Biotope 101: An authentic upper Rio Araçá biotope for Rummynose and Cardinal tetras

Jeroen Vanhooren Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Uncategorised Leave a Comment

The Rio Araçá is an affluent of the Demini River, which is a tributary of the Rio Negro. The Araçá is a 390 km long blackwater river originating high up on the Serra Tapirapeco Mountain in the forests of the Guianas and flows through the Serra do Araçá, a state conservation unit near to the border between Amazonas and Roraima states.  The river is also situated in the wider area of the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, within which the indigenous Yanomami and Ye’kuana (The Canoe People) reside. In the centre of the Serra do Araca can be found the Cachoeira do El Dorado …

Corydoras Catfish | Pigment-patterns, behaviour, crypsis and habitats

Dr David Sands Biotope, Fish History, Uncategorised 5 Comments

In what feels like a lifetime ago, my hobby and science curiosity began by the sight of a little catfish rolling its eye. Soon to be known as a Corydoras, this catfish caught my interest as it was making its whiskered way around inside a friend’s aquarium. As a boy, most of my friends were keen anglers but my interest was only for colours and scale patterns of native fishes. Perhaps this partly has more to do with the fact I am, self-confessed, ‘The World’s Worst Angler’ and why I became a ‘fishkeeper’. In time, I learned there were very …

A new species of Pterophyllum?

Chris Englezou Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Chris Englezou 2 Comments

Having been deeply fascinated with the Pterophyllum genus for many years, I have found myself waist deep in research, analysing data, images and footage and even taking trips into the jungle to better understand the majestic freshwater Angelfish and the factors which influence their distribution and taxonomy. One area of recently increasing interest to me is the Rio Negro in Brasil. I have always been curious about the distribution of Pterophyllum leopoldi and the existence of disjunct populations along both the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões and in the last few years I have dedicated countless hours to uncover more …