© Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at A TAXONOMICAL STUDY OF THE GENUS APISTOGRAMMA REGAN, WITH A REVISION OF BRAZILIAN AND PERUVIAN SPECIES (TELEOSTEI: PERCOIDEI: CICHLIDAE) by SVEN O. KULLANDER BONNER ZOOLOGISCHE MONOGRAPHIEN, Nr. 14 1980 Herausgeber: ZOOLOGISCHES FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT UND MUSEUM ALEXANDER KOENIG BONN : © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at BONNER ZOOLOGISCHE MONOGRAPHIEN Die Serie wird vom Zoologischen Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig herausgegeben und bringt Originalarbeiten, die für eine Unterbringung in den „Bonner Zoologischen Beiträgen" zu lang sind und eine VeröffentUchung als Monographie rechtfertigen. Anfragen bezüglich der Vorlage von Manuskripten und Bestellungen sind an die Schriftleitung zu richten. This series of monographs, published by the Zoological Research Institute and Museum Alexander Koenig, has been established for original contributions too long for inclusion in ,, Bonner Zoologische Beiträge". Correspondence concerning manuscripts for publication and purchase orders should be addressed to the editor. L'Institut de Recherches Zoologiques et Museum Alexander Koenig a 6tabh cette s^rie de monographies pour pouvoir publier des travaux zoologiques trop longs pour etre inclus dans les ,, Bonner Zoologische Beiträge". Toute correspondance concernant des manuscrits pour cette s6rie ou des com- mandes doivent 6tre adress6es ä I'^diteur. BONNER ZOOLOGISCHE MONOGRAPHIEN, Nr. 14, 1980 Preis 25,- DM Schriftleitung/Editor Dr. H. Ulrich Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig Adenauerallee 150-164, 5300 Bonn, Germany Druck: H. Lammerich, Bonn © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at A TAXONOMICAL STUDY OF THE GENUS APISTOGRAMMA REGAN, WITH A REVISION OF BRAZILIAN AND PERUVIAN SPECIES (TELEOSTEI: PERCOIDEI: CICHLIDAE) ' by SVEN O. KULLANDER BONNER ZOOLOGISCHE MONOGRAPHIEN, Nr. 14 1980 Herausgeber: ZOOLOGISCHES FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT UND MUSEUM ALEXANDER KOENIG BONN © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at CONTENTS 1 . Introduction 5 2. Historical review 6 3. The genus Apis/ogra/nma Regan, 19 13 21 4. Species descriptions 50 Methods 50 Apistogiamma moae 61 Apistogiamma regani 65 Apistogiamma geisleii 72 Apistogiamma caetei 76 Apistogiamma piauiensis 79 Apistogiamma cacatuoides , 83 Apistogiamma agassizii 89 Apistogiamma bitaeniata 97 Apistogiamma elizabethae 103 Apistogiamma bievis 107 Apistogiamma peisonata Ill Apistogiamma gibbiceps 115 Apistogiamma meinkeni 118 Apistogiamma uaupesi 122 Apistogiamma peitensis 126 Apistogiamma gephyia 131 Apistogiamma pulchia 135 Apistogiamma loiaimae 138 Supplementary descriptions 142 5. Summary 145 6. Zusammenfassung 145 7. Bibliography 147 © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at 5 1. INTRODUCTION The genus Apistogiamma Regan, 1 9 1 3 , is a well-defined group of more than 40 species of small South American cichhd species, It hat been known since 1906 as related to the genus Geophagus Heckel, 1 840, but differing in smaller size, in ha- ving the lateral line running closer to the dorsal fin, shghtly fewer dorsal fin rays, and narrower pre orbital depth. The systematic work during the last 70 years has chiefly consisted in the descriptions of new species of which there has seemed to be an inexhaustible supply, New species are presented also in this contribution, but a large part of the paper is devoted to the summing-up of the history, taxono- my and geographical distribution of the genus, that I hope shall provide a basis for these additions, and also the long desired basis for further work with fishes of this group. For loan of specimens I am much indebted to Dr, Jean-Pierre Gosse (IRSNB), Dr. Peter H. Greenw^ood and Mr. Gordon J. Howes iBMNHj, Dr. Wolfgang Klausewätz (SMF), Prof. Horst Wilkens (ZIMH), Prof. K. Deckert (ZMB). Dr, Paul Kähsbauer fN~HM\\"l. Dr. Karl Heinz Lühng {ZFMK], Dr. Charles Roux (MNHN), Dr. Han Nijs- sen (ZNLAl, Dr. Bo Fernhohn and Mr. Erik Ählander (NRM], Dr. Ernst A. Lachner and Ms. Susan J. KarneUa (USNMl, Dr, Wüüam N. Eschmeyer (CAS) and Mrs. Carol Hutchings (AMN~H], Dr. William L. Fink and Messrs. Robert Schoknecht and Karsten E. Härtel fN/ICZ). Dr. Loren P. Woods and Mr. Garrett S. Glodek (FMNTT). Dr. James E, Böhlke and Mr, WiUiam G. Saul (ANSPl. and Dr. J:rgen Nielsen (ZMKl. Useful advice and aid was generously offered by many people during the three years this study lasted. I am indebted to Messrs, Gordon J, Howes and Erik Ählander for their kind help when I visited their institutions (BMNTi 1975; NRM 1975-1976), to Drs. Wolfgang Wickler, Albert J, Klee, Tyson R, Roberts, Karl Heinz Lühng, and Mr. Thorbjörn Hongslo for information on fishes they collected and ecological data, to Prof. Horst Wilkens, Drs. Han Nijssen, William L. Fink, Hermann Meinken, and Mr, William G, Saul for unpubhshed information about specimens in their care or search for specimens, to Messrs. Gordon J. Howes, Frank Wolter, Hermann Meinken, and Dr, Bo Fernholm for help in literature search, to Mr, Donald C, Hicks for data on FMNH material, to Messrs. Urban Alehagen, Erik Ählander and Dr. Jcrgen Nielsen for radiographs, to Messrs. Hans Lundquist and Gunnar Berglund for photographing, to Dr. Hermann Mein- ken and Mr. Mark McMaster for suggestions and advice, and to Prof. Karl Müller for the German summary. Mr, Berglund prepared the photos from colour slides. I am much obliged to Dr, Gunnar Bertmar for promoting my interest in a revi- sionary study of Apistogiamma by placing facilities and w^orking space at my dis- posal at the University of Umeä, Umeä pepartment of Biolog>^ Section of Ecolo- gical Zoolog^j (1974-1976), and to Prof. Alf G, Johnels w^ho provided working space at the NRM (Spring 1 977), A large part of the present paper is a revised ver- sion of a thesis submitted to the University of Umeä in 1976. 1 am also verv grateful to mv parents, Mr, and Mrs, Sven J. Kullander, for the fi- nancial support. © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at 6 2. HISTORICAL REVIEW The 19th century The first Caucasian to collect a specimen of Apistogramma was probably the British naturalist, Henry W. Bates, who found the type-specimen of A.taeniata in the rio Cupari, Brazil, in 1852. This species was technically described 10 years la- ter by Albert C. L. G. Günther in the fourth volume of his catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum (1862: 312). Günther erected a new genus, Mesops, for the new species and Geophagus cu- pido Heckel, 1 840. Of M. taeniatus he had only the 42.7 mm long holotype, and of G. cupido obviously only Heckel's rather complicated description, so insufficient material may account for some of the currently recognized artificiality in the classification (G. cupido is the type-species of Biotodoma Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1903, regarded as closely related to Geophagus Heckel, but very distinct from Apistogramma). The new genus was intended for Geophagus-like fishes, i.e. with a lobe on the first gill-arch, but with the "eye in, or in advance of, the middle of the length of the head", as stated in Günther's key (p. 265), and "preorbital not elevated", as indicated in the generic diagnosis (p. 3 1 1). In Geophagus [= G. suii- namensis [Bloch, 1 792)], and Sa/anoperca Günther, 1862 [:= virtually, Geophagus] of Günther, the eye is situated behind the middle of the length of the head, and the preorbital is deep. No type-species was designated for Mesops. During the Thayer Expedition (1865—1866) in Amazonia, J. Louis R. Agassiz noted "a great variety of small types [of Chromides = essentially, Cichlidae], no doubt hitherto overlooked by naturahsts travelling in this region, simply under the impression that they must be the young of larger species" (Agassiz & Agassiz, 1969: 184). More than 600 specimens of Apistogiamma taken by the expedition were labelled Cotinhoa sp. by Agassiz, but this material was never reported (W. L. Fink, in litt. 1977), and rediscovered too late for inclusion in this study. Another large portion of the Thayer material was described by Steindachner (1875). In a report upon two collections of fishes from the Maranon {= R. Amazonas), Edward D. Cope, noted the presence of several specimens of Mesops taeniatus in a collection made by John Hauxwell "near Pebas, Ecuador" (= Pebas, Departa- mento Loreto, Peru), but gave no description (Cope, 1870: 570). In his subsequent study of Amazonian fishes. Cope (1872: 250) described brief- ly as new species Geophagus amoenus from "River Ambyiacu" (= R. Ampi- yacü, Departamento Loreto, Peru; cf . Lühng in Meinken, 1 969a). It is said to be al- lied to Günther's M. taeniatus, and has, since Steindachner (1875), been regarded as either a synonym of that species or as a closely related vaUd species. The type- specimen is now lost (W. G. Saul, in litt, 1977), and new material seems not to have been collected. The characters used by Günther to split Geophagus into