A team from the guyane wild fish society goes in search of lithoxus catfish among rapids in french guiana, south america.
The Mana river, the third larges river in French Guiana, is 430 km long, has a catchment of 12,000 square km and 99 rapids (locally named ‘saut’). Among the 170 species occurring in the river, one in particular is sought after — Lithoxus stocki — which belongs to the Loricariidae family, the most diverse catfish family in the world.
The genus Lithoxus includes eight described species, a few undescribed species and certainly more to be discovered. Lithoxus species are externally characterised by a strongly dorsoventrally depressed body and a large round oral disc.
They inhabit mostly fast-moving water and seem to subsist entirely on a diet of insect larvae. All species occur in rivers of the Guiana shield. Three species are listed from French Guiana: L. planquettei in all rivers, L. boujardi on the East (Oyapock, Approuague and Comté rivers), and L. stocki on the West (Maroni and Mana rivers). One specimen of a new species was collected in 2012 in a small tributary of the Oyapock river. The colour pattern was similar to the L. pallidimaculatus from Surinam. A few inventories were conducted in adjacent streams but no more specimens were found.
A few years ago a population of Lithoxus was discovered by the Guyane Wild Fish society (GWF) on Grand Laussat creek, a small tributary of Mana River, well known to South American cichlid keepers for its beautiful population of Guianacara owroewefi. As specimens of Lithoxus stocki were needed for refining the phylogeny of the Lithoxus genus, five members of GWF took part in an expedition on Grand Laussat creek to collect some.
Through the jungle
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Denne historien er fra March 2017-utgaven av Practical Fishkeeping.
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The Emperor's Other Clothes
While the Emperor tetra has been a popular aquarium fish for several decades, it has a close cousin whose gorgeous glittering colours arguably should have made it the favourite of the family…
Give The Snake A Break!
When it comes to snakeheads, myths and misinformation abound. Here are some of the key facts that people get wrong when considering these fascinating fish, including that one about size…
You Can Grow Plants
If you’re a newcomer, or you’re on a small budget, you might think creating an attractive planted set-up is out of your reach. But with the right choice of plants and a few key aquascaping techniques, anyone can have a beautiful aquarium!
Fast Flow Flat Cats
A team from the guyane wild fish society goes in search of lithoxus catfish among rapids in french guiana, south america.
Oata Bridges The Hobby Gap To Address New Legislation Proposals
In July, OATA chief executive Dominic Whitmee hosted the first ‘Fishkeeping stakeholder meeting’ at the DEFRA headquarters in London. Practical Fishkeeping’s Nathan Hill was there to offer his input.
(Stop The) Fight Club
African cichlids are notorious for turning on each other, but can enrichment broker in a peace treaty? One college decided to look into it — with surprising results.
Gold Leaf Aquarium
This community tank is based around a Guyana stream and includes some of the most popular fish in the hobby.
The Beast Of Suriname
Into your catfish? Check out this selection of rarities spotted on a recent shoptour, beginning with the beauty below — a fish we think someone should snap up for the ultimate river biotope.
Wrasse With Class!
Sneaky, cockerel and cryptic — meet a group of small, colourful wrasse and discover why it’s not just their names that make them interesting!
Deal With Cuts, Scrapes And Minor Injuries
Tetra’s Dave Hulse looks at how the skin and fins of your fish can become damaged and what to do to help the healing process.