What exactly do we know about the critically endangered freshwater fish Parosphromenus gunawani?

Chris Englezou Biotopes of Indonesia, Uncategorised Leave a Comment

The Licorice Gouramies The genus Parosphromenus sits discreetly within the taxonomic subfamily of the Macropodusinae, often overshadowed by the popularity of the Betta, Macropodus, and even the Trichopsis. Still, these little bursts of colour and iridescence truly are the gold dust of the Gouramis, somewhat like Bettas, but better! Parosphromenus can only be found in peat swamp habitats in Malaysia and Indonesia, so not only is their geographic range limited, but they are also highly specialised to only thrive in very specific conditions in a habitat type that is itself under increasing threat from unsustainable palm oil, illegal deforestation, and …

Bengkayang, the biotope of the yellow-finned hill stream loach | Biotopes of Indonesia

Marcel Alveri Adis Biotopes of Indonesia Leave a Comment

Bengkayang, a region in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, hosts freshwater habitats that remain exceptionally well preserved, and in the fast-flowing upper stretches of these rivers, a wonderful family of highly adapted fish species can be found.  Much like lichens can be a biological indicator of air quality, or earthworms an indicator of soil health, the Gastromyzontidae family of fishes found in Bengkayang comprise species that are often used as bioindicators of river health due to their sensitivity to subtle changes in their underwater biotopes. Species from the Gastromyzon and Hypergastromyzon genera known as the Borneo suckers or hill stream loaches are …

BIOTOPES OF FLORIDA | NOTROPIS PETERSONI | THE COASTAL SHINER

Ryan Crutchfield Biotopes of North America, Uncategorised Leave a Comment

Notropis petersoni, known as the coastal shiner, is endemic to the south-eastern United States where it ranges from North Carolina, through coastal South Carolina and Georgia, throughout Florida, and west through Alabama to Jordan River in Mississippi (Image 1). It can be found in in many different environments including lakes and spring heads, sandy pools, and backwaters of creeks and rivers¹ and feeds predominantly on aquatic invertebrates (crustaceans), with plant material in it’s diet being mostly incidental². N. petersoni has a black stripe along its side which wraps around the snout and often there is another lighter stripe above the …

Biotopes of Hong Kong | Hill Stream Habitats | Blue Neon Stiphodon

Jeffery Chan Biotope, Biotopes of Hong Kong, Conservation 1 Comment

Hill stream habitats in Hong Kong are home to some of the most endearing and enigmatic fishes on Earth. These oxygen-rich, cool mountain streams or often, torrential rivers, provide crucial habitat, not only for exclusively freshwater dwelling species, but also form important migratory routes and nurseries for anadromous, amphidromous and catadromous fishes, those which migrate upriver, those with complex breeding strategies involving both fresh and saline systems and those which migrate downriver to the sea to spawn, respectively. One Hong Kong hill stream species which is particularly fascinating is the goby Stiphodon atropurpureus. From their striking iridescence, their adaptation of …

Biotopes of South Africa | Pseudocrenilabrus philander | The Southern Mouthbrooder

Chris Englezou Biotope, Biotopes of Africa, Uncategorised Leave a Comment

Pseudocrenilabrus philander is arguably one of the most underrated fish species found in the aquarium hobby, albeit rarely. In nature, it is known from a wide range of habitats, including streams, lakes, and ponds and some populations are even known to exist in slightly brackish waters¹. The species is found in biotopes across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique and Swaziland and the population featured in this article were collected and photographed just this week along the Hex River near Rustenburg, South Africa by aquatic researcher Russell Brian Tate. Research has …

Biotopes of Cameroon | Pantodon buchholzi, the African butterflyfish

C.E. Fish Essentials Biotope, Biotopes of Africa Leave a Comment

The freshwater butterflyfish Pantodon buchholzi (Peters, 1886) are found in lightly acidic, water bodies in West Africa. Typically, they are found in habitats with slow current or standing water with high amounts of surface foliage and/or riparian vegetation for cover. They have been observed in Lake Chad, the Congo Basin, throughout lower Niger, Cameroon, Ogooue, and upper Zambezi, and have also been seen in the Niger Delta, lower Ogooue, and in the lower Cross River. The Eastern distribution limit of the species is reported to be the Ouémé River in Benin, although it is also noted to be found in …

Biotopes of Cameroon| Benitochromis nigrodorsalis

C.E. Fish Essentials Biotope, Biotopes of Africa Leave a Comment

Benitochromis is a small genus of cichlid fishes that are endemic to riverine and lake habitats in Middle Africa (Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, including the island of Bioko). Several of these species were originally assigned to the genus Chromidotilapia. The genus Benitochromis was erected by Dr Anton Lamboj in 2001 and currently contains six species: B. finleyi, B. batesii, B. conjunctus, B. nigrodorsalis, B. ufermanni and B. riomuniensis. It is also possible that there are a number of other Benitochromis species yet to be described. Benitochromis nigrodorsalis is a benthopelagic, non-migratory species typically occupying habitats with a pH range from …

Biotopes of Brunei | Beyond Wong Kadir

Zaheer Afie Biotope, Biotopes of Borneo, Uncategorised 5 Comments

Located deep inside the Labi jungle in Belait District, our latest adventure takes us to visit three different waterfalls, each located in the upper stretches of the Mendaram River; our final research point was at the third waterfall, the location of which can be seen on the map below. On 24th March 2018 we commenced our journey at around 08:30, the sun was already shining but I assume that it rained the night before as parts of the road were wet and gradually drying. Before we hiked uphill, approximately 100 metres from the parking spot, we managed to come across …

The birth of the wild aquarium | a tool for conservation

Chris Englezou Biotope, Chris Englezou, Conservation, Uncategorised 1 Comment

Almost five years ago, artist and river explorer Ivan Mikolji uploaded a video to the infamous video sharing site Youtube which would change the direction of the aquarium hobby forever, sparking a new wave of interest in nature and natural aquarium fishkeeping.   To an outsider, a non-fish-keeper, the “Wild Aquarium” series may initially come across as the work of an outlandish artist or an eccentric and lateral interpretation of a fish tank that they may deem unnecessary or just confusing. But the truth of the matter is that behind the creativity, the artistry and the millions of internet views… is …

Biotopes of Brunei | Ichthyofauna of the Teraja Falls

Zaheer Afie Biotope, Biotopes of Borneo Leave a Comment

On 18th March 2017, we, Brunei Biotope Group, were off again on another journey into the Labi jungle of Brunei in hopes of finding something exciting. On this trip our group of four people were heading towards Teraja Waterfall, a widely known fall along the Sungai Teraja which is frequented  by many tourists, especially those which like to go on jungle adventures here in Brunei. We started our journey from Seria Town at 09:00 AM and we had arrived at the Teraja Longhouse at about 11:00 AM. As we arrived at the Teraja Longhouse, we informed the Iban people (head …