia, Moina, bloodowrm, etc., vegetable matter in the form of blanched spinach, lettuce, cucumber, fruit, algae wafers, etc., and good quality, sinking dried foods.

This species can be told apart from relatives by the characteristic 'keyhole' shaped marking on each side of the body. It's one of few fishes in which the current generic name is derived from the common name popularised in the aquarium hobby with 'Cleithracara' a combination of the Greek kleithron, meaning lock, and, acará, the Guaraní word for cichlids.

This species is also referred to as 'South American puffer', 'SAP', 'Amazonian puffer', 'Peruvian puffer', or 'Brazilian puffer' in the ornamental trade. Within the genus Colomesus, C. asellus can be immediately identified by possessing a unique transverse row of dermal flaps across the chin which is absent in its congeners C. psittacus and C. tocantinensis.

Although it does penetrate the lower basins of rivers, particularly the Amazon where it has been collected from the rio Xingu several hundred kilometres from its mouth, this species is predominantly an inhabitant of mangrove swamps, estuaries, and other such saline habitats. It is particularly common in tidal channels, shallow inshore lagoons, and the lower reaches of rivers.

This species does appear in the aquarium trade from time-to-time, often among shipments of other wild-caught fishes from the Orinoco basin. Populations from Colombia were formerly referred to as C. metae until Zarske (2011) synonymised the two when designating a lectoty...

This species has been widely referred to as the congener C. nattereri in aquarium literature both prior to and post-publication of its official description in 2006. The two can be told apart quite easily by the fact that C. nattereri possesses a dark lateral stripe while C. meinkeni does not. C. meinkeni can be distinguished from all congeners by the followi...

Despite the ubiquity of its name in aquarium literature, confusion surrounds its true identity. Given it's the only member of the genus occurring on the island, fish from Trinidad do presumably represent C. aeneus (see our image), but the classification of those from other localities appears far from certain. Today the species is accepted to occur throughout much of South America, and indeed similarly-patterned fish do occur across a large portion of the continent. Some of these, such as the gree...

This species can be told apart from congeners by its uniformly greyish colour pattern, deep body (fitting 2.1-2.4 times in standard length), large eye (3.2-4.0 times in head length), having the pectoral fins completely surrounded by the coracoid, and relatively long dorsal-fin spine (1.1-1.2 times in head length).

The majority of records derive from the Río Apure watershed in southwestern Venezuela, where C. habrosus has been collected in the states of Portuguesa, Cojedes, Barinas, Guárico, and Apure. Its distribution in Colombia is less clear but it is known with certainty from the Río Arauca and Río Casanare, the latter a tributary of the lower Río Meta, and it makes sense that it should also be found in other left bank Orinoco affluents between the Meta and Apure, which include the ríos Cinaruco and Capanaparo.

Endemic to the upper rio Negro basin in Amazonas state, northern Brazil, and Amazonas state, southern Venezuela. One specific locality is Igarapé Muiá (00°09'03"N 66°48'10"W). Type locality is 'Upper Rio Negro, eastern Amazonas, Brazil', which is thought to refer to forest brooks crossing the "new army road", north of São Gabriel da Cachoeira municipality.

This species is currently the only described member of its genus although colour pattern and morphology vary considerably across its range. You may see reference to this species being the only fish species to possess infra-red vision, but other species also possess this ability and we suspect that infra-red plays an important role in the reproductive cycle of many fishes.

C. hujeta is traded under various names including 'slant-nosed gar', 'hujeta gar', 'rocket gar' and 'freshwater barracuda' but it and other members of the family Ctenoluciidae have traditionally been referred to as 'pike characids'. They're all predatory fishes native to South America, included in the order Characiformes and currently spread across two genera; Ctenolucius with two species and Boulengerella with five. The two genera are ...

This species is rare in the aquarium trade but is arguably more suitable for the home aquarium than some of its better-known relatives given its adult size and relatively docile behaviour. Other vernacular names include 'Dientón' (Peru), 'Perrito' (Ecuador), 'Payara-chata' or 'Payarin' (Venezuela) and 'Icanga', 'Minguilista' or 'Peice-cachorro' (Brazil), some of which are also applied to related species.

Although often sold as the closely related F. acus (a species that is highly endangered and imported very rarely, if at all), F. vittata is the most common representative of the genus in hobbyists' tanks. The easiest way to distinguish the two is by comparing the shape of the rostrum, which is longer and more slender in vittata, although there are also differences in the arrangement of the ventral scutes. They are adapted for life among peripheral vegetation and tree roots along the edges o...

This species spends almost all of its time at or just below the water surface, although it will sometimes retreat into midwater if threatened or feeding. Like other freshwater hatchetfishes, it is renowned for its ability to leap from the water surface and glide for distances of several metres. This behaviour is used both to catch flying insects, and to escape potential predators.

It also occurs in the río Caura on the Guyana Shield plus the Ventauri and Mavaca drainages in the middle and upper Orinoco where it’s also known from some white water, referring to turbidity rather than turbulence, habitats. To the north its distribution appears limited by the Las Majaguas dam on the Río Cojedes, a tributary of the Apure where a probable introduced population inhabits the res...

This species is generally rare in the aquarium hobby though oddly appears to be one of the commoner species in Australia where it's often referred to by the vernacular name 'black-throated eartheater'. It's a member of the nominal G. surinamensis 'group' of closely-related species within the genus and can be identified by a combination of characters including: presence of dark preopercular markings; no vertical bars on the flanks even when stressed/preserved; base of filaments on the first gill arch mostly covered by a flap of skin; exposed part of bra...

It's a member of the nominal G. surinamensis 'group' of closely-related species within the genus and can be identified by a combination of characters including: presence of dark preopercular markings; seven parallel vertical bars on each flank (normally visible only when the fish are stressed, spawning or preserved); vertical bars four and five meet in such a way that they form a 'Y' shape; dark lateral spot positioned within the third vertical bar; caudal fin reddish with variable pattern of iridescent blue spots and stripes.

This species lends its name to the 'G.' steindachneri, an assemblage of closely-related species with unresolved generic placement which currently also includes 'G.' crassilabris and 'G.' pellegrini. It exists in a number of colour forms which vary with locality, some of which may eventually be described as separate taxa. Some of these may appear on trade lists under the synonym Geophagus hondae.

This species is relatively rare in the hobby but sometimes available from specialist retailers or private breeders. Though described in 1992 it was first collected much earlier and has been in the hobby since the late 1970s, being known as 'Wangenstrich-Erdfresser' (cheek-stripe eartheater) in Germany. It's one of just five Geophagus species not to be included in the nominal G. surinamensis 'group' of closely-related species within the genus along with G. argyrostictus, G. gottwaldi, G. grammepareius and G. harreri.

This species is rare in the hobby although other species are sometimes sold under the name. It's a member of the nominal G. surinamensis 'group' of closely-related species within the genus and can be identified by a combination of characters including: possession of dark preopercular marking; four parallel, ventrally-inclined bars on each flank (normally visible only when the fish are stressed, spawning or preserved); dark lateral spot positioned within the second vertical bar; caudal fin red with variable pattern of large, iridescent blue to white spo...

H. inspector can be told apart from other described species in the genus by the following combination of characters: colour pattern comprising brown to black base with large whitish to yellow spots; adpressed dorsal-fin not reaching the adipose-fin spine; spots on head much smaller than on rest of body; spots in the upper caudal-fin lobe combining to form bands in adults; 24 plates in the mid-ventral series.

A beautiful species that's not often seen for sale in the hobby, and is usually a little more expensive than other tetras when available. This is mainly due to the wild caught nature of most specimens entering the trade. It can be a little delicate when initially imported, and is sensitive to deteriorating water conditions in general. As a result, it's not a good choice for the beginner, and should only be added to well-matured tanks. As with the closely related Hemigrammus, the ta...

At least two colour forms have been traded, one of which is more intensely-coloured and has been referred to as H. sweglesi 'red' or 'rubra'. The bright red pigmentation is retained in long-term captive specimens, suggesting that it is not considered to be an artefact of diet, but we suspect it might reflect conditions at the collection locality with the reddest fish putatively inhabiting blackwater and plainer forms clearwater environments. Zarske (2014) found the two forms to be identical in terms of morphology an...

This species is known from the rio Negro within the Brazilan Amazon basin and upper Río Orinoco system in Venezuela. Type locality is 'Rio Adujá, Rio Itú, tributary of middle Rio Negro, Amazonia, Brazil'.

I. geisleri is typically exported for the aquarium trade alongside the similar-looking congener I. adujai (Géry, 1970) but can be identified by presence (vs. absence in I. adujai) of a black lateral stripe on the body beneath the red stripe, and possession of 20-25 (vs. 28-34) anal-fin rays.

Widely-distributed throughout the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo, and Tocantins river systems in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guyana. Type locality is 'Rio Cupai [= Rio Cupari], Rio Tapajós basin, Amazon River drainage, Pará State, Brazil'.

L. taeniata is the largest-growing and second most widely-distributed member of the genus although it's a rarely-seen in the aquarium trade. It can be distinguished from all congeners since it uniquely possesses 5 lateral scale rows between the lateral line and dorsal-fin origin (vs. 4 or 6–8 in the remaining species).

Type locality is given simply as 'Amazon River, Brazil' and according to current thinking this species has a huge natural range encompassing the Amazon River system in Brazil and Peru plus the Paraná-Paraguay drainage in southern Brazil and Paraguay and rio São Francisco basin in southern Brazil. Specimens in our images were collected fro...

Type locality is 'Tukeit, Guyana', and this species is known from various river drainages of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana including the Orinoco, Essequibo, and upper Courantyne (aka Corantijn) basins. Additional records exist from the upper Amazon basin in Guyana, these presumably corresponding to the Takutu river basin, itself part of the upper rio Branco.

Décor is relatively unimportant and maintenance simple provided sufficient space is available. A natural-style arr...

This species was previously referred to as M. thoracata, but that name is now applied to the species with a relatively short dorsal-fin spine which was formerly known as M. personata. M. picta can be told apart from M. thoracata by presence of a dark vertical bar in the caudal-fin, a comparatively longer dorsal-fin spine (52.0-64.0% vs. 32.0-48.0% of dorsal-fin base in specimens measur...

M. ramirezi is also known by the names 'Ramirez' dwarf cichlid' and 'butterfly cichlid' and is among the more popular dwarf cichlids in the aquarium hobby. As a result, it is produced on a commercial basis in huge numbers and a number of ornamental strains have been developed including 'gold', 'long-finned' (both blue and gold forms; also traded as 'lyre-tail', 'veil-tail' and 'hi-fin'), 'electric/neon blue', 'super neon blue gold' 'pearl/perlmutt' and 'balloon'.

This is the smallest member of the genus and rarely traded in numbers, though it's a relatively common contaminant among shipments of wild fishes from Manaus. Unlike other Nannostomus spp. it does not exhibit a specific colour pattern of spots or bars at night-time, rather displaying an overall paleness. The family Lebiasinidae is included in the order Characiformes and sometimes split into the nominal subfamilies Lebiasininae a...

This is the type species of the genus, fairly ubiquitous in the aquarium trade, and represents an excellent choice for the newcomer to fishkeeping since it's less demanding than most congeners. It's sometimes referred to as 'Beckford's pencil fish' or 'brown pencilfish'. Don't worry if your fish look different when you switch on the aquarium lights after dark or in the morning as like most Nannostomus species it assumes a cryptic, vertically-barred colour pattern at ni...

This species has been referred to the genera Poecilobrycon and Nannobrycon in the past and in the aquarium hobby is also known as 'rocket', 'brown', 'brown-tailed', 'diptail', or 'tubemouth' pencilfish.It's a popular aquarium fish and has an interesting oblique swimming-style, a behavioural trait shared only with N. unifasciatus among congeners. In the original description the colour pattern is given by Steindachner as a brown lateral stripe exte...

This species has been referred to the genera Poecilobrycon and Nannobrycon in the past and in the aquarium hobby is also known as 'oneline' or 'red fin' pencilfish. It's a popular aquarium fish and has an interesting oblique swimming-style, a behavioural trait shared only with N. eques among congeners. The most recent diagnosis of the species appears to be that giv...

It was initially going to be described as Hyphessobrycon cardinalis by Myers and Weitzman (1956) but just before this was due to be published Schultz presented an alternative description in the hobbyist magazine 'Tropical Fish Hobbyist' and named the fish after the publication's founder, Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod. A significant proportion of the fish available in the aquarium trade are still wild caught or derive from community-led breeding projects such as Project Piaba in the middle Negro region, where this sp...

For aquarists perhaps more useful are the subtle differences in colour pattern with P. simulans differing from both P. innesi and P. axelrodi in possessing a greener (vs. bluer) lateral stripe which covers more (vs. less) of the eye/head and extends to the caudal-fin base (vs. terminating anterior to caudal-fin base), a lesser (vs. greater) amount of relatively duller (vs. brighter) red pigmentation on the flanks. The taxonomic history of all three species is complicated with earlier authors such as Géry (1960, 1977) ten...

Known with certainty from tributaries of the middle Río Orinoco between the city of Puerto Ayacucho, Amazonas state, Venezuela and the lower Río Meta, Colombia. It may have a wider distribution within the Meta system since some reports suggest it to occur around Villavicencia, Colombia, some 600 km upriver.

Known only from parts of the Río Orinoco drainage in Amazonas state, southern Venezuela. Sometimes confused with Peckoltia lineola (Armbruster, 2008) alongside which it's often exported for the aquarium trade.

Quite widely distributed having been recorded from Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. It's been collected from the upper parts of several major river drainages including the Río Negro, Río Orinoco (including the Río Inírida and Casiquiare canal) and Río Solimões. The type series was collected from 'Igarapé Préto', Brazil, said to be 60 kilometres to the south of the Colombian border city Leticia. Populations from Colombia and Brazil tend to be more intensely-coloured, and the Peruvian populations may apparently represent an undescribed species.

Has been recorded from major river channels, smaller tributaries, and floodplain lakes, many of which comprise acidic, mineral-poor blackwater environments with brownish, tannin-stained water, although it has been observed to inhabit clear waters as well. Many of its habitats lie within the Venezuelan and Colombian llanos, a vast, highly biodiverse system of tropical savannah grasslands, seasonally-flooded plains and forests covering an area measuring almost 600,000 square kilo...

Famed as a rapacious predator capable of rapidly stripping flesh from bone and a danger to any animal entering its native waters, P. nattereri is among the most notorious freshwater fishes in the world. As a result, displays featuring this “bloodthirsty” creature are found in most public aquaria, grisly Hollywood movies have been released, and the species has become popular in the aquarium trade. Little of this infamy is based on factual evidence, however.

S. daemon is relatively common in the aquarium trade but is by no means easy to maintain, with particular attention to space, diet, water quality, and chemistry required in order for it to thrive. It can be distinguished from other members of the genus by possessing two dark blotches on the flank and a prominent ocellus at the caudal-fin base. Among the named species it is most similar to...

S. leucosticta is frequently available in the ornamental trade and farmed for the purpose in several countries. It is often confused with its congener S. jurupari in aquarium literature and on websites, but is easily recognised by presence (vs. absence) of prominent white spots or vermiform markings on the sides of the head. Although the presence of white spots on the head does not distinguish it from all known Satanoperca populations (see below), it can...

Recent genetic research has revealed there to be a possibility that although S. mapiritensis is genetically distinct from S. leucosticta, it may turn out to be conspecific with S. jurupari and S. rhynchitis. There appears to be no clear genetic separation between these three putative species nor a form known to aquarists as S. sp. 'Negro-Alto Orinoco' which replaces S. mapiritensis in the middle and upper Orinoco, Casiquiare Canal, and upper rio Negro.

This species occasionally appears in the ornamental trade where it is sometimes referred to as 'blue tiger piranha' Following Fink and Macaht can be distinguished from other members of the genus by the following combination of characters: body shape deep and rhomboid; head robust, snout blunt; eye large; mouth moderate, jaw projecting; 1-3 ontogeneticlly var...

This species was described from a single specimen and included in the genus Leporinus until 2011 at which point the holotype was examined and recognised as corresponding to the fish described as Synaptolaemus cingulatus (Myers & Fernández-Yépez, 1950).

T. stellatus is superficially similar to its only congener T. securis, but can immediately be identified by the presence (vs. absence) of a prominent dark spot in the dorsal-fin. It is sometimes traded as 'platinum hatchetfish'. The genus Thoracocharax was originally erected by Fowler in 1906 as a subgenus of Gasteropelecus, but was elevated to generic status by Weitzman (1960).

This is the type species of the genus Aequidens and has the widest distribution of any member species. It exists in various colour forms depending on locality with variants from Ecuador and Peru being particularly sought after since they develop striking red (Ecuador) or orange (Peru) colouration on the lower part of the jaw, head and anterior portion of the belly whereas those from Brazil tend to have an overall grey/blue/green colouration, for example. Despite its type status it's long...

This species was previously known as 'Aequidens' pulcher but has been considered s member of the genus Andinoacara since 2009.

It's known by various vernacular names including 'Pirá-pacu', 'Pira-pucu' or 'Diente de cao' (central Amazon), 'Bicuda' or 'Uena' (rio Tocantins), 'Bicuda' (rio Tapajós), 'Aguejeta' or 'Picua' (Venezuela), and 'Moruwi' or 'Pirapoko' (Guyana). The entire dorsal-fin base is located anteriorly to a vertical through the anal-fin origin and this character distinguishes it from all other ctenolucids except B. lucius and B. xyrekes.

This species is largely unsuitable for the home aquarium given its eventual size and natural behaviour, and we know of only a handful of private aquarists with the facilities required to house it long-term. Nonetheless juveniles and subadults are sometimes available in the trade although often misidentified as the congener B. maculata.

In the Amazon region it is only specimens larger than around 160 cm and werighing in excess of 50 kg that are referred to as 'Piraíba' with the name 'filhote' normally applied to smaller individuals. Other vernacular names include 'Salton catfish', 'Kumakuma'; and 'tiger antenna catfish'; with members of the genus often referred to collectively as 'goliath catfishes'.

Brachyplatystoma spp. are distinguished from all other catfishes by two synapomorphies. The first comprises several morphological characters relating to the skull, specifically that the mandibular suspensorium (that which connects the lower jaw bone to the skull) is greatly expanded mediodorsally to form a large plate approaching the parasphenoid bone, with the hyomandibula and metapterygoid similarly enlarged.

Study of B. rousseauxii has revealed that sexually mature adults are found only in the western Amazon, with no mature individual ever recorded east of Manaus despite the intensive commercial fishery operating there. The total distance covered by some populations during migration from the delta was as much as 5500 km, making it the longest known in any freshwater fish species.

This rich feeding ground is exploited until the sea water returns, at which point the catfishes begin to migrate upstream in massive numbers, moving up the Amazon and its tributaries. Sexually mature individuals are not normally recorded during these events so they're thought related to feeding and dispersal rather than spawning. The fish are subject to intensive capture by commercial and artisanal fishing operations during this upstream movement.

Type locality is 'Río Yuruari, 3 kilometers east of El Callao, 7°18'N, 61°50'W, Bolivar, Venezuela', and this species is also known from the Rupununi River drianage in Guyana and the Courantyne/Corantijn system in Suriname. The Yuruari, an affluent of the Río Cuyuni, an...

C. brevirostris was described from an aquarium specimen apparently exported from the Río Orinoco drainage in Venezuela, and its wider distribution is somewhat vague, usually being given as the Orinoco system plus unnamed coastal rivers in Suriname. This represents a somewhat disjunct pattern of distribution and if correct the species is also likely to occur in Guyana.

H. armatus should probably not be considered a home aquarium subject at all given its eventual size and migratory natural behaviour. Unfortunately, juveniles are seen for sale quite regularly, most often without adequate information regarding their long-term care, and it's common to see them being maintained in medium-sized aquaria with no possibility of achieving their potential.

Vernacular names in Brazil include 'Cachorra' or 'Pirandirá', although these are also applied to congeners. It can be told apart from all congeners by the following combination of characters: head and body silvery with dark dorsal surface; an elongate dark blotch posterior to the opercle; dorsal, caudal and anal-fin rays reddish to orange proximally with some individual variation in intensity and tonality; adipose fin dark, with diffuse black pigmentation.

Has been collected from habitats containing clear, soft, acidic, tea-coloured blackwater, most typically among leaf litter or submerged vegetation in very shallow (10-50 cm depth) water along the margins of streams and other minor tributaries. At a village called El Niñal close to the mouth of the rio Pasimoni in the Casiquiare drainage pH was...

R. vulpinus is the most widely-distributed member of the family Cynodontidae. Type locality is given simply as 'Brazilian rivers', but this species is currently understood to be distributed in the Amazon basin from the Río Ucayali system in Peru, eastward as far as the rio Xingu in Brazil, plus the rio Tocantins and Rio Capim basins. It's also known from the Río Orinoco ba...

Tends to be most common in brackish to hypersaline environments such as coastal salt marshes, lagoons and estuaries. On San Salvador Island, Bahamas, it appears to be the parent of a species group occurring in sympatry and exploiting diverse but specific resources with some spectacular morphological adaptations.

Acestridium dichromum

Pseudopimelodus bufonius