Apistogramma Arua Sp. N. (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae), a New Species of Dwarf Cichlid from the Rio Arapiuns System, Para State, Brazil
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Uwe Römer and Frank Warzel aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology Apistogramma arua sp. n. (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae), a new species of dwarf cichlid from the Rio Arapiuns system, Para State, Brazil. by Uwe Römer 1 and Frank Warzel 2 1) Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Biologie, Postfach 100131, D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany 2) Im Sampel 38, D-55246 Mainz-Kostheim, Germany Accepted: 7.09.1998 Keywords dans le cours inférieur du Rio Arua. Cette espèce rela - Apistogramma arua, new species, Brazil, Rio tivement petite (mâles jusqu’à 45 mm de L. S.) pourrait Arapiuns, Rio Arua, Cichlidae, systematics. être apparentée au complexe A. cacatuoides sensu stricto ou au groupe d’ A. trifasciata mais pour le moment Abstract sa position dans le genre est incertae sedis. Apistogramma arua sp. n. is described on the basis of A. arua sp. n. est caractérisé par une tache en forme de four specimens collected in a small igarapé near Arua coin sur la partie abdominale des flancs, sous la ligne in the lower course of the Rio Arua. This relatively small latérale, qui se transforme parfois, selon l’humeur de species (males up to 45 mm SL) may be related to the l’animal, en une ligne ou bande allant de l’opercule à species of the A. cacatuoides complex sensu stricto as l’extrémité antérieure de la nageoire anale ou en trois well as to the A. trifasciata -group, but at the time has to bandes abdominales indistinctes formées de trois be placed incertae sedis within the genus. A. arua rangées de taches en demi-lune. Les mâles possèdent sp. n. is characterised by a wedge-shaped spot on the en outre une nageoire caudale bifide et des extensions abdominal flank beneath the lateral band, which some - de la membrane entre les 6 à 8 premiers rayons de la times, depending on mood, is modified to a line or band nageoire dorsale. between the gill cover and the frontal base of the anal fin, or to three indistinct abdominal bands formed by Sommario three rows of half-moon-shaped spots. Males addition - L’ Apistogramma arua sp. n. viene descritto sulla base ally exhibit a forked caudal fin and extended mem - di quattro esemplari raccolti in un piccolo igarapé vici - branes to the first 5-7 dorsal fin lappets. no ad Arua nel corso inferiore del Rio Arua. Questa specie relativamente piccola (i maschi possono essere Zusammenfassung lunghi fino a 45 mm) può essere paragonata alla specie Apistogramma arua sp. n. wird beschrieben basiert auf del A. cacatuoides complex sensu stricto nonché al vier Exemplaren, die in einem kleinen igarapé in der gruppo del A. trifasciata, ma allo stesso tempo non si Nähe von Arua im unteren Lauf des Rio Arua gefunden sa con certezza se il genus A. arua sp. n. sia caratter - wurden. Diese ziemlich kleine Spezies (Männchen max - izzato da una macchia a forma di cuneo sull’addome imal 45 mm SL) kann sowohl verwandt sein mit den sotto alla banda laterale che, talvolta, a seconda dello Arten des A. cacatuoides Komplexes aber auch der A. stato d’animo viene modificato in una linea o banda tra trifasciata -Gruppe zugerechnet werden. Man ist noch la branchia e la base frontale della pinna anale, oppure unschlüssig, wohin genau die Art innerhalb der Gattung in tre indistinte bande addominali formate da tre file di zu plazieren ist. Ein keilförmiger Fleck an der Flanke des macchie a forma di mezza luna. Inoltre i maschi Bauches unterhalb des seitlichen Bandes charakter - mostrano una pinna caudale biforcuta e membrane isiert den A. arua sp. n. Je nach Stimmung verändert estese fino ai primi lembi della pinna dorsale. sich dieser Fleck zu einer Linie oder in einen Streifen zwischen Kiemendeckel und dem vorderen Ansatz der Introduction hinteren Flosse. Oder es entstehen drei undeutliche The neotropical cichlid genus Apistogramma includes Bänder am Unterbauch, die sich aus drei Reihen halb - some 50 species currently regarded as valid. In addi - mondförmiger Punkte zusammensetzen. Zusätzlich tion at least 40 other forms have been known in the sind Männchen mit einer gegabelten Schwanzflosse aquarium hobby for some time, but have yet to be sci - und verlängerten Häutchen bis zu den ersten 5 - 7 Lap - entifically classified. The new species described herein, pen der Rückenflossen ausgestattet . however, has hitherto been unknown to both aquarists and scientists alike. A small number of specimens, of Résumé which just a single female survived, were imported pri - Apistogramma arua sp. n. est décrit à partir de 4 spéci - vately to Germany in 1993 (Seidel pers. comm.). mens récoltés dans un petit iguarapé proche d’Arua It was not until 1995 that further specimens were 45 aqua vol. 3 no. 2 - 1998 Apistogramma arua sp. n. captured and successfully transported alive to Europe. mens, lodging these with, but not as part of, the type In 1996 Seidel brought back additional live individuals series (as has already been done with, for example, following an expedition to the Arua. the characin Tucanoichthys tucano Gery & Römer, The species has subsequently become generally 1997). available in the aquarium hobby following the simulta - This applies especially to forms which exhibit import- neous first breeding successes by Lowe and one of ant diagnostic characters during their ontogenesis, for the authors (UR), followed somewhat later by that of example, A. panduro Römer, 1997 and the species Seidel, and has recently appeared in aquarium litera - described herein, with any characteristics observed in ture for the first time (Stawikoswki 1997; Seidel 1997) aquarium-raised individuals being taken into considera - under the trivial names Apistogramma species "Arua" tion. Naturally this will result in a significant increase in and Arua- Apistogramma. For this reason, and the researcher's workload, but should, given the because it occupies a special position in the evaluation increasing interest in the investigation of this genus of of the systematic connections between different cichlids, prove important in preventing easily avoided groups within the genus, and, moreover, is easily dif - problems during the identification and differentiation of ferentiated from all other members of the genus known new species. to date, it is described herein despite the relatively small amount of collected material available. In addi - Material and Methods tion, following the precedents set by various authors Counts and measurements are in accordance with (Kullander 1980 & 1986; Koslowski 1985a; Linke & the methods described by Kullander (1979, 1980a, Staeck 1992; Römer 1994 & in press), particular 1980b, 1986) and Römer (1994) in press. The preser - emphasis has been placed on live coloration and vation and preparation of the material investigated fol - mood-related patterns, based on extensive aquarium lows the method described by Römer (1994). observations, as these are virtually indispensable for ZFMK18601 and ZFMK18605 were preserved in 10% the accurate identification of the majority of Apis - formalin, the remainder of the specimens in 75% togramma species (especially live specimens). In ethanol. The material investigated has been or will be order to keep the text on live coloration as brief as pos - deposited as follows: the holotype in the Museu de sible, numerous colour illustrations have been used in Zoologia de Universidade de São Paulo in São Paulo, the present work. Brazil (MZUSP), the paratypes in the Zoologisches In recent years, moreover, it has been demonstrated Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander König in that the identification of Apistogramma species from Bonn, Germany (ZFMK). Additional comparative mate - descriptions based solely on wild-caught material can rial was deposited at, or inspected from Institute Royale be extraordinarily problematical. Many species do not de Science Naturelle Bruxells (IRSNB) in Brussels, Bel - develop all the relevant diagnostic characters until a gium, and the Forschungsinstitut und Museum Senck - certain size has been attained, which is also the case enberg in Frankfurt, Germany (SMF). in the species described herein. Recent important examples of this phenomenon are Apistogramma arua sp. n. Römer & Warzel A. pulchra Kullander, 1980 and A. uaupesi Kullander, (Figs. 1-2) 1980, in which adult males exhibit a forked tail, although the caudal fin is described as rounded in the Holotype: male, 44.4 mm SL (MZUSP, transferred, but original description. A further "critical" form is A. eliza - number not yet available), collected, live, on 14th Sept- bethae Kullander, 1980, which Römer (1993), follow - ember 1995 some 2.5 km upstream of the village of ing re-examination of the holotype and observation of the development of aquarium specimens, found to deviate from the data given in the original description, in that it exhibits a particularly striking age-related polymorphism of the caudal fin (Römer 1993, 1994, & in press). Furthermore A. parva Ahl, 1931, described from two (female?) juveniles, cannot in fact be differ - entiated from A. agassizii (Steindachner, 1875), for which reason we regard it as a junior synonym of the latter. Apistogramma roraimae Kullander, 1980, is another species that was described from small speci - mens and thus appeared to be quite distinct from the previously described species. However work is in progress which suggests that it may prove to be con - specific with A. gibbiceps Meinken, 1969. It would thus appear to make sense, when describing new Apisto- Fig. 1. Holotype of Apistogramma arua, on preservation. Photo gramma species, to investigate larger aquarium speci- by Uwe Römer aqua vol. 3 no. 2 - 1998 46 Uwe Römer and Frank Warzel (ZFMK 17558), male (ZFMK 17561), female (ZFMK 17562), female (ZFMK 17653), sex undetermined (ZFMK 17556), sex undetermined (ZFMK 17555). Apistogramma juruensis Kullander, 1986: 10 speci - mens, 2 males and 8 females (SMF 28188); male, 57.2 mm SL, imported to Milwaukee, USA in autumn 1993 as a contaminant in a shipment of characins, pre - served in July 1996; male, 52.7 mm SL, 3 females, 33.4 mm SL, 35.3 mm SL, and 37.4 mm SL (ZFMK 18584), aquarium material, offspring of the male of 57.2 mm SL, preserved in September 1996, donated by U.