Peru/Colombia 2009

[Haavard Stoere]

Lower Rio Nanay....

The jungle was rather low due to logging:


Nice boat


The beaches on Rio Nanay has very fine and clean white sand.


A few large trees towering over the overlogged jungle.


Landslides carrying trees into the river.

[Haavard Stoere]

After a couple of hours speeding up river we took a left turn into a large channel and from there we went up a small stream.


People talk about caiman's, snakes, piranhas and other critters. What we fear the most in the jungle are these spiky palm trunks. They are very painful, and can inflict serious wounds. Often the dead palm trunks are hidden under leaves and mud.


Along the banks of the stream there were many pleco caves and other interesting features:


Mud bank reinforced with vegetation.


Mud bank


As the stream narrowed one of the fishermen had to jump into the stream and hack away vegetation so that we could pass.


The stream had some visibility




Here we left the boat and went on foot through the thick jungle. We left the boatdriver who went to work servicing the engine.


After walking half a kilometre through the jungle we started fishing "yellow cat" a species of corydoras and other fish. Ronny and the two fishermen continued upstream, while Jørn and me sat down in the stream to get away from all the biting insects.


We sat like this for a long time chatting and relaxing while immersed in mud and water. Every few seconds we submerged our heads to get away from the biting critters.


After a while I started probing around the bottom with my hands. I could feel a hollow log that was small enough for me to drag up on shore. Inside the log I could see a large catfish.


I turned the log and two beautiful catfishes and some crabs and shrimps fell out.
The two fish were placed on top of the log and photographed. From the larger catfish huge amounts of white poison ran out from the pectoral fin area. We quickly released the fish and sat down in the stream again. The insects were menacing.

After some time we went back to the boat to wait for Ronny and the two fishermen. I was a bit apprehensive about finding our way back to the boat, but Jørn was confident about the direction.

Big catfish measuring around 15cm tl.


Smaller catfish measuring around 8cm tl.

[amiidae]

Hi,

May I know where did you collect this sp ? From Rio Nanay ? Do you have the data of the water parameter ? Thanks.

[Haavard Stoere]

The picture is from Rio Tapaya in the national park Tapaya Samiria. We borrowed the fish from local fishermen. Don`t know the water parameters.

[nvcichlids]

The later of the two catfish looks similar to the Microglanis species

[Shane]

People talk about caiman's, snakes, piranhas and other critters. What we fear the most in the jungle are these spiky palm trunks. They are very painful, and can inflict serious wounds. Often the dead palm trunks are hidden under leaves and mud.

If I had a dollar for everytime I have stepped on, or whacked my shin into, one of those damn spikey palm trunks. Additionally, wounds from them get infected in short order.

-Shane

[Ronny]

The palm spikes were bad, and the lianes with spikes, that snagged around our legs like barbwire were worse.
But the worst was the bite of an Bullet ant, it hurts like hell

[Jørn Kåsa]

We walk into the jungel and look for smal rivers.













Name on the fish pleas.Mezonauta festivus?Apistogramma Agazissii?Crenicikla ?Tetra?










Jørn

[grokefish]

The later of the two catfish looks similar to the Microglanis species

Looks more like Pseudopimelodus of some kind to me

[Proteus]

if youre referring to those two catfish that came out of the log

it reminded me of platydoras sp.

[DutchFry]

Name on the fish pleas.Mezonauta festivus?Apistogramma Agazissii?Crenicikla ?Tetra?


Copella nigrofasciata?


Krobia species? not so sure


definitely Apistogramma agassizii (two males)


Crenicichla semicincta?


difficult. Maybe Astyanax fasciatus or Astyanax maximus?
Jørn

[HaakonH]

Laetacara thayeri, I believe

-Haakon

[nvcichlids]

Laetacara thayeri, I believe

-Haakon

Ok, I originally though Krobia sp as well, but looking through the images in a few of my cich lid books, looks more laetacara now (just bigger than the ones I am familair with or have seen)

[Bas Pels]

That is OK L thayeri grows much larger than L dorsigeria or L curviceps, for instance. If I remember correctly they reach some 15 cm

[grokefish]

if youre referring to those two catfish that came out of the log

it reminded me of platydoras sp.

The top one I think would be

Acanthodoras spinosissimus

And the bottom one I think is a Pseudopim....

[Cory_lover]

Hmm looks like an agamyxis, no..? but yess "awwww" was the first thing that came outta my mouth when I saw that catfish hidden in the log! it's so cool to see them in their natural habitat, and know that at least they still exist, considering all that logging that was going on over there! how i wish I could go on a trip like that, and bring home the fish that i collect..but i doubt very much that's a feasible feat considering I'm all the way down-under..grrrrr

[Cory_lover]

ahh oops yeah that looks more like acanthodoras..but the photo that pcf has doesn't look similar to the one in the wild. Photos of acanthodoras from scotcat.com look more similar

[Proteus]

now I have a group of cats I would love to do more research on, thanks guys! Those guys are one of new favorite catfish to look at.

[hydrophyte]

I just ran into this thread. You guys got amazing pictures. Do you know what this thing is?

[Birger]

I just ran into this thread. You guys got amazing pictures. Do you know what this thing is?

nvcichlids wrote:what is that second from last picture? The one above the crenicichla?


Boulengerella maculata is my guess. They are sold as mosaic gars in pet stores.