The Marbled headstander is perhaps the most unusual of all the headstanders. This beautiful fish grows to about 15–20 cm in length and is virtually unmistakable due to its deep body shape. There is only one other Abramites species, A. eques, but it has never been imported live. It is found exclusively in the Rio Magdalena in Colombia. All known live photos purporting to show A. eques are, in reality, color variants of A. hypselonotus. In A. eques, there is no band on the front of the body; the first band begins below the dorsal fin and runs down the center of the body.
In contrast, in the extremely widespread Abramites hypselonotus—which is found practically throughout South America east of the Andes, from Argentina to Venezuela—the striping begins directly behind the head. Moreover, at least in wild-caught specimens, each individual can be identified by its unique striping pattern. It is doubtful that the Marbled headstanders found throughout this vast region are truly all the same species, but they do look very, very similar.
We usually stock captive-bred specimens of this fish from Indonesia, but we occasionally receive wild-caught specimens as well. The fish currently swimming in our tanks come from Peru; the ones pictured are wild-caught specimens from Peru and are in the medium size range of 5–6 cm.
Abramites are social fish that interact constantly. If you have too few of them, this can become a nuisance; in larger groups and large aquariums, however, it’s not as much of an issue. Unfortunately, these beautiful fish are extreme herbivores.
For our customers: Depending on their size, these fish are listed on our stock list under codes 200501 (3–4 cm) through 200505 (9–12 cm). Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesale customers.
Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer
