The Central Scene Issue 6

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Issue # 6

Taxonomy and Aquarium Observation of

Vieja melanura

Herichthys cyanoguttatus variations

Plus much more inside 1


Hello and welcome to issue 6 of the Central Scene, the only magazine dedicated to North & Central American cichlids. This could potentially be the last magazine of the series, but since publishing the magazine into a proper paper copy, I am deciding to have second thoughts. Maybe there is the potential for the magazine to become a regularly published hobbyist journal? Certainly to go forward, I would need contributions from regular authors , both from professional and armature level. However, this is something I would need to think and plan accordingly. If you have any suggestions how we could take the magazine forward, please post your thoughts onto the Facebook page. Right, onto cichlids... We have a few interesting cichlid articles for this issue. Francisco Gutiérrez Franco reports from Nuevo León México documenting possible variations of H. cyanoguttatus. Next Sam Borstien gives a detailed description of Amatitlania siquia including care and spawning of the beautiful convict cichlid from the Nicoya Peninsula. This issues biotope aquarium includes an easy 4 step guide to setting up an contemporary rock-scape for Cryptoheros sp. ‘honduras red point’. You will see that both cichlids included within the issue have or are going through taxonomy revisions. Name assigning is generally based upon opinion for many; some regard Amatitlania invalid and a junior synonym of Cryptoheros? You will see throughout the articles included; both names are used respectively. Saludos, Lee Nuttall Advertising Rates Full Page £80.00 Half Page £40.00 Notes for Contributors If you would like to contribute an article or submit any photography work, then please send all work to the editor of The Central Scene at the following email address: centralscenemagazine@talktalk.net Text can be submitted in email draft or sent in Microsoft word doc. All illustrations, drawings and photography work, should be sent separately in high resolution format (jpeg, tiff) and original size if possible. Photographic contributions without text are also welcome. When sending photographic work, Please do not send with a water mark, as authors and photographers are always credited. Articles and images published in the Central Scene remain the intellectual property of the original author, photographer, illustrator, and any work published may not be reprinted without the contributor’s written permission. 2


Contents 4

Herichthys cyanoguttatus variations Francisco Gutiérrez Franco reports from the state of Nuevo León México on H. cyanoguttatus variations

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The Beautiful Quetzal Taxonomy and aquarium observation of Vieja melanura

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Its Chuco Time Sibrand Martens share’s his experience keeping and spawning this underappreciated riverine cichlid

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The Honduras Stream 4 easy steps to creating a contemporary rock-scape based around ‘Honduras red point

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Amatitlania siquia Sam Borstein introduces a beautiful convict cichlid from the Nicoya Peninsula

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Cichlid Profiles Amphilophus trimaculatus

The views expressed in Central Scene are those of the individual(s) concerned and not necessarily those of the editor. While every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy, the editor and its contributors disclaim all liability for any loss, injury or other problem arising from the use of information contained herein. The Central Scene © copyright of Lee Nuttall 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any information retrieval system, in any form or by any means, without the express permission of the copyright holders. 3


The River systems in the state of Nuevo León México, is possibly a hot bed of evolution… Francisco Gutiérrez Franco reports….

© Francisco Gutiérrez Franco 4


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Recent taxonomy studies has confused the status of a favourite cichlid in the Central American hobby…. the colourful Quetzal cichlid…Lee Nuttall explains more… The Quetzal cichlid, Vieja melanura is one of the most fantastically colourful fish to graze the Central American cichlid hobby. A highly variable fish, many boast different colouration and markings, to a point where our most favourable name V. synspila has taken a back seat and become a junior synonym! Vieja melanura was originally described as Heros melanurus by Albert Günther in 1862, the type locality for this fish is given as Lago Petén, Guatemala. These were based on 5 syntypes specimens

belonging to the Natural History Museum (London), from Fredrick Godman and Osbert Salvin collection from Central America. Carl Hubbs later went on to describe Vieja synspila in 1935 and originally pointed out its close resemblance with Vieja maculicauda. It was only later that Hubbs quickly pointed out the close relationship between V. synspila and V. melanura, in that the caudal bar has a downward slope in synspila and straight in melanura; colour comparisons are not mentioned at this point. 6


Vieja melanura, red headed morph, a beautiful population from Rio Sarstun, Belize.

Distribution Range

Map © Google Taxonomy It was only later that McMahan et al 2011 released a paper detailing the systematic morphological study of the two fish entitled “Paraneetroplus synspilus is a junior synonym of Paraneetroplus melanurus”. This study was based on some 25 meristic, morphometric, and geometric morphometric characters. This was quite a comprehensive study using the holotypes of both V. synspila and V. melanura as well a 253 specimens collected and identified as both fish respectively. The study concludes that using all available characters, they failed to recover diagnostic differences between these two forms, therefore a redescription of V. melanura is provided and V. synspila now becomes a junior synonym. According to rules set out by The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature; the older fish (V. melanura) prevails. Many still put forward the argument based on two morphological points…body shape and colour. Some say the difference is quite clear because the Lago Petén fish by all accounts are slimmer and orange and the Grijalva-Usumacinta fish have a pinkish coloured head with blue/yellow un-paired fins and have a thicker profile. This is true to a point, but hardly conclusive as there is much variability throughout the fish’s distribution range.

Günther original description of V. melanura was very brief, only describing that the fish displays a deep black bar going along the length from the caudal base. Length or angles aren’t mentioned in the description of the caudal bar, so comparing Hubbs description that V. melanura has a less downward slope than V. synspila, would be a little unfounded! A straight or sloped caudal bar is hardly a solid enough trait to separate a fish into two different species?

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A dorsal pointed edge will develop in males, also I have noted when fish are sexually active, males eyes are blue while females develop yellow; this is present in all populations I have kept. V. melanura are substrate spawners, but will also use caves such as flowerpots. The spawning process is no different from other Central American cichlids; bi parental care is expected with the fry becoming free swimming in around 8 days. Parental squabbling was observed in my aquarium to a point where both fish were separated for their safety; this behaviour seemed to be more frequent when the male became mature. However, there are many positive reports of pairs living and spawning in harmony, I guess it’s a matter of weighing the pros and cons. In a community setup, V. melanura can have diverse behaviour patterns. I have kept both placid and very aggressive fish. Like many centrals it will always be better to buy fish from juveniles; this .

Male

Female

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This aquascape uses a drop water level representing a shallow river bank or Creek

helps the fish to grow and establish pecking orders. However, like I mentioned previously, a large spawning pair can quickly dominate a community tank, so careful planning is needed if you plan to keep the fish long term.

References: G端nther, Albert C. L. G. 1862. "Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum. Catalogue of the Acanthopterygii, Pharyngognathi and Anacanthini in the collection of the British Museum". Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum London. Vol 4; i-xxi + 1-534

Conclusion V. melanura are fantastic fish to keep and can be a challenge. Sadly this species has been abused by the hybrid brigade where many fish available are mixed with different Paratheraps and Vieja species, to a point where many are bland ugly looking fish; a far cry from the beautiful natural populations that are sometimes offered. They are out there thanks to the efforts of responsible fishkeepers; grab them if you can find them they are well worth keeping!

Regan, Charles Tate. 1905. "A revision of the fishes of the American cichlid genus Cichlosoma and of the allied genera". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. (Ser. 7) vol. 16; pp 60-77; 225243; 316-340; 433-445 McMahan, Caleb D.. 2011. "Paraneetroplus synspilus is a junior synonym of Paraneetroplus melanurus (Teleostei: Cichlidae)". Zootaxa. (n. 2833), pp. 1-14 Artigas Azas, Juan Miguel. 2013. "The Quetzal quest". Practical Fiskeeping. v. 2014(n. 1), pp. 3437 9


Additional notes and translation by Sibrand Martens and Lee Nuttall

Photo Š Lee Nuttall 10


Its

Chuco

Time!

Sibrand Martens share’s his experience keeping and spawning this underappreciated riverine cichlid

Chuco intermedium belongs to a group of rheophilic fish where there are two other members assigned to the complex, C. godmanni and C. microphthalmus (type specimen). FernĂĄndez YĂŠpez, erected the genus in 1969; however Sven Kullander 1996 proposed Vieja as a new genus to assign the fish too. Over the years they have moved in and out of different genera including Theraps, where they may possibly find themselves again? A recent study, McMahan et al 2010, constructed a molecular phylogeny of 90 species of cichlids and found that all members assigned to the Chuco complex are in fact most closely related to the Theraps genus. A suggested review of species is proposed, so time will tell if Chuco intermedium is in fact Theraps intermedium?

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Biotope and nature aquariums have grown in popularity over the last few years, especially among keepers of Central American cichlid. With all the information, film and images available on the internet, hobbyists can learn more about the fish they keep and the natural habitat they live in — helping to re-create as natural an environment as possible. Many new to the Central American cichlid scene sometimes have the misconception that all cichlids representing the hobby are large fish that need

Aquarium details Tank size: 90 - 120 cm x 55 x 44 cm Lighting: 1 T8 freshwater lamp Background: Black paper Filtration: External fluval 209 filter Decorative materials: Play sand mixed with a fine gravel mix of different grades. Large River rocks, cobbles and beech tree branches. Other substrate can be used such as pool filter sand. 12


Cryptoheros sp. ‘honduras red point’ pair in their rocky inspired Honduras stream tank

huge tanks. This isn’t always the case and there is a great little genus of cichlids called Cryptoheros that are ideal for smaller aquariums. For this display I have chosen a beautiful little cichlid that is still un-described called ‘honduras red point’.

You are safe to add small groups of fish , as this is the best way to get compatible pairs. However, once a pair has formed, surplus fish will need to be removed. Adding dither fish is always good practice when growing on young fish. Many livebearers will be a good choice and should be introduced a couple of weeks before any cichlids.

Fish species There are 13 described species and 1 undescribed belonging to the Cryptoheros complex. All are quite suitable for this setup as most species will only attain a size up to 4 inch. 13


Sam Borstein Introduction genus Cryptoheros with the type specimen Cryptoheros spilurus, leaving Archocentrus spinosissimus and Archocentrus centrarchus as its only members (Herotilapia multispinosa) was later moved to this genus). In 2007 Schmitter-Soto described the genus Amatitlania for convict cichlids. He also described three new species of Amatitlania to join the well-known Amatitlania nigrofasciatus. These three species were Amatitlania coatepeque, Amatitlania kanna, and Amatitlania siquia. Of these species, Amatitlania siquia will be the focus of this article. Amatitlania siquia has the largest range of all the convict cichlids and occurs from Honduras to

One of the reasons I am so drawn to keeping cichlids is their fantastic parental behaviour. Convict cichlids were one of the first Central American species I kept and are perhaps one of the finest examples of the length to which parental cichlids will go to take care of their young. The taxonomic nomenclature regarding convict cichlids has been in flux in recent years and while the purpose of this article is not to address the current taxonomic state, some information on the subject is necessary which I will briefly discuss it here. Convict cichlids and their relatives were for many years classified under the genus Archocentrus. This changed in 2001 when Allgayer described the

Amatitlania siquia “Rio Cabuyo� is a cave spawner like its relatives. For bigger pairs, a large flowerpot provides a fantastic spawning site. 14


Female Amatitlania siquia “Rio Cabuyo” have intense gold coloration in their abdomen and unpaired fins.

While guarding eggs and fry Amatitlania siquia “Rio Cabuyo” will display much stronger barring and lose much of their gold coloration as seen on this female.

Costa Rica. The species name is in reference to the type locality, the Rio Siquia in Nicaragua. As with many species with an expansive range, there is quite a bit of variation. While males vary slightly in the amount of ventral coloration and fin coloration between localities, females are far more diverse. There is extensive variation in abdominal coloration of female convict cichlids which can range anywhere from red to yellow. Amatitlania siquia “Rio Cabuyo”: The population of Amatitlania siquia I will discuss in this article is from the Rio Cabuyo of the Nicoya Peninsula in Northwest Costa Rica. The peninsula is separated by the Cordillera Guanacaste mountain range to East. The river in which this population is found, as well as many of the rivers in the area, are quite variable and depending on the weather can quickly go from a slow meandering river to a rapidly moving torrent. Like almost all of the rivers in Costa Rica it is void of aquatic plants except for the few terrestrial plants that overhang the bank. The river has plenty of boulders and sunken logs adorning the mostly gravel bottom. Other species

found alongside Amatitlania siquia in the Rio Cabuyo include cichlids such as Astatheros alfari, Astatheros longimanus, Neetroplus nematopus, and Parachromis dovii. Species such as Astyanax fasciatus and Poecilia gilli, which are found in almost everybody of water, are also present in the Rio Cabuyo as well as Awaous and Sicydium gobies. I received my Amatitlania siquia from Terrance Lee, a UCLA graduate student who had finished a study on these fish. After completing the study, Terrance donated the fish to the Coleman Evolutionary Ecology of Fishes Lab at California State University, Sacramento, where I study. Terrance collected the fish in Costa Rica and was studying ornamentation of females and sexual selection of the Amatitlania siquia from this location. More on Terrence’s research can be found in the Buntbarsche Bulletin #231 (2005). The fish I received from Terrence were adult wild fish.. The Amatitlania siquia from the Rio Cabuyo as well as other populations found on the Nicoya Peninsula differ in coloration significantly from other Amatitlania siquia 15


Etymology: Means three spots; tri = three, maculated = spotted. Common name: Three spot cichlid, Trimac cichlid Size: Males are larger and can attain sizes up to 35cm/ 14 inch, females smaller around 22cm/ 9 inch. Distribution: Quite a widespread distribution range on the Pacific slopes from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador to Honduras. Noted locality is the Pacific side of Mexico at the Rio Tehuantepec where they live sympatric with Amphilophus macracanthus and Paratheraps zonatus.

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Distribution Range

Map Š Google 17


If we are to keep them in a community display tank, then careful consideration should be taken when choosing compatible species. Although A. trimaculatus live sympatric in different habitats with A. macracanthus, Parachromis montaguensis and Paratheraps zonatus, I wouldn’t personally mix these species together, but only in the largest display aquariums! However, small to medium sized cichlids would be quite suitable. Some suggestions for biotope correct species could be Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus, Cryptoheros spilurus and Astatheros longimanus. All are quite suitable and should be added together to establish pecking orders. If biotope correct species aren’t your thing, then other small to medium

sized cichlids can be used. I believe you will see a reduction in A. trimaculatus notorious aggressive behaviour, if they perceive themselves as the dominant fish without too much competition. Of course spawning pairs will possibly bring other problems to the community tank. Biotope correct dither fish could be a problem due to predation, however, shoals of large disc characins have noted to be quite suitable and able to deter unwanted interactions from large predatory cichlids. If you can find pure stock, I highly recommend keeping them in a large community or as a showpiece pair in a large aquarium.

An adult female displaying the beginnings of pre-spawning colouration

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A wild female taken in the Rio Los Perros, Mexico

Female with free swimmers

Š Alain Koehl

Š George Markadakis

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Lee Nuttall

A pair of Cryptoheros panamensis in the beginnings of spawning, the female is the lower fish. A feisty little dwarf cichlid from Panama. Many offered to the aquarium trade are the red variety. In my opinion, they can be a little susceptible to bloat when small, so provide a stress free aquarium, with light feeding until established. Some are of the opinion that C. panamensis have little in common with the Cryptoheros complex, especially if we compare them to the type specimen Cryptoheros spilurus. This could possibly see the fish re-classified to another complex or a separately erected one in the future?

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