The Journal of the Catfish Study Group (UK) Planet's srnallest ~· tiSh · Js found! ,,. \nto wa\\ets · n\tor f\sh 5 "'n students turn la Microg/anis v. anegatus E· Jgenmann & H enn Volume 7 Issue Number 1 March 2006 CONTENTS 1 Committee 2 From The Chair 3 Louis Agassiz (1807- 1873) by A w Taylor. 4 Planet's smallest fish is found! 5 Breeding Scleromystax prionotus by A w Taylor 6 Meet Stuart Brown the Membership Secretary 7 Students turn janitor fish skin into wallets 7 Meet the Member 9 'What's New' March 2006 by Mark Waiters 1 0 Microglanis variegatus by Steven Grant 13 lt Seemed Mostly Normal To Me by Lee Finley 17 Map of new meeting venue - Darwen The Committee and I apologise for the late delivery of this journal but due to the lack of articles, there would have only been the advertisements to send to you. Without your information, photos or articles, there is no Cat Chat. Thank you to those of you who did contribute. Articles for publication in Cat Chat should be sent to: Bill Hurst 18 Three Pools Crossens South port PR98RA England Or bye-mail to: [email protected] with the subject Cat Chat so that I don't treat it as spam mail and delete it without opening it. car cttar March 2006 Vol 7 No 1 HONORARY COMMITTEE FOR THE CAJf,IJSIJ SlffiJIIF CltOfiJ, ffiJ•I 2005 PRESIDENT FUNCTIONS MANAGER Trevor (JT) Morris Trevor Morris trevorjtcat@aol. eo m VICE PRESIDENT Or Peter Burgess SOCIAL SECRETARY [email protected] Terry Ward [email protected] CHAIRMAN lan Fuller WEB SITE MANAGER [email protected] [email protected] VICE CHAIRMAN/TREASURER COMMITIEE MEMBER Danny Blundell Peter Liptrot [email protected] [email protected] SECRETARY SOUTHERN REP Adrian Taylor Steve Pritchard [email protected] S. Pritchard@btinternet. eo m MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY CATERING DEPARTMENT Stuart Brown Mr & Mrs Morris [email protected] CAT CHAT EDITOR SHOW SECRETARY Bill Hurst Brian Walsh ed itor@catfishstudyg roup. org [email protected] REFERENCE LIBRARIAN ASSISTANT SHOW SECRETARY Bob Barnes Ann Blundell SCIENTIFIC ADVISER AUCTION ORGANISERS lsaac lsbrucker Roy & Dave Barton CA\1f CIIA\1f The Committee of the CSG (UK) would like to thank the following companies for their support in the production of this journal Aquarian • Arcadia ·Tetra· King British • Waterlife • Algarde • lnterpet Publishing • JBW, Darwen • BAS, Bolton •Pier Aquatics, Wigan • Midland Waterlife, Bromsgrove ·Henley Water Gardens • Pets Parade • C:Af C:ftAf From the Chair Welcome everyone, to this the first issue of the 2006 but may be after the word gets out on how good this campaign. The year started off with the AGM in event was next year may see an improvement. January, the only major change was the appointment Although we have not fully examined all aspects of the of Stuart Brown as our new Membership Secretary Convention I think it is safe to say that it was an following the retirement of Julian (Jools) Dignall at the overwhelming success, the mix of speakers and topics end of 2005. Thank you Jools for a sometimes difficult had a good balance between the scientific and the job well-done and welcome Stuart. Stuart has also hobby and we will be looking to keep a similar balance taken charge of the group's library and is acting Library in future events. At this point I would like to offer our Reference Officer, so anyone requiring particular sincere thanks to all our sponsors, without their information please contact Stuart, I am sure he will continued support it would be impossible for us to help with your request if he can. stage such events like the Annual Convention, a full list of our sponsors can be found in this issue of Cat THE PRESENTATION Chat and on the CSG web site, they have supported us, please support them . Both Rupert Bridges (Tetra UK) and Peter Burgess (Aquarian) attended the convention; both stated that they had thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend. Peter said, "This must have been one of the finest hobbyist events that I have attended" Now all we have to do is put on an even better one From Left to Right: Lee Finley, Stefan Hertz, lan Fuller, Stanley Weitzman, Brian Walsh, lngo Seidel. next year and yes, plans are already under way. The 'missing' speaker, Hans Georg-Evers, had his presentation later due to a previous commitment. I had announced previously that we would be introducing a breeder's award programme, this is still The first and biggest of our year's major events, the our intention, but at the moment there is a definite lake Annual Convention, took place on the 17th to 19th of interest from anyone willing to head a controlling February and for those of you who attended will panel to run the scheme. The basic scheme is in place already know that we made drastic changes to our and will start as soon as a panel is in place. Just in previous events. The first of these being changing from case there is a mad rush of people wishing to take on being a one-day event, to an adventurous full weekend the role, the person heading the panel must be able to package with a five speaker line up giving a total of attend the quarterly committee meetings. Anyone eight talks. Last year when we moved the event to a interested contact me, or any committee member. hotel conference facility we thought it might affect the lan Fuller number of visitors because of the slightly higher charge for entry but our worries proved unfounded, and in fact, the attendance was higher than the previous year. If there were any disappointments at all, I would have to say it was the lack of overseas visitors 2 C:Ar CHAr March 2006 Vol 7 No 1 LouisAgassiz (1807 -1873) by A W Taylor. and describing these fishes. With his legendary enthusiasm he set about this task and he completed and published his work in 1829. Louis followed this with research into the fishes of Switzerland's largest lake, Lake Neuch,tel. In 1830 he went on to issue a prospectus of a History of Central European freshwater fishes and the first part was published in 1939 with the final part being published in 1842. In 1832, Louis was appointed Professor of Natural History at the University of Neuch,tel. Amongst other studies Louis enjoyed studying fossilised fishes, especially those that had been found in the so-called "Fishbowl" site of Monte Bolca in Italy. These studies "Research on Fossil Fishes", were published in five volumes over a ten-year period (1833-1843). As his descriptive works were becoming a stress on his financial resources, he sought assistance from private means. lt was the Englishman, Lord Francis Egerton who came to his aid, by purchasing 1290 original drawings, which he donated to the British association. Louis Agassiz or to give him his full name Jean Louis In 1838, due to his work on fossil ichthyology, he was Rodolphe Agassiz, was born on 28 May 1807 in elected as a "foreign member" of the Royal Society. lt Neuchtel, Switzerland. Louis Agassiz was first tutored was with great labour that between the years 1842- at his home before spending four years at a secondary 1846 he published his "Nomenclator Zoologicus", a school in Bienne and going on to complete his classification list containing all names used in zoology schooling in Lausanne. Having chosen medicine as for groups and genera. his profession, he went on to study at Universities in In the autumn of 1846, with a grant of money gained Zurich, Heidelberg and Munich, during which time he from the King of Prussia, Louis crossed the Atlantic was able to study natural history. In 1829 he received Ocean with two aims in mind; the first being by a degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Erlangen invitation from J A Lowell (Lowell Institute, Boston; University in Germany and in the following year, Mass) to give series of lectures on zoology and Doctor of medicine in Munich. After moving to Paris secondly, he wanted to investigate the geology and Louis fell under two of the most eminent scientists in natural history of the USA. Due mainly to the scientific the world, Alexander von-Humboldt and Georges and financial resources available, Louis decided to Cuvier, who encouraged him to study geology and settle in the USA, where he stayed for the rest of his zoology respectively. lt was during this time that Louis life. In 1847 he was appointed Professor of Zoology became fascinated with fish and decided to study and Geology at Harvard University, where he had a ichthyology along with palaeontology. profound influence on the teaching and study of these During the years 1819/1820, two eminent scientists of two fields of research. Among the many scientists he the time, Johann Baptist von-Spix and Carl Friedrich taught over the years were David Starr Jordan, Joel Phillip von-Martius were on a scientific expedition to Asaph Alien, Joseph Le Conte, Nathaniel Shaler, Brazil and amongst other natural specimens that they Alpheus Packard, and his son Alexander. Louis was brought back were some fresh water fishes from the held in such high regard that it was not just scientists river Amazon . In 1826 Spix died having not lived long that held him in high regards but also other prominent enough to study the fishes that had been collected. figures in all walks of life including the poet Longfellow Although Louis had just finished his schooling, Martius who wrote a piece entitled, "The fiftieth birthday of singled out Louis and gave him the task of cataloguing Agassiz" in his honour .