Results for “sp.”

This species is sometimes traded under the names 'mini chocolate gourami', 'Burmese chocolate gourami' or mislabelled as the congener P. ocellatus, these two currently comprising the only known members of the genus. P. lineatus can be told apart from P. ocellatus via the following combination of characters: smaller body size (maximum standard length 18.7 mm vs. 32.0 mm); absence of ocellus-type marking in middle of each flank (vs. presence); presence of dark, stripe (vs. abs...

An attractive, if aggressive Madagascan cichlid. Not commonly available in the UK, it can occasionally be obtained through cichlid enthusiasts aor specialist dealers.

Type locality is 'Kota Tinggi, Mawai-Desaru road, Johor, Peninsula Malaysia' and this species is endemic to a small portion of eastern Johor state, Peninsular Malaysia around the towns of Kota Tinggi, Mawai and Desaru. A great deal of its original habitat has been lost via deforestation and other human alterations and it's considered in grave danger of extinction.

Type locality is given only as 'Sarawak state, Borneo, East Malaysia', with the material deriving from Sibu Division in western Sarawak. It's since been recorded at other localities within Sarawak, to which it appears endemic, but it remains unclear whether all represent a single species or not with those from the area around Lundu in northwestern Kuching Division in par...

In males the dorsal, anal and caudal have a black subdistal band bordered on either side by bluish iridescent bands, with the inner one significantly thicker. The pelvic fins are iridescent emerald green with a dark blotch at the base and a subdistal dark spot, while the pectoral fins are hyaline.

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...

This species' identity was settled and a neotype designated by Knight (2013) who also revalidated the congener P. canius (Hamilton, 1822) and described the closely-related P. aurea. These three had previously been considered to represent geographic forms of P. gelius, albeit on a tentative basis, with the validity of P. canius having been discussed since the late 19th century.

This species has been in the aquarium trade since the early 1970s but its precise origin was a mystery until 2003. It first appeared in Ukraine, the common name 'Odessa' being derived from the port city of that name, and when it arrived in western Europe was widely considered a hybrid of similar-looking congeners such as P. conchonius, P. ticto and P. cumingii. It was also hypothesised as a subspecies of P. ticto or P. conchonius, and some suggested the fish to be artificially dyed.

This is one of three species commonly sold under the name "rummy-nose tetra". The commonest of these is the firehead tetra, Hemigrammus bleheri, whilst the "true" rummy-nose is Hemigrammus rhodostomus. All three are very similar in appearance, but can be distinguished by several factors. The first is by the extent to which the red colouration on the head of the fish extends into the body. H. bleheri is the only one of the 3 in which the red extends beyond the gill covers. ...

This species is sometimes traded as 'Lake Inle red-tailed loach' and was formerly included in the genus Yunnanilus, a diverse assemblage of which the majority of members are endemic to the Yunnan plateau in Yunnan province, southern China.

Although this profile has been included for information purposes, we do not recommend keeping this species in the home unless you are one of the select few with the facilities available to house it for life. The aquarium dimensions quoted above should be considered an absolute minimum and in reality this fish requires a phenomenal volume of water if it is to be housed long term. Unfortunately, the price of red-tails has fallen considerably in recent years and "kittens" are readily a...

There are only three species in this little known genus, all of which are rarely seen in the hobby. In 2007 an apparently undescribed Piabucus was seen on sale in the UK under the name "chin tetra", in reference to the black marking on the lower jaw of the fish....

There are currently 32 genera included in the family Pimelodidae (including Pimelodus), making it the second largest and one of the most diverse amongst catfish. However most experts agree that a full systematic revision of the family is needed, as little information about the phylogenetic (evolutionary relatedness) relationships between the various genera exists. Taxonomy information at the species level is also basic at best. It's therefore likely that at least some of the Pimelodids will...

The common name is derived from the fact that it was previously thought to be found only in much deeper water than we now know it inhabits. In nature, P. electra feeds from the surface of the substrate on invertebrates and other morsels stirred up by the action of digging substrate feeders such as Taeniolethrinops praeorbitalis. It is attracted to the clouds of sediment thrown up by these species. Several colour forms exist and these should not be kept together in aquaria as they may hybridis...

Wild caught specimens of this fish possess a truly amazing set of lips! They are massively enlarged and designed for scraping algae and invertebrates from rock surfaces. In nature, these actually develop in direct proportion to the amount of turbidity in a given locality. Fish inhabiting more turbulent waters have larger lips, as the algae in these areas is anchored to the rocks more firmly. In the aquarium, the lips usually recede or, in tank bred fish, do not develop at all, as they are not re...

This popular species is also sold as the striped dora, striped raphael or striped talking catfish. It's often seen as an ideal beginner's cat, being hardy and tolerant of a wide range of water conditions. However its secretive nature, adult size and tendency to snack on smaller tankmates mean it should only be considered for communities of larger fish. The 'talking catfish' moniker is derived from the fish's ability to produce sounds when communicating with conspecif...

Not a particularly good catfish for the general community tank, as it's a largely inactive, secretive species that will only emerge and become active under cover of darkness. It is, nonetheless, an interesting aquarium subject for the enthusiast, exhibiting an incredible degree of camouflage. It's designed to resemble a dead leaf, and usually will not even swim to escape a net. When released into the aquarium will simply drift in the current until it hits the bottom. All members of the...

One of the most popular aquarium fish in the world, the guppy is instantly recognisable to most people. There are many aquarium bred varieties of this species available, most have elongated finnage and gaudy colouration. The wild form is seldom seen for sale. Unfortunately many commercially bred guppies are not very hardy due to inbreeding and over-production and are prone to disease and premature death. We therefore recommend the purchase of quality stock from breeders or society auctions. P. ...

Endler's Livebearer was actually discovered in 1937 by Franklyn F. Bond before being rediscovered by John Endler in 1975 in Laguna de Patos, Cumana, northeastern Venezuela. It was found coexisting, but not interbreeding with, a wild form of P. reticulata. Both species are native to this area of Venezuela, but P. reticulata was much less common in areas where P. wingei was thriving. This is thought to be partially related to habitat type, as guppies are usually found in colder, running water...

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.