The smallest and most delicate of the nominal hatchetfishes. The rounded keel is shallower than related species, giving this fish a distinctive elongate profile.

The family Gasteropelecidae is separated from other Characiformes by the following combination of characters: front…

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…

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…

This species is not well known and rarely traded for the aquarium hobby.

Unfortunately diagnostic characters cannot be provided since we’ve been unable to obtain the type description, and little has been written about this species since it was published. It looks very similar to several congeners, particularly C. acrensis and C. cruziensis.

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.

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.

Known from the Ucayali (río Samiria), Huallaga, Santiago, and Pastaza (ríos Bobonaza and Pindo) river systems in eastern Ecuador and northern Peru. These are all tributary drainages within the middle Río Marañón watershed, a major affluent of the upper Amazon river basin.

Type locality is ‘Río Hallagua system, Yurimaguas…

Numerous ornamental forms of this species have been selectively line-bred for the aquarium trade, vernacular names for which include "sunset", "sunburst", "double red", "triple red", "gold", "white gold", "orange flash" and "albino". It has also been assigned the 'A' number A200 under the DATZ system with possibly conspecific, related forms similarly numbered A201, A202 and A203 depending on locality.

Th…