The fish was, as the heading says, described by Dr. Kullander in 1986 from Peru. This year when he made this new genus, he described twelve new Bujurquina all from Peru. Bujurquina syspilus was already described by Cope, 1872 as Acara syspilus.
Fishes in the genus Bujurquina is not so easy to separate from each other. But there are differences in the shape and the stripe or spot on the lower part of the cheek. We can't say there are big differences in the color. The fish on the photo was collected in Ecuador in 1987, and checking with Dr.Kullanders book "Cichlid fishes of the Amazon drainage of Peru 1986, made me think this was Bujurquina perigrinabunda. When I spoke with Dr. Kullander which had received conserved material of the fish, he said; Everything seems to match his description of Bujurquina perigrinabunda, except for one thing. My fish had small green dots on the cheek, but the fishes in the material he based his description on did not have this. So in the meantime if this will be clear, I use quotation mark on the name "perigrinabunda" (See photo).
The Bujurquinas are called delayed mothbrooders. It's because the fish spawne in a manner like the substrate spawners. In their natural environment they usually prefere to spawne on leaves.
Bujurquina sp. peregrinabunda female with eggs on the oak leave.
Here you see the Bujurquina sp. with the leave with
egg.
Photo Alf Stalsberg
This gives the fish som advantage, if the fish feel insecure, it takes the leave with eggs on and transport it to a safer place. If the water level in the river suddenly drop too, the fish can carry the eggs out to deeper water.
The eggs hatch after 48 hours and then one of the fish usually the female in the beginning, picks up the newly hatched fry and takes them into her mouth. This job is shared by both fishes, when you feed the fish, one of the fish eat first, then the other fish is spitting out the fry on the sand in front of the other, and this fish takes the fry up into the mouth.
This goes on for about one week, then the frys is ready for the world. Click on the photo and you see how the fry wanted to get into the mouth when they was scared when I came with the camera.
Bujurquina vittatus with fresh fry out and the fry try to get in when I show up with the camerae.
Bujurquina sp.vittatus. Photo Alf Stalsberg
Then I feed the fry with newly hatched brine shrimps, after about a week I start feeding the fry with some crushed flake food too. The fry will when they are scared try to get into the mouth to one of the parent fish. But after about a week the parents can't get all the frys into their mouth, so they just guard the fry like ordinary substrat spawners. This behavier goes for all the Bujurquinas, and this is fish I highly recommend. You might not find species of Bujurquina often in the shops, but if you do, buy them.
Bujurquina oenolaemus.
Male of Bujurquina with fry in mouth, notice the swollen throat.
Female
of Bujurquina oenolaemus.
Bujurquina oenolaemus is coming from Bolivia, most of the Bujurquina is described from Peru, but there is several Bujurquina in Colombia, and Ecuador and also in other countries, and I think there is more to come. The fish is rather easy to keep, good waterquality, a good diet and temperature around 26 degrees celsius.
Here
is fry being have been out for about a week, and they are not taken up in the
mouth anymore. I feed them with newly hatched brine shrimps.
Bujurquina apoparuana
Bujurqina apoparuana males in a little different view. These males are not fully adult, they are about 6 cm. The Bujurquina does not belong to the most colorful fish, but they are still nice and interesting.
MORE INFO ABOUT Bujurquinas will come.