GENUS
Aequidens and "Aequidens"
Text
and photos by Alf Stalsberg unless otherwise indicated.
Aequidens has
long been a group that they have placed fish with three anal spine and
had an appearance looking like Aequidens from South America. There have
been fish that even amateurs have seen that this can not be right. So
when Dr Sven O. Kullander came with his revision of the Genus Cichlasoma
in 1983 he also made a revision of the Genus Aequidens. He split it
into several groups which later was new Genus. CLEITHRACARA, Kullander
& Nijssen 1989. LAETACARA, Kullander 1986. KROBIA, Kullander &
Nijssen 1989. GUIANACARA, Kullander & Nijssen 1989. BUJURQUINA,
Kullander 1986. TAHUANTINSUYOA, Kullander 1986.
The
known Aequidens and the doubtful "Aequidens".
There
are still several new Aequidens that will come and hopefully the different
Aequidens species will be described.
Well when I find time, I will lay out new
information about my dear Aequidens. I have collected several Aequidens
and with good help from fish friends I have got my hands on several
other Aequidens. Under here you can click on the names and jump directly
to the fish you want to see and read about.
Latest news: There has been published
a new Genus where many of our old Aequidens have moved to. The new Genus
is Andinoacara and came out this year 2009. One of our Aequidens sp.
have also been described.
If you want to read the description,
just follow this link:
www.vertebrate-zoology.de/vz59-2/02_Vertebrate_Zoology_59-2_Musilova.pdf
- Andinoacara biseriatus, (Regan 1913).
- Andinoacara coeruleopunctatus, (Kner
& Steindachner 1863).
- Ae. chimantanus, Inger 1956.
- Ae. diadema, (Heckel 1840).
- Ae. epae, Kullander 1995.
- Ae. gerciliae, Kullander 1995.
- Andinoacara latifrons, (Steindachner,
1879
- Ae. metae, Eigenmann 1922.
- Ae. michaeli, Kullander 1995.
- Ae. patricki, Kullander 1984.
- Ae. paloemeuensis, Kullander & Nijssen 1989
- Ae. plagiozonatus, Kullander 1984.
- Krobia potaroensis, Eigenmann,
1912
- Andinoacara pulcher (Gill, 1858)
- Andinoacara rivulatus (Gunther
1859)*
- Ae. rondoni
- Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum,
Peru) **
- Andinoacara aequinoctalis (Goldsaum,
Ecuador- Nord Peru) ***
- Andinoacara sapayensis (Regan,
1903)
- Andinoacara sp. Maracaibo
- Ae. tetramerus, (Heckel
1840).
- Ae. tubicen, Kullander & Ferreira
1990.
- Ae. viridis, (Heckel 1840).
- Ae.spec."Rio
Atabapo"
- Aequidens.
sp. "Jenaro Herrera"
You can enlarge the photo by clicking on it.
Andinoacara
rivulatus (Günther,1859)
Photo: A. Stalsberg
Andinoacara
( Aequidens) rivulatus was described by Günther in 1859. This fish
comes from western part of Ecuador and I have collect the fish in tributaries
to Rio Esmeralda and north of Rio Esmeralda. I'm not certain of how
fare north it could be found, but maybe as fare north as Rio Cayapes,
and maybe in Rio Sapayensis and Rio Santiago. Material from these places
is probably markt as Andinoacara (Aequidens) sapayensis, and could be
synonym to Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus. I think it need a further
investigation to find how fare the Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus
is going north.
I collect the fish first time in 1987 in a small river about 24 km west
of Quininde (Rosa Zarate) in Ecuador. The material I collected was deliver
to the Nat. Hist. Mus. in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Kullander compare my
material with Günters material in London and said that the fish
I had collected near Quininde was the true Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus.
Photo A. Stalsberg
A young male.
There is a ridge who goes from the Andes
and west to Esmeralda. On this ridge you find the town Santo Domingo
de Los Colorados. Rivers south of this ridge end into other rivers like
Rio Daule and ends into the Golf of Guyaquil. This river system is called
Guyas riversystem. In these rivers you find a fish we have also been
called Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus. This fish came on the market
in the end of seventies. Most of the people thought this was the fish
Günter described in 1859 from Ecuador.
I was not agree in this, and more I worked
with these fishes, and more I learned abouth theme, I was more and more
certain that the fish we called "Aequidens" sp. Goldsaum was
not Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus.
So fare,no-one has done anything before
this year. It started with the publication of a new Genus and that was
Andinoacara. It's more than twenty years since this fish showed up on
the market, and now we will get the right name for the fish.
Andinoacara stalsbergi
(Silbersaum). Zuzana
Musilova, Ingo Schindler and Dr. Wolfang Staeck.
2009.
The new Genus and the description
of this fish, was done by; Zuzana Musilova, Ingo Schindler
and Dr. Wolfang Staeck. Description of Andinoacara stalsbergi
sp.n. (Teleostei; Cichlidae; Cichlasomatini) from Pasific coastal rivers
in Peru, and annotations on the phylogeny of the Genus.
** This fish comes from Peru, and in Europe we
called the fish Aequidens sp. Silbersaum. It was Dr. Lüling who
collect the fish for the first time in 1972 and sent 2000 fish to USA,
the fish came later to Europe and I got my first fish in 1975 from a
friend (Jan Carlen) from Haugesund. Then it was sold as "Aequidens"
rivulatus too.
When the Andinoacara aequinoctalis (Aequidens sp. Goldsaum) enter the
market in the end of seventies, it looks like everyone had forgotten
the Silbersaum from Peru and they called this new one from Ecuador "Aequidens"
rivulatus. I was not agree, because I still had the Aequidens sp. Silbersaum
( Green Terror) from Peru. But of course I could not be sure, I was
right.
Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum).
Photo
A. Stalsberg 
Here we are collecting in a biotope in Rio
Pisco in the dry season, not much water, just ponds down here. And we
have got some boys as “assistant”. You should not stay long
on a place before we got spectators.
Here is the lower part of Rio Pisco, and when you look
at the opening crossing below the road, and then you understand it’s
a lot of water passing in the rain season.

A very nice fish, we drove higher up in the river and
we found a nice place called, Puente Bernales. There were more water
and there we found the fish again.
This was a nice biotope by the Puente Bernales
and there was lots of fish. There was a large male,
he was the "Boss",but
he was too smart for me and I could not get him in the net, but we collect
many small ones.
The female
of Andinoacara stalsbergi is beautiful, can't say anything else.
I have
worked hard with these fish since then, and as a result of this, I went
on my first trip to Ecuador in 1987. I collect the fish from Quininde
as I mention earlier, but I did not know then what I had collect. The
dead material was sent to to Dr Sven O. Kullander. I did not know then
that I had collected the true Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus, partly
since I did not bring with me live speciemen. Only the dead fish was
sent to Stockholm to Dr Sven O. Kullander.
I went
back to Ecuador in 1989 and collect in the rivers south of Guyaquil
and also south of Machala. The nearest town was La Avanzada and I followed
the road to Balsas and passed Rio Arenillas. There I collect Andinoacara
aequinoctalis (Aequidens sp. Goldsaum) and Cichlasoma festae. The last
week I went up to the biotope near Quininde, and manage to collect and
bring back home Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus, but still I did not
know that this fish was the true Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus.
The
fish grow up to be really nice fish and I started to compare the fish
with the other, I was bothering Dr Kullander and asked him if he had
compare my material from Ecuador with the other. It took some year,
but in a combination trip to London, he took the time to check Günters
material. And then he told me that it was quite certain that I had the
real Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus. I went to Ecuador again in 1991,
1993 and in 2003.
So
then it was the Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum) from Peru, what
was the distribution for this fish? I went to Peru in 1994 to find this
out. Dr Patrick de Rham went with me together with some friends. To
make this short, we found out the distribution for the Andinoacara stalsbergi
(Silbersaum). We found that the most southern part we found the fish
was Rio Pisco. When I talked with Professor Hernan Ortega Torres the
head of the Nat. Hist. Museum in Lima, he said that they had not found
the Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum) further south. So then we flew
up to northern Peru to Tumbes, to see how far north the distribution
was. We started in Rio Tumbes where we only collect the Andinoacara
aequinoctalis (Goldsaum), we did not collect any Andinoacara stalsbergi
(Silbersaum) there. So we went up to Rio Zarumilla and collect on several
places, but still only the Andinoacara aequinoctalis (Goldsaum), and
also in a small tributary called Rio Faical we collected Andinoacara
aequinoctalis (Goldsaum) .
I
wanted to check rivers we would pass on our way south, to see if we
could find Andinoacara aequinoctalis together with the Andinoacara stalsbergi
in the same river. But all the rivers south from Tumbes were dry, no
water at all. Vi did not find any rivers with water before we came to
a small village about one hour north of Piura. Rest of the land from
Tumbes down to Pueblo Mallares was desert, only oil pumps working.
There
we did collect our first Andinoacara stalsbergi north of Lima, but sad
to say so, also Tilapia.
Tetras
like Rhodsia latipinna, Brycon, Lebiasina, Bryconamericanus peruanes,
Pseudocurimata and Guppy. Water temperature was 22.5*C. pH 8.2, dH 31,
kH 15 and 1850 microsiemens. We went the day after up to a place called
Tambo Grande, we was passing Sullana and collect fish in every river
we crossed. In all the rivers we collected Andinoacara stalsbergi.
I
had also collect material to the Nat. Hist. Museum in Stockholm and
the material was from fra Rio Cañete and Rio Pisco in the south.
Dr Kullander said he wanted material from the southern part. He had
material from the northern part, north of Lima. He also meant that there
was small differences between Andinoacara stalsbergi from the south
and north.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andinoacara biseriatus (C.Tate Regan 1913)
Andinoacara
biseriatus male. Photo A. Stalsberg
Andinoacara biseriatus female in breeding colors.
Photo Alf Stalsberg
When Regan described this fish in 1913, he did not call it Aequidens,
but Cichlosoma biseriatum. The fish was collect by Mr Spurell, and the
fish came from the Province Choco in Colombia. This Province lay in
the west part of Colombia up to the border of Panama. The type locality
is from Rio Condoto, and this is a tributary to Rio San Juan.
My personal experience is that the fish is to be found in many
rivers out there, not only in Rio San Juan, but also tributaries to
Rio Atrato. I collect the fish in a little river along the road to Tado,
but also around near Istmina and along the Pan American "Highway"
from the village Panamericana (Las Animas) and also in a small river
called Rio Tirado. This river was a tributary to Rio Quito which ended
into Rio Atrato.
The fish grow to about 10 to 12 cm. in total lentgh. My biggest
male was about 10 cm. The female is a little smaller. The color is not
so easy to explain, so I hope the photos will give you the impression
of the fish. When they spawn, the female becomes nearly black. But if
you have seen adult fish, you will easily recognise the fish, away from
other Aequidens.
In my aquarium the fish use a flat piece of stone to spawn on,
but I've also had fish spawning on a broad leaf from a Swordplant. I've
not tried to put dry oakleaves in the aquarium to see if they would
spawn on the leaves like the Bujurquina.
Left photo shows a male with fry. The right photo is a newly collected
fish in his daily colors.
A pair with Andinoacara coeruleopunctatus in spawning mode colors. Photos
A. Stalsberg
This fish was first described by Kner & Steindachner
as Acara coeruleopunctatus, and have later been described by several
scientist as Pellegrin 1904, Regan in 1905, Meek & Hildebrand in
1919 and again by Regan in 1913 as Cichlosoma (Æquidens)
coeruleopunctatus and as Aequidens coeruleopunctatus,
Eigenmann 1913.
This fish has also been described under different
names. So it's plenty scientific material about this fish. Typelocality
was Rio Chagres in the Canal Zonen in Panama. But I'm not certain in
which part of the river. Rio Chagres start up in the mountains and end
into Lago Alajuela, from there it ends into Lago Gatun near Gamboa.
And on the other side of Lago Gatun close to the Locks by Gatun, the
river there is also called Rio Chagres. But since I was in Panama a
month in February 1996 and collect Andinoacara coeruleopunctatus
many places, it was almost all over. We found the fish everywhere in
the Canal Zone, and also in every river we was collecting on our way
down to Yaviza and all the rivers around Yaviza, like Rio Chucunaque,
Rio Tupisa a tributarie to Rio Chucunaque, in Rio Chico and in small
streams. We found it in nearly every river up to the border to Costa
Rica.
But we did not find it on the other side of the
mountains on the Atlantic Slope in Boca del Toro in Rio Guarumo. When
I was study the fish in the water, I could not see any differences in
the fish from Yaviza and around David. The only thing was that the fish
from close to the Costa Rico border had better color. So I brought back
new blood.
There is something else too that puzzle me,
a fish they I have been keeping for several years, and that we call
it Andinoacara (Aequidens) sapayensis. I got the fish from a friend
in Denmark and he got the fish from Germany, and they called it Andinoacara
(Aequidens) sapayensis. The name comes from the Rio Sapayo in north
west Ecuador a tributary to Rio Cayapes. So far I have not been in this
river, but I will. But back to what puzzles me, is that the fish we
call Andinoacara (Aequidens) coeruleopunctatus, reminds me of
a fish that we call Aequidens sapayensis. But since I had not collect
the fish myself, I was not certain where the fish came from. So the
material that I collect in Panama have been sent to Nat. Hist. Museum
in Stockholm to Dr Kullander, so we must wait until Dr Kullander have
time to check the fish.og så må vi nok bare vente til Dr
Kullander har tid til å sjekke fisken.Andinoacara
(Aequidens) coerulepunctatus is a easy fish to keep and breed, so
I can highly recommend the fish.
Aequidens
epae. Kullander, 1995.
A male Aequidens epae. Photo A. Stalsberg
This Aequidens belong to our newer fish. I know that Rainer Stawikowski
collect the fish in Brazil in Rio Tapajòs in 1992, so the fish
was in the collection at the Museum for not so long before it was described
by Dr. Kullander in August 1995 and the paper was published in "Ichthyological
Exploration of Freshwaters" Volum 6 no. 2.
He described three species and the other two was Aequidens gerciliae,
Aequidens epae and Aequidens michaeli. Aequidens
michaeli is here on my website already, because I got the fish
in 1990. But Aequidens epae was new to me, and probably
for you too.
A female of Aequidens epae. Photo A. Stalsberg
I got the fish from a good friend of mine, namely Ingomar Kranz in
Germany. When I got the fish it look like many of the Aequidens when
they are small. dull color or rather grey, but like many of the fish
they become very nice fish when they grew up. I think that I will not
try to describe the color when the fish grew up or is about to spawn.
I think it's better you look at the photos and make up you own opinion,
but in my eyes they look great.
The biggest fish is a male and my three male is about the same size,
the female is smaller. The fish is easy to keep, a temperature around
26 degrees Celsius, pH around 7 or a little lower. The hardness on the
water is no problem as long as you avoid exstremes, my water is around
2 dH. I feed the fry with newly hatched Artemia, and a good water quality
is also important, and that goes for all fish, and is easily done by
changing water. The fish comes from Brazil and from the Rio Tapajòs
river system. Well then it should not be much more to tell ... and if
you have experience in keeping cichlids from the Genus Aequidens, you
should not have any problem with this fish. The problem is to get the
fish.
"Aequidens" sp. Choco
Photo A. Stalsberg
A half grown Aequidens sp. Choco collected out in the Choco province
in Colombia. This fish can also remind me of the Aequidens coeruleopunctatus,
from Panama.
Photo A. Stalsberg
This is an adult female of "Aequidens" sp.
who was collected out in the Choco province in Colombia. The photo of
the fish was taken in one of my aquariums when she was guarding egg.
Photos does many times not give the fish full credit to the fish, but
I hope you it gives you an idea of the fish. This fish is also placed
in Aequidens pulcher-group. I hope that in the near future that
all Aequidens will get a name, or a new genus. But in
the meantime we can keep and enjoy the fish in our aquarium.
Aequidens metae, Eigenmann, 1922.
Photo A. Stalsberg.
This is an old favorite in the hobby, it's easy to keep, easy to breed,
and eat almost every thing you give him, it's also very tolerant when
it comes to the water. This fish was first described in 1922 by Eigenmann
and was collected in Colombia i Rio Meta riversystem, this have given
the fish it's name. The type locality is Barrigon in Cano Carnicera
and Cumaral.
Other known places is near Villavicencio and Puerto Gaitàn.
The distribution to this fish is bigger than they thought in the begining,
so you will find the fish in slightly differ colors etc. The holotype
that Eigenmann described was 155 mm. and the paratype was 168 mm., but
I've had bigger fish than that. But many fish grow bigger in aquarium,
they usually get food every day, and no predators.
They can eat and enjoy themself in the aquarium. People who does not
know the fish, will easily think of Aequidens tetramerus when
they see Aequidens metae, and there is not that big difference
between thes fishes, especially when the are smaller. If you wish to
read Eigenmanns description there is a lot of information to get. You
just have to visit the Library and ask if they can get you a copy.
Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, Vol. IX, No 1. "The fishes
of Western South America, Part 1. page 241 (Æequidens metæ sp. nov.)
By C. H. Eigenmann,1922.
Aequidens michaeli, Kullander 1995.
Photo
A. Stalsberg
This fish was described not so "long" ago, but I kept the
fish long before it was described and we used name as Aequidens
sp. "Rio Xingu". The fish was brought to Europe from Brazil
in 1988 by Bernd Kilian, Ulrich Schlieven and Rainer Stawikowski. They
had collect the fish in Rio Xingu, near Altamira. So that's why the
fish was called Aequidens sp. "Rio Xingu" in
the begining.
I got some small fry from my friend Rainer Stawikowski in 1990, if
I recall right. The fry were eating good and grew up to some really
nice fish as you can see in the photos. It took some time before they
as adult decide to spawn, but in the end they did. They are not difficult
when it comes to the food, they eat whatever you give them, and that
goes for most of the Aequidens.
Aequidens pallidus,
(Heckel, 1840)
Photo A. Stalsberg
Aequidens pallidus is not well known, and when I got them for the first
time I thought it was Aequidens metae. I was checking different books
and magazines that I had and they said this was Aequidens duopunctata.
But I was not agree in this, because the photos showed another fish.
They grew up and was more than 15 cm, two of the photos shows the first
fish I had. They was changing colors after the mood they was in, and
looking at the photos they can differs a lot. The fish is a substrat
spawner, that means they spawn on a small stone, or on a bogwood or
if they find another material they will use. In older litterature they
say that the fish is a delayed mouth brooder, but I did not get any
confirmation on that the fish was larvophil when I had the fish. I spent
a lot of time in my aquarium room and I think I would have seen it if
they was larvophile. But I did not see any indication that they was
delayed mouth brooders. So I meant I should keep a better eye on the
fish when they was about to spawn, but they did not do that.
So it took many years before I saw the fish again. I got some small
fry from my friend Rainer Stawikowski. But when I visit an importer
in Sweden and when I look thru all his tanks, I came to some large tanks
with several thousand Paracheirodon axelrodi. or we call it Cardinal
neon. Among all these Paracheirodon axelrodi there were som small cichlids.
I asked where the Cardinal neon came from, was it Colobia or was it
Brazil?? He said that the Cardinals was coming from Brazil, and I asked
him if I could buy these small cichlids.?? He said yes. When I came
home and put the fish in a tank, I could see that it was an Aequidens,
but nothing more,they was too small. Well it was just to feed the fish
well and wait until they grow up. And today the biggest fish is around
13 cm., and I'm the owner of Aequidens pallidus again.
So now I just have to be patient and hope the will pair out and lay
eggs. I don't know where in Brazil thes fish are coming from, but in
the literature they say that the fish comes from the lower and middle
of Rio Negro, Rio Preto da Eva, Rio Urubu and other tributaries belonging
to the Rio Negro water system. The fish is not difficult to keep and
it eat most of what you are given them. Earthworms is snack and it will
eat huge amont, and will in the end lay on the bottom and gasp. Temperature
between 25 -30 *C., is good, I've kept the fish with plants too, large
Amazon Sword plants Crinum thaianum Giant Vallisnera and Microsorium.
The fish I have now is a little different in colors, and I will take
new photos to compare with the old ones. As I said earlier the fish
could change a lot in the colors, you will see that from the photos.
The fish I have now does not change so much in the colors, but it's
a beautiful fish.
Aequidens patricki, Kullander 1984.
A. patricki female.
A. patricki male.
Female with egg.
Aequidens patricki is one of the really nice Aequidens, and it has
very nice colors. But ask me why I keep these small "grey"
fish??
The color is not everything when you keep fish, but if it has nice
colors, then this is not a minus, and Aequidens patricki is surch a
fish.
A. patricki comes from Peru in Rio Aguaytia and Rio Pachitea and was
described in 1984. When I read the description with photos ( I got a
copy from Dr. Kullander) I thought that it would go a long time before
this fish would swim in my aquarium, but I got the first fish from a
German fish friend and then quicker than expected.
The fish grow to a size around 11 cm. for the female and about 15 cm.
for the male. This fish could be a little bit more aggressive than many
other Aequidens, special against congeners. But that was no problem,
but the tank need to be at least 150 liter or bigger, and a lot of bogwoods
and rocks to make hidingplaces for the fish that will be chased, then
you can keep several fish together. The fish is rather tolerant when
it comes to the water, but a pH around 7 or lower is good. The dH can
be 0 or up.
Krobia
potaroensis, Eigenmann 1912
A young Krobia potaroensis in the photo tank after we collect
it.
Photo A. Stalsberg.
Krobia potaroensis in the aquarium and it's now around 15 cm.
Photo A. Stalsberg
Krobia (Aequidens) potaroensis is not a common fish
in you local fish shop and neither in the hobby too, I'm not sure I
had had the fish, if I did not go to Guyana to collect the fish, it's
not a common in the shop or in the hobby. It was up in Kamarang in a
small tributary to Rio Mazaruni and the name at the small river was
Kanawee Creek. As you probably can see from the photos, if you enlarge
them it that the water is rather clear, but it was rather chilli, but
if you had this temperature back home, you would probably say that the
water was good, but here in south america it was rather cold, when it's
about 21,7 degrees celsius. When I had been in the water for about a
hour, I had to get up and get warm, because I was shaking. pH was 6,5
and the dH was 2 and kH was 1.
Andinoacara pulcher (Gill 1858).
Aequidens pulcher of uknown origin .
Foto A. Stalsberg
"Aequidens" pulcher ( Gill 1858 ) is one of the
oldest known"Aequidens". This have been one of the cichlids
that many aquarist have started with, when they start with cichlids.
And many still keep this fish. Or they do like me, after awhile I buy
them again, because they are nice fish.
The fish was described by Gill in 1858 and it was not
described as Aequidens, but as Cychlasoma pulchrum from western
part of Trinidad. Later, many other have also described the fish, and
in the end it ended up as "Aequidens" pulcher. And it's placed
in the "Aequidens" pulcher group with several other, "A".
biseriatus (Regan 1913), "A". coeruleopunctatus (Kner &
Steindachner), "A". rivulata, Günther 1859 and"A".
sapayensis (Regan, 1903).
It is obvisily for many of us that we are talking about
more than one specie. But so far I don't know of any scientist working
with these fish. So we must so far keep the different fish appart from
each other so we are not getting bastards.
Just before I collect the Blue Acara.
Here I have the Blue Acara in the bag.
The true Blue Acara fromTrinidad.
Water samples from the biotope.
| ph |
dH |
kH |
Nitrit |
Microsiemens |
Water temp. |
Airt temp. |
| 7,5 |
4 |
7 |
< 0,1 |
270 |
25°C |
31°C |
I went to Trinidad to try to collect the true Andinoacara
(Aequidens) pulcher, we was driving east on the Eastern Highway fom
Port of Spain and the first biotope was just before Aripa. We collect
Guppies, Andinoacara (Aequidens) pulcher, Tetra, Brycon or was it an
Astyanax type, Ancistrus sp., Hypostomus sp.? and Pimelodella/Rhamdia
sp. The water samples you see above.
This fish was sold as Blue Acara, but it's more brown than blue,
but I don't know the origin of this fish.
This little river is a tributary to Rio Cauca and the name is Quebrada
Aurra. We passed this river on our way to Choco. In this river we collected
small fish as we in the beginning thought Aeuidens latifrons.
We collect what we thought was in the beginning was Blue Acara??
But later we came to the conclusion that this was Andinoacara (Aequidens)
latifrons.
This fish was collect in Rio Cauca, and we thought this should be Andinoacara
(Aequidens) latifrons??
Foto: Rainer Stawikowski.
This fish was collected higher up in Rio Cauca near
the City Cali. Rainer Stawikowski says that this is probably Andinoacara
(Aequidens) latifrons.
Where this fish was collected I'm not certain, but it came in on a shipment
from Colombia.
My favorite possition in a small river just before Tutenendo in Choco.
This is the fish I did collect in the small river, just before
Tutenendo on our way to Choco, and we call it Aequidens sp. Choco.
This is a female of the one we collect out in Choco, watching egg in
the aquarium.
Aequidens
rondoni

"Aequidens" sapayensis (Regan, 1903)

A large male of Andinoacara ("Aequidens") sapayensis.
Foto A. Stalsberg.
I got this Andinoacara ("Aequidens") sapayensis from my
good friend in Copenhagen, F. Ingemann Hansen early in the seventies,
and he had got the fish from Germany. The fish had come from a tributary
to Rio Cayapas with the name Rio Sapayo. I don't have a map that is
so detailed that I find it on my map, but it should be close to Rio
Santiago on the west coast of Ecuador close to the city San Lorenzo.
I did not have time to check this out in 2003 and to go out to San Lorenzo,
to find the river Rio Sapayo,but I'm quite sure I'm going to Ecuador
again, in a combination to visit another country.
Female of Andinoacara("Aequidens") sapayensis with eggs.
Photo A. Stalsberg.
This fish might belong to what we called "Aequidens"- pulcher-group,
and can remain a little about "Ae. sp. "Choco" or Andinoacara
latifrons, but you can also compare it with Andinoacara ("Aequidens")
coeruleopunctatus. The fish is easy to keep and is also easy to breed,
but I've not seen the fish for a long time. So we have to find the fish
again and find out if the name is valid or what. So I guess I need to
go to Ecuador again.
The fish on the photo below here was also sold as Blue Acara, but
as you can see the fish is not much blue, but brown. No one remember
where this fish came from?? Now the fish is around 10 cm. and have layed
egg. This fish reminds me of a fish we called Aequidens sapayensis in
the seventies (look at the photo above) I will keep a close watch on
the fish, but it's several things to be sorted out, so I guess Ecuador
here I come. I need to find Rio Sapayo and see if the fish is there.

Female of what that might be Andinoacara ("Aequidens
") sapayensis??
Photo A. Stalsberg
Here is a photo of a female that we believe could be
Andinoacara (" Aequidens") sapayensis. Compare this photo
with the other female higher up on this page. I am at least not quite
but very near to believe that this fish could be the same fish. It's
very frustrating to have a fish and not knowing where the origin is.
Aequidens sp. "Maracaibo".
We call this fish Aequidens sp. "Maracaibo"
and they say this fish comes from Lago Maracaibo in Venezuela. I was
in the Lago Maracaibo the first time in 1965 and had a swim near a place
called Puerto Mirranda. The water was very turbid and suddenly I felt
something was picking at my toes!! I walked backwards up to the shore
and there where the water was very low so I could see what it was, it
was a fish (cichlid) that was picking at my toes. This could possible
be the fish on the photo, but I had nothing to collect with, so it's
just guessing about what kind of fish it was, so I guess I have to go
back to what it was. But it's a nice fish,right??
Aequidens
sp. "Maracaibo"male.
Photo A. Stalsberg
Aequidens tetramerus, (Heckel 1840)
Quisto Cocha type.
Photo A. Stalsberg
Aequidens tetramerus (Heckel 1840) is one of the bigger
Aequidens. It can at least grow up to 20 cm. Males has a longer dorsal
and anal fins and also a little bit stronger color. The fish has a reputation
to be a little quarrelsome, but my own experience with this fish does
not confirm that. Not more than other, it is a cichlid.
You can't place this fish in a 50 liter tank with several
fish together, then you ask for trouble, you can't expect they will
behave nice in a crowded tank.
The fish has a large distribution, it goes from Peru
in west thru Ecuador,Brazil, Colombia and to Guyana in East. I will
show you some photos of the different Aequidens tetramerus. The first
photo is of a A. tetramerus from Peru given to me from Dr. Kullander
in 1983, he had collect the fish in a Lake near Iquitos with the name
Quisto Cocha. He said then that the fish was Aequidens uniocellatus.
Later he said that the fish was a synonym to Aequidens tetramerus.
The next one is also an Aequidens tetramerus from Peru. Origiale
I had two A. tetramerus from two different biotopes in Peru, but I have
just one now and I'm not certain if this one comes from Rio Ucayali
or from Rio Nanay??
I think the nicest one is the one from Ecuador, I
collect it outside Lago Agrio and also in Lago Limon Cocha. Aequidens
teramerus, no matter which one is an easy fish to keep and spawn. But,
that does not mean you don't have to change water or feed it well. The
fish will pay you back with nice color and well behavior.
A pair with egg.
Photo: Alf Stalsberg.
The last one did I collect in Guyana, this one is more
greenish in the color. The Aequidens tetramerus is easy to keep, they
eat most of what you feed them, also easy to spawn, just give them a
good water quality, by changing some of the water every week. They don't
eat plants, at least what I have noticed, but they can move them. So
I would suggest 5-6 small ones to start with in a 160 liters tank, and
when they start to make pairs, then leave the pair alone in the tank
and remove the others.
Aequidens diadema (Heckel 1840).
Female in the forground and the head of the male.
A. diadema male.
The A. diadema appears in the hobby from time to time, my fish was
just pairing out when it happen. The heater did not work well and I
boiled all my A. diadema, so I can't give you any information about
breeding. The typesite of the fish is in a small river near Marabitanas
in Brazil in the upper Rio Negro close to the border to Venezuela.
Aequidens tubicen, Kullander & Ferreira 1990.
Photo A.Stalsberg.
This fish comes from Rio Trombetas in Pará Brazil. I will not
try to explain to you the color on the fish, the photo should indicate
the colors on adult fish.The fish reach a SL about 12 cm. and prefer
fast floating jungle streams with clear water.It prefer also low pH,
but I have not been able to breed the fish so far. So you have to settle
with the photo of the fish, at least you know how it looks like.
Ae. sp."Rio Atabapo"
Photo A. Stalsberg.
Here we are going up Rio Inirida to visit some of the
lower tributaries to Rio Inirida. One of the first we went up to was
Caño Aguajon. The water was a little turbid, but clear enough
to snorkel there and catch fish.
In the river we find for the first time an undescribed
Aequidens, which we also saw in other tributaries and also in Rio Atabapo.
So we called it Aequidens sp. atabapo. I took some underwaterphotos
but they are not so very good, the water was turbid and the fish very
shy, so I could not come very close, but you can see the Aequidens and
also Mesonauta insignis.
You can see how the biotopE in Caño Aguajon look
like. The bottom layer was fine sand and a little layer with mud above.
Some places there was also accumulation of leaves on the bottom. Especially
used by the small Apistogramma who was hiding under it.
We used a seine to collect the Aequidens sp. atabapo
and the fish was just after the capture placed in a phototank.
Aeq. sp. "Atabapo"
It was very dull in the color, but when I came home
with the fish and it was settled down in the aquarium, the color start
coming and I think you are agree that it is a very nice fish when you
look at the photo.
Aeq. sp. "Atabapo"
Rainer Stawikowski and Uwe Werner state in their book,"Die
Buntbarsche Amerikas", Band 1. that this fish is a delayed mouthbrooder.
I've not bred the fish so I can't tell. My plan was to go to Colombia
in March (2005) this year, but I was warned against going to Colombia
for the moment. I hope it will cool down so I can go to this lovely
country again.
Aequidens sp. "Jenaro Herrera".
Aequidens sp. "Jenaro Herrera" female guarding
eggs and you see the male up right. The fish have been in the trade
for awhile, coming and going and have been mixed with the Aequidens
diadema. It's a beautiful fish when it's adult, but can look rather
drab when its smaller.This goes for many cichlids, they does not get
the nice apperance before they are adult, and this takes about two years.
So if you are not a patient man, find something else. But, I will highly
recommend the genus Aequidens, there are a lot of nice fish there, just
scroll up this page and be convinced.
DISCLAIMER: Statements made on this page are not herewith made available
for purpose of zoological nomenclature under the International Code
of Zoological Nomenclature.
You can reach me by e-mail at: alf.stalsberg@c2i.net
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