Rivulus dapazi, Costa 2005

History

Alternative name Melanorivulus dapazi.

Costa described the species in honor of the Brasilian ichthyologist Ricardo Campos da Paz who was the discoverer of the species at February 5, 2003.

The species is described in the same paper together with 6 other taxa of the Rivulus genus. These are: Rivulus scalaris, R. cyanopterus, R. rossoi, R. litteratus, R. rutilicaudus and R. egens, all members of the Melanorivulus punctatus group.

 

 
Rivulus (Melanorivulus) dapazi - male. © Image by W.J.E.M Costa, Brasil, taken from the original description.
Rivulus (Melanorivulus) aff. dapazi - male. Alto Garcas BIF - BR 11-06 © Image made and donated by Eric Julien, France.

Rivulus dapazi differs from all its congerers in having an anal fin with an orange distal band and caudal with a black lower edge and orange marginal region. It also differs more LL scales (34-35) versus (30-32) in all other species of the rio Paraguay basin.


Reproduction

No records are available for the breeding of this species but this will not differ very much with the way other small Rivulus from the R. punctatus group breed.

This species can, if there is enough space for them, housed in a tank with more males than one only and several females. If separated before and brought together again however, they can be very agressive to each other and fight to become dominant to others. The best way to have much offspring is to put a pair or an trio in a small tank from 10 liters with a small filter in it or with some airation.

 

On the bottom some peat moss or dark gravel and a floating "mop" to give space for laying there eggs. The fish will, if they become a rich varity of life food, spawn during there whole adult life. The eggs should be collected by hand and stored for about 14 days in a small container. It is wise, to add to the water you store the eggs in, some acryflavine to provent fungus coming up.

There lifespan can be up to 3 years in captivity.

Remarks :

First of all, life animals are needed for further study of this new species.


Variations
     

Map
     

Meristics

Max. size 5.0 cm.
Dorsal 10.5,
Anal 14.5,
D/A 8.5
LL scale count (average)34.5
Pre- dorsal length to % SL – 74.6 %
Depth to % SL – 23.5 %

 


Literature

Costa, W.J.E.M. 2005. Seven new Species of the Killifish Genus Rivulus (Cyprinodontiformes: Tivulidae) from the parana, Paraguay and upper Araguaia River basins, central Brasil. Neotropical Ichthyology, 3 (1). 71, fig. 1.

 

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