Tag Archives: hystrix

Acanthicus sp. L155 Furo Maguari

13. August 2021

Acanthicus hystrix is one of the great myths in the literal sense. With a length of almost one meter it is one of the largest loricariid catfishes at all. In addition, the species, which was already described in 1829, is extremely prickly: “hystrix” means “porcupine”! 

Unfortunately, the specimen on which the description of this species is based was destroyed during the Second World War. Where it was captured is unknown. Thus, it is unclear which of the three or four Black Adonis Catfishes known so far is the “real” A. hystrix. For one of them, a form from the Rio Xingu, the L-number 155 was assigned. In the trade it has become common practice to refer to the Black Adonis Catfishes all as L155, regardless of origin. Our L155 come from the Furo Maguari, a tributary of the Rio Tocantins.

Black Adonis Catfish are fish for specialists who can accommodate these giants, which can also be quite aggressive. For show aquariums large Adonis catfish are excellent subjects. Our animals in the stock are currently 18-21 cm long.

For our customers: the animals have code 26480-L 155-6 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.

Potamotrygon wallacei

29. March 2018

This freshwater stingray lives endemically in the Rio Negro system in Brazil and is or was the most often imported species of Potamotrygon from Brazil at all. However until recently they fish were wrongly identified as P. histrix, a different species that is not kept in aquaria at all and occurs in southern South America. The type specimen of P. histrix was collected in Argentina. In fact P. wallacei – which is collected usually around Barcelos for aquarium purposes – is the best suited species of Potamotrygon for private aquaria, because it is the smallest species of the genus Potamotrygon at all. The disc diameter hardly ever exceeds 30 cm in this species. This means that P. wallacei also needs large tanks, but most of the remaining species of freshwater stingray become at least double as large, many even much larger.

Since january 2017 all species of Potamotrygon from Brazil and Colombia have to be exported only with CITES certificates, for these countries have placed the fish on appendix III of CITES. Although this means that the species can still be traded the situation is insofar unsatisfying for breeders of Potamotrygon as they now have to witness that their bred specimens are not descendends from illagal imported fish from Brazil or Colombia when the breeders want to export their animals out of the EU. Most bred specimens, however, do not stay in the EU because the market here is much too small.

Finally we were able now to import a number of P. wallacei from Brazil again. It took about one year for the authorities to react on the new situation and to supply the ornamental fish exporters with the CITES certificates needed for legal exportations.

For our customers: the animals have code 282202 (10-12 cm) and 282203 (12-15 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer