Unknown Microglanis

[nicofish]

I just bought these little guys. They were being sold as "M. iheringii", but apparently those have not been seen in the hobby for quite some time (I was told this here maybe more than a year ago).

I bought three of them. The smaller one has a distinct pattern, but that is probably because it is younger. If I could get an ID on them that would be great.

there pictures are here:
http://imgur.com/a/qe1ps#0

Thank you for your help.
regards, NicoFish

[Birger]

Not positive but pattern is very similar to

Microglanis cottoides

Could be the ones on the data page are more mature.

Do you know where they were shipped from?

Birger

[Birger]

Really tough for me I have not spent too much time studying these...I do not think I was close...hopefully someone else will come along.

Birger

[nicofish]

I though cottoides but the banding pattern is off. cottoides has a white band that comes up to the dorsal. The three guys I have do not have that.

I found them at petsmart. That is the second time I have seen them there.

The first time I saw them I asked where they got them, and they did not know (couple years ago I think). The ones I bought a few years ago found their way into a filter impeller and died.


*edit: maybe the pattern is variable I really do not know
(maybe I should head back and pick up a few more)

[Atmichaels]

Not sure who told you M. Iheringi aren't seen in the hobby but there are a number of us on here, myself included, who keep them and yours look like textbook examples. There can be some variability in pattern but M. Iheringi is most easily distinguished based on the markings of the caudal peduncle and caudal fin. Aside from scarcity, is there anything else that makes you doubt this classification?

[nvcichlids]

I would say no to M.cottoides. I would agree that they are most likely M.iheringi

[Birger]

My mind was in the wrong place last night...It is the iheringi as used in the hobby but really is misidentified...They were originally collected in an area that has not much access. I will use this quote from Shane

This one needs to be tackled at some point. What we call Microglanis iheringi in the hobby is not. Microglanis iheringi is restricted to the Lake Valencia/Rio Tuy systems of northern Venezuela. I did collect them there on one occasion, but did not photo them.

Microglanis sp`venezuela` is more likely the real Microglanis iheringi. What the fish that is commonly imported as Microglanis iheringi really is I have no idea.
-Shane

Birger

[Birger]

If anyone wants to look farther into this either for the site (would be much appreciated)or just for personal look here, lots of info on the genus.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 38&t=33984

Birger

[nicofish]

I found the thread where I was told M iheringi has not been seen for a while
the thread is from 2011

"As to the Bumblebee, it's very difficult to identify any bumblebee. But I can almost certainly say it's not M. iheringi, as that's a fish from Venezuela. Turmero. I suspect the true M. iheringi hasn't been imported for quite a few years, even if that's what we see in the shops." -MatsP
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... =6&t=33051

So Birger, from what I understand you are saying that M. iheringi has been adopted in the hobby as a common name for SA bumblebee. That kind of thing is annoying because it is very misleading. The whole idea of using the scientific name is disambiguation.

It reminds me of a problem I ran into a few months ago. I was IDing some plants and I ID as "P. wilsonii" only to find out later that the name is not accepted nomenclature and it is actually P. subincisum. (sorry for going off topic)

Well, hopefully I will be able to get a proper name for my Microglanis sp.(?) I will see if I read through some of the literature later this week.

Now I have a tank to set up

thanks for all the help

[nicofish]

If any of you care to see the set up I will probably be posting part of it today. The tank is a 10G with two bunocephalus sp(?) and the Microglanis.

It will be a boring tank for a normal person because the banjo cats just dig into the substrate and disappear, and the Microglanis will just be hiding in the drift wood. I will probably add some ghost shrimp and see if they can get a population going despite the predation.

come to think of it I am not sure why I like keeping these fish.

[Birger]

So Birger, from what I understand you are saying that M. iheringi has been adopted in the hobby as a common name for SA bumblebee.

Well up until a few years ago there was only a couple choices and people do like to put a label on things and so they would use this choice...

What I was saying or actually what Shane has said in the past is that this particular species (a fairly common one in the hobby) has been mistakenly called iheringi but is actually another species possibly yet without a scientific name.I think we will find there are many more microglanis species as yet unnamed (scientifically)as the genus is widespread over the continent.One just has to look at the numbers and distribution of cories or ancistrus to see examples how this works as they are widespread as well. Microglanis will not have the huge number of species like these others but are widespread.

Birger

[The.Dark.One]

If you want to tie them in with aquarium identifications then they are M. iheringi. Whether the fish in the hobby are the true iheringi is yet to be resolved, but for your purposes you can call them iheringi.