Apistogramma Regan

Synonymy

Apistogramma Regan, 1913. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (8) 12, p. 282 (nom. nov. pro Heterogramma Regan). Feminine.
Heterogramma Regan, 1906. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (7) 17, p. 60 (type by subsequent designation by Eigenmann (1910, p. 478) Mesops taeniatus Günther; preoccupied by Heterogramma Guenèe, 1854). Feminine.
Pintoichthys Fowler, 1954. Archos Zool. S. Paulo 9, p. 316, 386-387 (type by original designation Biotodoma trifasciatus Eigenmann & Kennedy). Masculine.

Apistogramma nijsseni, NRM 18078, adult male, 32.6 mm SL, just collected from the wild near Jenaro Herrera, about 15 km on road Jenaro Herrera-Colonia Angamos. 1 September 1981 (SOK 043). Photo © S.O. Kullander.

Diagnosis

Apistogramma includes 62 valid species, and at least 25 undescribed species have been recorded. All are of small adult size, and rated as 'dwarf cichlids'. The largest recorded wild specimen is a 65 mm SL male of the Guianan A. steindachneri. Most species have fairly restricted geographical ranges although the generic range covers much of cis-Andean tropical and subtropical South America.

Apistogramma is a geophagine genus with an unmistakable anteroventral expansion on the first epibranchial, the so-called geophagine lobe. The genus is distinguished by characters in combination, including the reduced number of external first ceratobranchial gill rakers (commonly 1, occasionally absent, exceptionally as many as 5), presence of gill rakers on the lower pharyngeal tooth-plate, absence of microgill-rakers and epibranchial 4 tooth plates, a single supraneural, few vertebrae (usually 12+12), and reduced lateralis system (only 2 infraorbitals, between lachrymal and sphenotic; lateral line scales to a great extent not developing tubes). Having separate openings for the posterior anguloarticular and rostralmost preopercular lateralis foramina is apparently a unique character state for Apistogrammoides and Apistogramma. Preopercular and posttemporal serrations are common. Sexual dimorphism is generally marked: males grow larger than females and often present relatively larger fins, commonly featuring prolonged rays in the caudal fin, produced dorsal fin lappets, and filamentous extension of the first pelvic fin ray; females have species specific brooding colour pattern consisting of contrasting yellow ground colour and intense black or dark brown markings.

Within the genus there are further reductions of the lateralis canal system, to some extent helpful for identification purposes, including (1) loss of the anguloarticular canal; (2) loss of one infraorbital foramen; (3) loss of the next to posteriormost dentary lateralis foramen. The basic Apistogramma pattern is featured by the so called regani group species (A. regani, A. eunotus, A. moae, A. urteagai, A.cruzi, A. resticulosa, A. caetei, A. piauiensis, A. gossei, A. geisleri, A. ortmanni) and others. Type 1 reduction is found in, e.g., A. borellii. Type 2 reduction is found in cacatuoides group (A. cacatuoides, A. juruensis, A. luelingi) and nijsseni group (A. nijsseni, A. payaminonis, A. norberti) species and others. Combined Type 2 and Type 3 reduction is encountered in A. agassizii, A. bitaeniata, A. eremnopyge and a few other species.

Most species have three anal fin spines, but at least three species regularly (A. commbrae, A. hoignei) or nearly invariably (A. luelingi) have four anal-fin spines. The number of anal fin spines is the single important distinguishing character from the monotypic Apistogrammoides, which is unique among geophagines in having as many as 6-9 anal fin spines. Another similar genus is the monotypic Taeniacara from central Amazonia with more reduced lateralis system, lacking the second frontal lateralis foramen, one pterotic lateralis foramen and the anguloarticular lateralis canal, and having the infraorbital bones reduced to a single or two small bones without lateralis canal.

Colour pattern is the most useful tool for identifying Apistogramma species insofar as form and distribution of melanophore based markings are concerned. Character state analysis, however, has not kept pace with descriptions and homology analysis and terminology is not comparable. Various markings designated by the same term may be non-homologues (e.g., abdominal stripes) and some markings are certainly composites, the nature of which is masked by the use of yet another name (e.g., tail-spot, for the marking formed by the combined Bar 7 and the caudal spot).

Apistogramma species are popular aquarium fishes; several popular books, e.g., Koslowski (2002), give useful information on life colours and reproductive behaviour based on aquarium studies. The genus was first revised by Regan (1906) and again revised by Kullander (1980), with partial revisions in Kullander (1986, 1987). These small colourful fishes are unfortunately attractive also for amateurs wishing to publish names on new species.

Included species

Apistogramma acrensis Staeck, 2003

Apistogramma agassizii (Steindachner, 1875)

Apistogramma alacrina Kullander, 2004

Apistogramma arua Römer & Warzel, 1998

Apistogramma atahualpa Römer, 1997

Apistogramma baenschi Römer et. al., 2004

Apistogramma bitaeniata Pellegrin, 1936

Apistogramma sweglesi Meinken, 1961

Apistogramma klausewitzi Meinken, 1962

Apistogramma kleei Meinken, 1964

Apistogramma borellii (Regan, 1906)

Heterogramma rondoni Miranda Ribeiro, 1918

Apistogramma reitzigi Mitsch, 1938

Heterogramma ritense Haseman, 1911

Apistogramma aequipinnis Ahl, 1938

Apistogramma brevis Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma cacatuoides Hoedeman, 1951

Apistogramma caetei Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma commbrae (Regan, 1906)

Heterogramma commbae [Regan], 1906

Heterogramma corumbae Eigenmann & Ward, 1907

Heterogramma corumbae Miranda Ribeiro, 1918

Apistogramma cruzi Kullander, 1986

Apistogramma diplotaenia Kullander, 1987

Apistogramma elizabethae Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma eremnopyge Ready & Kullander, 2004

Apistogramma eunotus Kullander, 1981

Apistogramma geisleri Meinken, 1971

Apistogramma gephyra Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma gibbiceps Meinken, 1969

Apistogramma gossei Kullander, 1982

Apistogramma guttata Antonio, Kullander & Lasso, 1990

Apistogramma hippolytae Kullander, 1982

Apistogramma hoignei Meinken, 1965

Apistogramma hongsloi Kullander, 1979

Apistogramma inconspicua Kullander, 1983

Apistogramma iniridae Kullander, 1979

Apistogramma inornata Staeck, 2003

Apistogramma juruensis Kullander, 1986

Apistogramma linkei Koslowski, 1985

Apistogramma luelingi Kullander, 1976

Apistogramma macmasteri Kullander, 1979

Apistogramma martini Römer et al., 2003

Apistogramma meinkeni Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma mendezi Römer, 1994

Apistogramma moae Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma nijsseni Kullander, 1979

Apistogramma norberti Staeck, 1991

Apistogramma ortmanni(Eigenmann, 1912)

Apistogramma panduro Römer, 1997

Apistogramma paucisquamis Kullander & Staeck, 1988

Apistogramma payaminonis Kullander, 1986

Apistogramma personata Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma pertensis (Haseman, 1911)

Apistogramma piauiensis Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma pleurotaenia (Regan, 1909)

Apistogramma pulchra Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma regani Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma resticulosa Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma roraimae Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma rubrolineata Hein, Zarske & Zapata, 2002

Apistogramma rupununi Fowler, 1914

Apistogramma similis Staeck, 2003

Apistogramma staecki Koslowski, 1985

Apistogramma steindachneri (Regan, 1908)

Apistogramma ornatipinnis Ahl, 1936

Apistogramma wickleri Meinken, 1960

Apistogramma taeniata (Günther, 1862)

Apistogramma trifasciata (Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1903)

Apistogramma trifasciatum haraldschultzi Meinken, 1960

Heterogramma trifasciatum maciliense Haseman, 1911

Apistogramma tucurui Staeck, 2003

Apistogramma uaupesi Kullander, 1980

Apistogramma urteagai Kullander, 1986

Apistogramma velifera Staeck, 2003

Apistogramma viejita Kullander, 1979

Species inquirendae

Geophagus amoenus Cope, 1872

Apistogramma parva Ahl, 1931

Etymology

Apistogramma is from apistos, a Greek adjective meaning uncertain, inconstant, unstable, faithless, etc., and gramme, a Greek feminine noun meaning line. The name refers to the variably developed lateral line which largely represented only by pored scales. The gender is feminine as the Greek eta is substituted with the Latin feminine ending -a.
Heterogramma is from heteros, a Greek adjective meaning other, one of two, different, etc., and gramme, a Greek feminine noun meaning line. The name refers to the lateral line which largely represented only by pored scales and running close to the dorsal fin unlike in most other cichlids. The gender is feminine as the Greek eta is substituted with the Latin feminine ending -a.
Pintoichthys is derived from the family name of Olivério Mario de Oliveira Pinto, editor of the Arquivos de Zoologia do Estado de São Paulo, who edited Fowler’s Os peixes de agua doce do Brasil (1948-1954), and ichthys, the Greek word for fish.

Geographical distribution

Cis-Andean tropical South America, including the Orinoco, Amazon and Paraguay drainages, parts of the Paraná in Argentina, the middle-lower Uruguay, the Tocantins, the Parnaíba, the Morichal Largo in Venezuela, the Caeté and Capim near Belém, and coastal Guianan drainages. There are no records from Trinidad or higher altitudes. The genus is poorly represented in the Amazon tributaries draining the Brazilian and Guianas highlands

Natural history

To be added.

Local names

To be added.

References

FOWLER, H.W. 1954. Os peixes de agua doce do Brasil. Volume II. Archos Zool. S. Paulo, 9: 1-400.
KOSLOWSKI, I. 2002. Die Buntbarsche Amerikas. Band 2: Apistogramma & Co.. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, 318 pp.
KULLANDER, S.O. 1980. A taxonomical study of the genus Apistogramma Regan, with a revision of Brazilian and Peruvian species (Teleostei: Percoidei: Cichlidae). Bonner Zoologische Monographien, 14: 1-152.
KULLANDER, S.O. 1986. Cichlid fishes of the Amazon River drainage of Peru. Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, 431 pp.
KULLANDER, S.O. 1987. A new Apistogramma species from the Rio Negro in Brazil and Venezuela. Zool. Scr., 16: 259-270.
MEINKEN, H. 1962. Eine neue Apistogramma-Art aus dem mittleren Amazonas-Gebiet, zugleich mit dem Versuch einer Übersicht über die Gattung. Senckenberg. biol., 43: 137-143.
REGAN, C.T. 1906. A revision of the South-American cichlid genera Retroculus, Geophagus, Heterogramma, and Biotoecus. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (7), 17: 49-66.
REGAN, C.T. 1913. Fishes from the River Ucayali, Peru, collected by Mr. Mounsey. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (8), 12: 281-283.
RÖMER, U. 1997. Diagnoses of two new dwarf cichlids (Teleostei: Perciformes) from Peru, Apistogramma atahualpa and Apistogramma panduro n. spp. Buntbarsche Bulletin 182: 9-14.
Apistogramma arua sp.n. (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae), a new species of dwarf cichlid from the Rio Arapiuns system, Para State, Brazil. Aqua, 3: 45-54. -->