''Mikrogeophagus altispinosus'' is a species of fish endemic to the Amazon River basin in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. The species is part of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Cichlidae Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted thi ...

and

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Geophaginae Geophagini is a tribe of cichlids from the subfamily Cichlinae, the American cichlids. It is the sister taxon to the clade which includes the Cichlasomatini and Heroini. Fishes in the Geophagini are distributed from Panama south to Argentina, ...

. It is a popular

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

fish, traded under the common names Bolivian butterfly, Bolivian ram, Bolivian ram cichlid, and ruby crown cichlid.Richter H-J (1989) ''Complete book of dwarf cichlids.'' Tropical Fish Hobbyist, USALinke H, Staeck L (1994) ''American cichlids I: Dwarf Cichlids. A handbook for their identification, care and breeding.'' Tetra Press. Germany.

Range, geographic variants, and habitat

The species occurs in the soft, acidic, warm waters of the Mamoré and Guaporé River drainages in

and

. Whether one

morph Morph may refer to: Biology * Morph (zoology), a visual or behavioral difference between organisms of distinct populations in a species * Muller's morphs, a classification scheme for genetic mutations * "-morph", a suffix commonly used in tax ...

of ''M. altispinosus'', known to aquarium hobbyists as ''Mikrogeophagus ''sp. "Zweifleck/Two-patch", found in the upper Rio Guaporé in

is a different species remains unclear.Stawikowski, Rainer, Ingo Koslowski & Volker Bohnet (editors): Sudamerikanische Zwergcichliden/South American Dwarf Cichlids. New A-Numbers, Habitat, Care and Reproduction. The type locality is the Rio Mamoré at San Joaquin (Beni Province, Bolivia). In its natural habitat is permanent freshwater streams and pools.

Appearance and sexual dimorphism

The species is similar in profile to the larger geophagine cichlids. Maximum size is about 8 cm (3.1 in).Baensch, H.A. & G. Fischer: Baensch Aquarium Atlas Photo Index 1–5 The head and front half of the body is yellow, fading to olive-grey at the rear. A vertical black band runs across the eye, and six faint transverse stripes occur along the body; the third stripe is dark at its centre. The first few rays of the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

are black, and both the dorsal and

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

are edged in a pinkish red. The anal and

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

s are the same shade of red throughout with bright blue rays and dots. The species displays only limited

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

, mature males being slightly larger and in some cases showing longer extensions on both the caudal fin and the posterior of the dorsal fin.

Diet

Omnivorous, this fish sifts the substrate for plant material and small organisms. It is capable of feeding in midwater or on the surface.

Reproduction

Bolivian rams are biparental, open-spawning cichlids. Limited data are available on reproduction in the wild; in captivity, though, courtship is known to involve various body movements including head shaking, quivering, and preparation of spawning sites, including shallow pits. These behaviours are mainly undertaken by the male and in aquaria are known to last around 48 hours. After courtship, the female deposits some 100–200

ovoid An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one or ...

, brownish-coloured eggs on the chosen surface, normally a flattened stone, but occasionally a leaf. The eggs are laid in lines; when the female has laid one line, the male passes over it and fertilises the eggs; the female then continues on to the next line and so on until egg laying is complete. In aquariums at 27 °C (80 °F), eggs take about 60 hours to hatch. During this time, the clutch is primarily cared for by the female, which fans the eggs and often adds sand to the clutch, possibly to

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

the eggs. Newly hatched fry are transported by the mouths of the parents to the shallow pits dug by the male during courtship and moved regularly between pits. The fry become free-swimming after seven days and are led about in a dense

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

by the parents for foraging.

In the aquarium

Although less popular than its close relative ''

Mikrogeophagus ramirezi The ram cichlid, ''Mikrogeophagus ramirezi'', is a species of freshwater fish endemic to the Orinoco River basin, in the savannahs of Venezuela and Colombia in South America. The species has been examined in studies on fish behaviour and is a p ...

'', the Bolivian ram remains a commonly encountered cichlid for the aquarium. The species is also more tolerant of lower temperatures (22–26 °C or 72–79 °F) and a greater range of water conditions than ''M. ramirezi''. So, ''M. altispinosus'' can be kept in some

community aquarium Community aquaria are tanks that are designed to contain more than one species of fish. Most commonly they include a variety of species that do not normally occur together in nature, for example angelfish from Brazil, swordtails from Mexico, and ...

s, but assertive, active, or aggressive-feeding fish are not ideal companions for this relatively shy species. Bolivian Rams appear to have a fluid 'stop-and-go' method of swimming, in which they typically move for a few paces, pause abruptly, then move again. In this, their bodily control is remarkable in that they appear to not be carried by momentum while stopping; they appear to 'freeze' instantaneously in place and 'hover,' before moving again. This is likely due to their instinctive drive to sift carefully through substrate for food, so as not to stir up debris with their fins. As such, they are generally bottom-feeders and typically will not venture into the higher regions of the aquarium. Their swimming style is usually gentle, but they can move surprisingly quickly when evading predators or chasing away territorial invaders. An aquarium which mimics the natural environment of the species, i.e.: soft, acidic water with hiding places in the form of dense planted regions, or

bogwood Bog-wood (also spelled bogwood or bog wood), also known as abonos and, especially amongst pipe smokers, as morta, is a material from trees that have been buried in peat bogs and preserved from decay by the acidic and anaerobic bog conditions, som ...

, is recommended. Aquarists classify ''M. altispinosus'' as a

dwarf cichlid Dwarf cichlid is a term used by fishkeeping hobbyists to describe an arbitrary assemblage of small-sized fish from the family Cichlidae. Although the grouping is widely used in the aquarium industry and hobby, the grouping has no taxonomic or eco ...

, and as such, it can be kept in relatively small aquaria, with minimum volumes being 80 L (20 gal). In captivity, the species is not a fussy feeder and readily accepts many commercially available

fish food Aquarium fish feed is plant or animal material intended for consumption by pet fish kept in aquariums or ponds. Fish foods normally contain macronutrients, trace elements and vitamins necessary to keep captive fish in good health. Approximately ...

References

External links

Bolivian Ram Fact SheetBolivian Rams establishing dominance by lip locking
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikrogeophagus Altispinosus altispinosus Fish described in 1911