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 …

The history of Salaria fluviatilis in Cyprus

Chris Englezou Conservation, Fish History Leave a Comment

Roland L. N. Michell was a British National who lived on the island of Cyprus periodically in the early 1900’s, he was not an ichthyologist nor was he a naturalist, his interest was mainly in ethnography but yet he must have been somewhat enamoured with the wildlife of Cyprus because not only did he collect the first examples ever recorded in Cyprus of Salaria fluviatilis, the freshwater ‘Blenny’, he also seems to have been the only person to ever have done so, and it took him 4-5 years before he succeeded! Michell collected his specimens from less than a handful …

Apistogramma lineata | Biotope & First live photo!

Chris Englezou Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Chris Englezou, Fish History Leave a Comment

We are in the mid to lower Rio Atabapo, Colombia and back from travelling for many days exploring the Upper Atacavi river in Venezuela. We stop to prepare lunch next to the native ‘Piroa’ community of Gualloval Vitina, this village are the only natives of ‘Piroa’ descent along this river, the rest are known as ‘Kuripako’. The view from the island overlooking the flooded forests with the mountains in the distance. As the others settle down to eat, I climb my way up and over the igneous rock island where we’ve docked our boat and take some time to walk …

The Route of the Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)

Marcelo Fernandez Biotope, Fish History 1 Comment

The route of the Cardinal Tetra One of the aquarium fish with more pages held in the books of hobbyists than Discus and Angelfish combined is the Cardinal tetra. More precisely, Paracheirodon axelrodi. These characids we could consider as the most popular tetras in the ornamental fish hobby, their distinctive color contrast and beauty makes them unique and although there are several similar tetras such as the Paracheirodon inessi (previously in the genus Hyphessobrycon) or P. simulans, they do not possess the elegance of that of the King of the tetras. Such is the importance of this characid, whole families …

Searching for Discus in Peru & Colombia

Antonio Silva Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Discus Fish, Fish History 2 Comments

The discus was a high body Red-Spotted Green. It looked like the high body form commonly reared by Asian breeders. This specimen, however, was unique. It was caught in the Nanay River in Peru. I have seen wild caught Snakeskins, Pigeon Bloods and solid Blue Discus. These examples suggest that the forms developed in Asia have comparables swimming in the wild in South America. The Green Discus was one reason why I had travelled to Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon and subsequently to the city of Leticia in the Colombia Amazon. I had never visited the habitat of this discus …