Apistos from Uruguay.

[P.W.]

Hi!

Last of april†happily ended! Lots of fire-works and fires! It’s a Swedish tradition to welcome the spring by this kind of salubration every year by last of april. But it didn´t help up the situation this year though, today its still snowning :?

Nevertheless, I was reading through a lots of e-mails in the archive of the “apistogramma mailing list†this morning.

(It´s really a goldmine, I´m enjoying every minute of the reading!
I have tried to join the list several times but no success, I´m receiving a “welcomeâ€Â-message but no mails are coming in.)

I came ascross an interesting discussion from last year, when I was searching for the subjects: “Commbrae†and “Uruguayâ€Â. I have been interested in A. Commbrae for a long time now and I have been looking for wild caught speciments especially from the very southest part of its distribution area.

Jody asked this question in the “apistogramma mailing list†in march last year:
I have summed up the discussion here:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
“I have some young college student friends who are studying in Uruguay for a few months. They have no interest in tropical fish, but I was thinking of asking them to try and find some apistos to bring back. They are in the city of Montevideo, so I would think there are some shops or exporters around. Are there any apistos native to that region? And, would getting the fish through customs be too much of a hassle?
Thanks for any input.
-Jody
...................................................................................................
I know of no occurrences of apistos in Uruguay.
The nearest apistos are A. borellii, & A.
trifasciata from the Rio Paraguay system.

Mike Wise
...................................................................................................
No Apistos perhaps, but some nice annual killifish!

Bill Vannerson
McHenry, IL
...................................................................................................
Jody,
There are no Apistos in Uruguay that I know of. From what I know, they are found WEST of Rio Uruguay that separates Uruguay and Argentina. There are 3 decent stores in Montevideo but you're better off looking for these fish at home (if you're in North America or Europe). Getting fish out of Uruguay is also expensive and complicated.

Vinny
...........................................................................................................
Oh well, it was worth a try. Thanksâ€Â
...........................................................................................................


Here I continue:

I have been in contact for about a year now, with a guy, Felipe, who is living in Uruguay and who is regulary catching and exporting fishes from Uruguay to US and Europe. Most of the exported species are Gymnogeophagus and catfishes.

He told me that he have collected A.Commbrae near the town Artigas in northern Uruguay! This is a river which connects to the Rio Uruguay. He also reported that there´s indications of two other apistospecies found near the northern border to Brazil. He promised to investigate by talking to some of he´s friends that had caught fishes in that area. I´m hoping now for the possibility to get some Apistos from him in the future.

He also told me that he was guiding a group of americans some time ago that had brought some Commbrae´s home to the states. So it appears that you already have some wild-caught commbraes from Uruguay in the states by now!
Perhaps it´s one you who is reading this who have these fishes!

Best regards!

 

[farm41]

I agree that the apisto list does make good reading, I have been getting it for a couple of years, you should be able to subscribe by sending an email to [email protected] then follow the instructions.

 

[Bissot_J]

He also told me that he was guiding a group of americans some time ago that had brought some Commbrae´s home to the states. So it appears that you already have some wild-caught commbraes from Uruguay in the states by now!
Perhaps it´s one you who is reading this who have these fishes!

Best regards!

Hi ,

Oliver lucanus from Montreal canada have this fish (dont know if he still have them in stock, his fishes go away quick due the quality)
check on his site to contact him : http://www.belowwater.com

 

[P.W.]

Are you sure that he have Commbraes from Uruguay, or are they "just Commbraes from anywhere?

Best regards.

 

[Neil]

Oliver currently has a cf. commbrae from Parana. As to whether commbrae or any other apistos come from Uruguay, I don't know for sure. Mike Wise would be the one to answer that question.
Neil

 

[P.W.]

Hi

Have been reading the wonderful article about A. Borellii written by Wolfgang Staeck (Aquarium Heute 1999/1). I had the big luck to get a scanned copy of the article a couple of weeks ago!
Since i´m a Borellii fan, it was very interesting reading.
I was surprised to read that some of the collecting sites was found just north of uruguay close to the Brazilian town Sao Borja, in the uruguay-river.
Staeck wrote that he measured the temperature in the water at the cold season, to just 6-7 degree C. (42,8-44,6F) But the Borellis didn´t seem to bother about the very low temperature. The activities and the moves of the fishes was altough slower than normal.

I´m still waiting to hear some reports that someone have collected Borellis as far south as in Uruguay!
Or, is the Commbrae the toughest apisto? Living as far south as in middle of Uruguay?

Perhaps I have to go there and have a look by myself!

Best regards/ Per

 

[aspen]

Per, thank-you for bringing this thread back, i had missed it the first time- some very good reading there. it is interesting how people's fancy gets taken by certain fishes from a certain area and keep at it. i hope that if you DO get a chance to travel these areas, you bring a good thermometer and a tds meter, and of couse a good camera!! maybe an underwater camera and some diving gear??

there's a dream trip, travellng the areas these fish are indigenous to, and observing their natural habitats and behaviours. i wonder what the wife would find to do?

rick

 

[Neil]

Per,
I email Mike Wise about this when this thread was first started and I guess I forgot to post his reply. Unfortunately it shed no new light on the existing discussion, save the fact that there is likely no reported collections of borellii or any other species there.
This was his response:
"As of now there is no verifiable report of an apisto existing in Uruguay. The only report of an apisto in Uruguay was the one mentioned by Vinny Kutty. I asked him for photos if he ever got any, but so far I've had no reply. Maybe I should ask him again."

Neil

 

[P.W.]

Hi

I have had some correspondance with both Felipe Cantera in Uruguay and with Vin Kutty.
I would say that it is quite certain that A.Commbrae was caught in Uruguay.
............................................................................
Felipe wrote in Dec. 2002 (translated from swedish)

"Recently I had a visitor from an Italian aquarist which attended one of my guided tours for twelve days. After that I was visited by four americans who had been here two times before.
Together we catched Ap. Commbrae near Salto. They were surprised to find these fishes so far south. They also commented that the commbraes were more colourful than other commbraes they had seen."

Vin wrote in May 2003:

"The apistos that came into the US from Uruguay were collected by my friends in Salto along with Felipe Cantera. This looks like A. commbrae but I have not seen this fish. They were killed by characins! The one photo I have seen makes it look like A. commbrae. If I get a copy of the photo, I will put on the internet."

"The commbrae were not bred unfortunately. They were caught in November 2002."
.............................................................................................

Hopefully there are some photos on these fishes somewhere. Would be interesting to see what they looked like.


Best regards/ Per

 

[cageman]

A friend of mine is travelling to Uruguay next January.
Last time he went to the middle and south of Uruguay, this time to the north.
Are there in the meantime any more conformations that A. commbrae could be found here?

 

[Mike Wise]

A. commbrae was collected in Uruguay near Salto.

 

[cageman]

Thanks.
Is it true that these commbrae are more colourful?

 

[rafael]

I´m still waiting to hear some reports that someone have collected Borellis as far south as in Uruguay! Or, is the Commbrae the toughest apisto? Living as far south as in middle of Uruguay?

Apisto that lives more to the south is A. borellii, has been captured near Rosario, Argentina, but these live in the Parana river (Martín Fourcade, pers. comm.).

That I know only apisto in Uruguay (country) is the A. commbrae near Salto on the Uruguay river.

 

[cageman]

Thanks Rafael!
I hope to recieve this specie next january/february

 

[Mike Wise]

Thanks.
Is it true that these commbrae are more colourful?

The photo of the Salto A. commbrae that I saw is not the most colorful population that I have seen, but is more colorful than average A. commbrae.

 

[cageman]

Well, I'll just have to wait and see than.
Thanks again.

 

[P.W.]

Hi

Nice to see this thread popping up again! Well I wouldnt be surprised if someone catched Borelli near Salto in Uruguay. Borellii seem to bee widely spread in the Rio Uruguay system.

By the way, here is what "aquaalbatros" wrote about collecting Borelliis in Argentina:

I collected A. Borelli in the limit between Buenos Aires province and Entre Rios province. The place is a recreational park on the parana river. There is artificially built lagoons connected to the river. The apistos were very few, only 9 or 10.This happened in november of 2004, in a hot day. I visited the place near the end of june, and now there is no apistos , the water was too cold. 15 degrees, but A. commbrae was collected.
As far i know, this is the southest collection point for A. borelli.

Refering Commbrae:
I dont think any of the populations of Commbrae are pariculary "colourful".
I have seen more photos of Commbraes collected in Uruguay, and they looks very much like mine strain of Commbraes (collected in Mato Grosso, Brazil)

Best regards/ Per

 

[Mike Wise]

... Borellii seem to bee widely spread in the Rio Uruguay system. ...

Do you know collecting localities in the Rio Uruguay? A. borrellii, like the macmasteri-group species of Colombia & Venezuela, is a savanna species. I know of no locations in Uruguay.

 

[P.W.]

Hello Mike!

I was actually refering to the article by Staeck in Aquarium Heute, 1-99.
I was surprised to read that some of the collecting sites was found just north of uruguay close to the Brazilian town Sao Borja, in the uruguay-river.

quote:
ferner fand ich diesen zwergbuntbarsch auch im westlichen einzugsgebiet des rio uruguay. SchlieSSlich gelang mir im jahre 1995 etwa 30 km südlich der brasilianischer stadt sao borja der nachweis dass diese art sogar in östlichen nebengewässern des rio urugay vorkommt. dass sich die verbreitung von Apistogramma Borellii auch über dass flussystem des rio uruguay erstreckt, war bisher offenbar nicht bekannt.


Staeck also wrote that he measured the temperature in the water at the cold season, to just 6-7 degree C. (42,8-44,6F) But the Borellis didn´t seem to bother about the very low temperature. The activities and the moves of the fishes was altough slower than normal.

Best regards/ Per

 

[P.W.]

Hello

I have some new information from Felipe Cantera in Uruguay. He wrote in a swedish cichlid forum that he collected A. Borellii near Artigas in Uruguay.
Possibly together with Vinny Cutty?
Vinny and Felipe collected fish together two weeks ago in Uruguay.

Best regards/ Per