ID two apistogramma's

[Erik82]

Hi All,
Last week i bought about 40 apisto's. Some are already quite in size. I have probably a male A. sp breitbinden, and probably a lot of A. iniridae / A. blutkehl and perhaps A. uapesi. Most are still very small.

Below two fishes which I am not sure what species they are:

This Female (Apistogramma sp breitbinden??) has not a round tale, it looks like she gets a forked tail.

Male Apistogramma iniridea/ blutkehl?

 

[Mike Wise]

The female is a brevis-group species. It probably is A. sp. Breitbinden. Females of Breitbinden develop a squared-off/truncate caudal fin. With age some even develop very short tips (like A. cacatuoides females). The lower photos are young male A. iniridae. The tail is round. At the same age/size that your fish appears to be, Blutkehl males will show a square-off/truncated caudal fin. With age the dorsal fin on your A. iniridae male will become higher.

 

[Erik82]

Hi Mike,
thanks for your answers! Nice to hear the female is probably a A. sp breitbinden. I have only one male sp Breitbinden. It would be nice if they wil breed together.

 

[Erik82]

This one should be a A. sp blutkehl right?

THis fish is swimming at my brothers place. He bought also a couple apistogramma out a collection wild cought.

 

[Mike Wise]

It is hard to say, based on only 1 photo of a young fish.

 

[Erik82]

THx Mike, in the future ill post some new photographs, next weekend they will swim in one of my tanks.

 

[Erik82]

Hi All,
i got a question about the caudal fin of the females A. sp blutkehl and A. uaupesi. Do they have a square-off/truncated caudal fin?

With the answer to this question i might be able to select de A. inirideas, male and females, from my collection apistogrammas

 

[Mike Wise]

One can use the shape of the tail, once the fish are mature (5 cm TL):

A. iniridae - and young female A. uaupesi & sp. Blutkehl - show a round caudal fin.

Mature female A. uaupesi & sp. Blutkehl show a squared-off/truncated caudal fin. Some develop short tips when older.

 

[Erik82]

THanks Mike! So it's smart to sepperate the fish with squared-off/truncated caudal fins. They are definitely not A. iniridae. MAby blutkehl, otherwise perhaps uaupesi.

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, that would work best. BTW Blutkehl is not commercially imported. Most are brought in by hobbyists who collect them or the enter mixed as rare (1 or 2) contaminants with A. iniridae. Good luck!

 

[Erik82]

I know Mike, thats why i would like to breed them for the hobby ;-)

But some of the apisto's i got have a disease, i don´t know what it is. At/ behind the head some infection increases, like pus. It´s yellowish/ white and is soft. I dont know what it is and if its affective for the other fishes, someone got any idea? And most of all how to get my apisto's health again?

 

[Erik82]

Yesterday i borrowed a Digital SLR Camera from a friend. Finaly i got some pictures of the unidentifed Apistogramma's. I did not have the time to filter and finish all the photo's. Here a prefiew. I'm currious if someone can identify these fishes.

Apistogramma sp ???

Apistogramma sp breitbinden male?

Apistogramma sp ???

Greetz,
Erik

 

[jose_vogel]

I know Mike, thats why i would like to breed them for the hobby ;-)

But some of the apisto's i got have a disease, i don´t know what it is. At/ behind the head some infection increases, like pus. It´s yellowish/ white and is soft. I dont know what it is and if its affective for the other fishes, someone got any idea? And most of all how to get my apisto's health again?

Erik, I want to know if there´s anything that flows from the yellowish area.

Besides, have you open the wound of any dead fish?


There´s something with a very similar description that affects wild fish from our area (Argentina). I saw it mainly in borellii and commbrae (wildcaught ones, I mean). It´s a metacercaria.

Is there any chance to see a photo?

 

[Mike Wise]

Erik, based on what I can see in the photos, it appears that you have A. uaupesi (photos 1, 2, & 4). The color markings on the face of the top fish is only a variation. It is seen on some specimens of A. uaupesi from the Río Vaupés (Amazon system of Colombia) and tributaries of the upper Orinoco of Colombia & Venezuela. Photo 3 shows a young male A. sp. Breitbinden.

 

[Erik82]

Thanks again Mike, im not sure where these fishes are collected, if i'am right, they are collected in the area of Iniridae. Ill come to that later on.

But you think the first two(same fish) and the last one are uaupesi? Both males or the last a female? When i'am looking to the caudal fins, the one of picture 1 and 2 is much longer then the one of last picture. Is this the different between female and male?

@ Jose, there was nothing flowing around this area. Also i did not opened the wound. I had this before, then indeed with a A. borelli.

 

[Mike Wise]

These are young fish. I believe that both A. uaupesi are young males, but I definitely could be wrong. More photos of the bottom fish in different moods would be helpful. Adult females of A. uaupesi will have a lower dorsal fin, rounded tips on the dorsal and anal fins, show a lateral spot more often than a lateral band, have only short tips on the rear of the caudal fin and the spot pattern in the caudal will be much less distinct. Females are also smaller.

 

[Erik82]

aah thx mike. Ill ask my brother for some more pictures, the fish is swimming in his tank. This is by the way the same fish:

 

[Mike Wise]

This is by the way the same fish:

That looks like a female.

 

[Erik82]

Thx for your reply Mike.

Now i need to get the female here

 

[Mark]

Hi Mike (and others),

what do you think about the status of these species? Are these all different species? And the colorforms of the uaupesi, are they just colorforms or might they be species on their own?
In my opinion they are different species, but I heard that in Germany there is some discussion saying the blutkehl is just a colorform of the uaupesi. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that in the future the uaupesi will be separated into more than one species.

Mark