Ucayali

This species, which may also be referred to by the alternative vernacular names 'spotted raphael', 'white-spotted' or 'white-barred' catfish, is very common in the trade and despite its adult size is recommended to beginners and experienced aquarists alike since it is hardy, attractive and relatively-long-lived. The light body markings are highly variable in terms of exact placement and may be either white or pale to darkish yellow in colour. It is very similar i...

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...

This species was previously thought to be, and is often still sold as, A. hancockii, a name currently considered synonymous with Platydoras hancockii (Valenciennes 1840). It's also known by the vernacular names of blue-eyed catfish or Hancock's doradid, and in many ways is an ideal beginners' catfish, being hardy and tolerant of a wide range of water conditions...

Numerous ornamental forms of this species have been selectively-bred for the aquarium trade, some of which include. It has also been assigned the 'A' number A234 under the DATZ system with possibly conspecific, related forms similarly numbered A235, A236, A237, A238, A239, A240, A241 and A242 depending on locality. 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 ...

Localities known in the hobby include 'Pastaza', 'Putumayo', 'Requena', 'Río Nanay', 'Rio Napo', 'Maniti', 'Momón', 'Río Tigre', 'Río Ampiyacu', 'Shishita', 'Shushupi', 'Yavari', 'Tefé', 'Manaquiri', 'Lago do Januari', 'Mamori' (often misspelled 'Mamuri'), 'Careiro', 'Manacapuru', 'Juruá', 'Curuaí', and 'Purutu' though we've been unable to find anywhere matching the latter name within the species' known distribution, and in fact several of these names are applied incorrectly on a regular basis.

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...

Known only from Loreto region in northeastern (Amazonian) Peru. Type locality is 'Río Pintuyacu, 48 kilometers on road from Iquitos to Nauta, Río Itaya drainage, Province Loreto, Peru' and it's also been recorded from tributaries of the Nanay system in the same area. An additional population is known from the Río Tapiche, a tributary of the Río Ucayali located well over 150 km further south.

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 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, complexes and groups by authors in order to better separate them. Such lists have been augmented by fish that have appeared in the aquarium trade and are in a state of near-constant flux

This species is also known by the alternative vernacular names 'blue panda cichlid', 'blue sky dwarf cichlid and 'azure cichlid' as well as the confusing trade name A.sp. 'pandurini'. It has also been assigned the 'A' number A183 under the DATZ system with possibly conspecific, related forms similarly numbered A184 or A185 depending on locality. It can be distinguished from similar-looking species by the length of the lower jaw which characte...

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.

It's most similar to A. riesei but can be told apart by its more-elongate body (depth 4-5 times, vs. 3.1-3.5 times, in SL), live body colour (silvery yellow, vs. red) and suborbital bone structure (almost complete, vs. reduced). The third species, A. lindeae, is quite different posses...

This species is sometimes confused with B. juruense, especially when juvenile, but can be told apart quite easily by it's more well-defined colour pattern, relatively slender body shape and longer barbels. It was described in the genus Meredontotus, but is currently included in Brachyplatystoma based on a pair of synapomorphies shared by memb...

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...

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 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.

Known from the middle and upper Amazon river basins in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Type locality is 'Amazon River at Obidos, Cudajas, and Tabatinga; Rio Negro, Brazil.' It apparently practises an interesting reproductive strategy in which the eggs are deposited in a shallow depression excavated from the substrate and guarded by the male.

This species is sometimes traded as C. sp. 'red line', 'spotted tetra' or as its congener C. nigrofasciata. In the past it's name was also widely applied to the fish now identified as C. callolepis and C. meinkeni, and this misidentification continues to an extent although the two are easily-distinguished by the fact that C. nattereri is the only one of the three possessing a dark lateral stripe on each side of the body.

The form from the Río Tigre, previously referred to as the subspecies C. p. orcesi (Weitzman & Nijssen, 1970) was raised to full species status as C. orcesi by Isbrücker (2001), but this decision does not appear to have been followed by all authorities some of which consider C. p. orcesi a synonym of C. pastazensis. The two species are relatively easy to tell apart by colour pattern; in C. pastazensis the dark vertical...

This species was formerly included in the genus Brochis alongside C. britskii and C. multiradiatus, and is sometimes referred to as 'common brochis'. Juveniles have a mottled colour pattern and are sometimes traded as 'hi-fin cory' due to their enlarged dorsal-fin. C. splendens can be told apart from other ex-Brochis species by possession of 10-12 dorsal-fin rays...

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...

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.

This species is rare in the hobby though it's name is often attached to shipments of other Geophagus species. 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; no vertical bars on the flanks; relatively large, roughly oblong-shaped dark midlateral marking; caudal fin brownish with 3-5 light stripes on upper lobe and less well-defined stripes or mottled pattern of light spots with narrow dark interspaces on lower lobe.

The most recent diagnosis appears to be that of Géry (1977), in which it was separated from other members of the group by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin insertion at or slightly anterior to mid-body; caudal-fin brick red to orange-red; body depth fits less than 3.6 times in SL; head length fits 3.5-4.0 times in SL; caudal peduncle length u...

This species is available on a relatively regular basis, although it's sometimes confused with the similar-looking congeners H. loretoensis and H. metae. It can be identified via the following combination of characters as per Géry (1977): elongate in shape with body depth fitting 3.8-3.9 times in its standard length; caudal peduncle narrow, its depth fitting 1.8 times in its length; head short, interorbital broad, snout short and rounded; dorsal-fin insertion an...

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'.

This species is relatively common in the aquarium hobby but is not easy to maintain and recommended only for experienced aquarists. It can be told apart from all congeners by specimens larger than 60 mm SL possessing an extended pectoral-fin spine forming an extremely long filament that may be more than four times the length of the first branched pectoral-fin ray (vs. not possessing such a filament in other species of Lamontichthys).

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...

This species was described from Suriname but no specific locality was given. It's currently accepted to occur throughout much of the Amazon river system in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia with additional records from coastal drainages of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana plus the island of Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago).

There also exist a number of minor differences in colour pattern between populations. For example some Peruvian forms have yellow pigmentation on the body and fins, and those from Guyana and Suriname possess a short red stripe on vertical scale rows 6-9, above the central dark stripe on the body. Rio Negro forms have a similar red stripe but overlapping the central dark stripe and extending along most of the flank, while a form from Colombia has an elongate red stripe which is broken in two beneath the dorsal-fi...

Wild populations vary in colour pattern depending on origin, and some populations have previously been described as distinct species. A form from Peru has a particularly silvery body colour, for example, while another, marketed as 'super red' possesses an unusually long red stripe on the body, extending much of the length of the dark central stripe. A population from around Boa Vista in the rio Branco system, Pará state, Brazil has an ocellus o...

This stunning miniature Loricariid has only been available in the hobby since 2001, and was described to science in 2004. As with other otos, it can be a little delicate when first imported and should be quarantined carefully until it's settled.

This species has had several L-numbers assigned to it, with L146 collected from an unspecified locality in Colombia and L232 from the Río Putomayo/Içá. It's exported for the aquarium trade under a number of different generic names including Hemiancistrus, Sophiancistrus and Peckoltichthys. Following Armbruster (2008) it can be to...

S. jurupari is also known as 'demon fish', 'jurupari earth eater', 'green horse face', or simply 'jurupari' in the aquarium hobby. It can be distinguished from other members of the genus by the following combination of characters: presence of a relatively small dark ocellus on the upper caudal-fin base; absence of well-defined dark blot...

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...

Described from the Río Ampiyacu, a small tributary draining into the main Amazon channel in Loreto Department, northeastern Peru, with additional records from the Yavarí (Javari), Napo, Nanay, and lower Ucayali drainage basins. All of these are Amazon tributaries, and C. ambiacus appears to occur in most or all affluents of the main Amazon channel between th...

This species is among the more popular Corydoras in the aquarium hobby and is widely available. It may also be referred to as 'arched cory'. There exist a number of similar-looking congeners, particularly C. urucu (Britto et al., 2009), described from the rio Urucu in Coari municipality, Amazonas state, Brazil, and C. narcissus from the rio Purus. The latter appears to have also been traded as C. sp. 'super arcuatus longnose' while a larg...

This species is popular in the aquarium hobby and unlike the majority of congeners tends to spend a fair amount of time away from the substrate, often forming groups in midwater. It has been placed in the unofficial 'C. elegans group', which contains a number of species exhibiting similarities in morphology and colour pattern, some of which remain unidentified in scientific terms.

This species is sometime referred to as 'Virginia's catfish', Corydoras sp. 'Sangama' or 'Zangama', and prior to description was misidentified as both Corydoras bicolor and C. delphax. Unfortunately additional 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.

This species is relatively rare in the aquarium trade. It can be differentiated from all congeners by a combination of possessing ctenoid (vs. cycloid) scales on the sides of the head plus lacking a dark spot at the caudal-fin base.

Given its eventual size and natural behaviour this species is largely unsuitable for the home aquarium, and we know of only a handful of private aquarists with the facilities required to house it long-term. Unfortunately juveniles are readily available in the trade, although the scarcity of privately-maintained adults would suggest that most fail to reach their potential.

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...