Cyprinidae: Papiliochromis Ramirezi Pelvicachromis

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Papiliochromis Ramirezi Pelvicachromis

The genus Apistogramma is among the most speciose of South American cichlid genera with around 70 species valid at present but many more awaiting description. In addition many species exist in two or more geographical colour forms which may or may not turn out to be distinct in the future. Hobbyists tend to label these with collection data if available in order to avoid mixing them and the potential of hybridisation.

Member species have also been organised into a series of species lineages, complexes and groups by authors in order to better separate them. Such lists have been augmented by fish that have appeared in the aquarium trade and are in a state of near-constant flux. The A. trifasciata sublineage, for example, is ordered within the larger A. trifasciata lineage and comprises the A. arua, A. brevis, A. cacatuoides, A. atahualpa, A. nijsseni and A. trifasciata species groups.