21 New Phalloceros Livebearers Named

[Melody]

First there was one, now there are 21. The only described Phalloceros described before 2005 was Phalloceros caudimaculatus. Now we have:

P. alessandrae
P. anisophallos
P. aspilos
P. buckupi
P. elachistos
P. enneaktinos
P. harpagos
P. heptaktinos
P. leptokeras
P. leticiae
P. lucenorum
P. malabarbai
P. megapolos
P. mikrommatos
P. ocellatus
P. pellos
P. reisi
P. spiloura
P. titthos
P. tupinamba
P. ua

~ Practical Fishkeeping (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=1759)

[blainep]

Another 21 tanks ....... :err:

:laugh:

[GaryofMontreal]

Which is the one with the nice dark eyes?

[Melody]

Ummm... well.... I'll have to get back to you on that...lol...but this might help:

Systematics and biogeography of the genus (http://www.ufrgs.br/ni/vol3num3%5Cartigo04.pdf)
Phalloptychus (http://www.ufrgs.br/ni/vol3num3%5Cartigo04.pdf)Eigenmann, 1907 (http://www.ufrgs.br/ni/vol3num3%5Cartigo04.pdf)
(Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae: Poeciliinae)
Paulo H. F. Lucinda

I just love science papers - they're one of the few internet information sources that you can be absolutely certain wasn't messed up to one degree or another.

[GaryofMontreal]

It looks like the work has begun on livebearers - they were kind of neglected for awhile. I think we're going to see a lot of descriptions of 'Micropoecilia' as well. Keep sending those papers - it keeps nerds like me happy with summer reading.

I have a Phallocerus here that I was going to pass a male of to a friend - except when I saw his bereaved females, they were twice the size and a completely different colour than the ones I have. I was a little concerned they might not be the same species.

Luckily, they were collected by a friend of a friend, so maybe with the collection info, the guy that gave them to me can see what we have. Maybe not. I hope it's ua or buckupi. Good names!

[Melody]

It is the devoted experts that initiate change in these matters -there's no funding for anything in science that doesn't directly impact humans it seems. Clubs sponsering educational programs like the ALA does, facilitates indepth research as well. I encourage all clubs to have scholarship funds for whatever species.

When it comes to the finer genetics and so on, it takes the lifetime dedication of scientists like the late Dr. Joanne Norton.

However, when we buy books, papers and otherwise show interest at the hobby level, it does encourage companies to invest in research because there's a profit possibility. In the case of papers, purchasing can also fund university programs.:yes:

[GaryofMontreal]

You know, if we ever do a Canadian Aquarium Connection road trip to all meet each other, "21 new Phallocerus" has the makings of an excellent fishnerd-travel song.

[Melody]

Yeah but we have to learn how to pronounce it first :rolleyes: .

21 Phalloceros in the tank, 21 Phalloceros... take one out, send it to Blaine, 32 Phalloceros in the tank....

...Well, with Livebearers the numbers may not be consistent to the end of the song... but oh well.

I wonder just how many species we actually have in the hobby now, and how many are hybrids?

[Xiph]

So where are these fish?

I have seen pictures Phalloceros caudimaculatus in books and magazines but haven't heard of anybody having them. My friend kept an eye out for them at the ALA and he didn't spot any there.

[GaryofMontreal]

The Phallocerus thread returns...
I stopped keeping mine - so far, the only rare livebearer I've chosen to give up on. I found them dull and demanding - I had 25 in a planted 20, and I saw maybe one a week for a few seconds. They were secretive and flat grey. What I had was not caudimaculatus for sure, but what it was will forever remain a mystery.
Very few of these species are in the hobby. They aren't easy to transport out of Brazil, even if you can find them there.
I suspect it would take a hobbyist expedition going to the region and collecting the fish with very precise collection locality data for there to be any chance of recognizing which species is which. At the end of the day, you would have a variety of colourless fish with not especially pleasing body shapes.

[Melody]

All of them are colourless?

Well the fun is in the fishing anyway. C'mon, get packed and pick me up on the way. Blaine & Mr. OM will probably want to come too, it will be fun! We can play "ID the boring fish" and drink cheap beer.:cheers:

[blainep]

Did somebody say cheap beer ! ::D:

Seriously though, I'd love the chance to go on a collecting trip. I think I would need to have someone at the other end able to wait for the FedEx delivery person to arrive cause there is no way I could carry enough suitcases !

Even if the Phallocerus are a generally colorless fish, I'd still like to see a few species.

[Xiph]

Collecting trip! Collecting trip!! Collecting trip!!! Let's go!

Sorry to hear Gary had such a bleak time with them. I've been really intrigued by Phalloceros caudimaculatus pictures, they look like neat little fish.

[Melody]

Oh good, we're all set! Jay, check the budget! Whaddayamean we're in the red - just print it in greyscale and there is no red.

I envy hobbyists who live in or near tropical climates where fish can be collected. When I'm rich & famous, I will spend mucho time travelling just to do that. Otherwise, I don't like travelling so that's saying something!

I have to bring the boys so someone can check my sleeping bag for big creepy things that I don't want to collect or feed with my body. Y'all can take turns standing guard over me all night.

Knowing the devils around here, they'd spend the time taking video of me talking in my sleep for a CAC Utube collection... but it's still better than waking up beside a bug that's bigger than I am!:wideeyed:

[GaryofMontreal]

Bugs? If I wake up in the fish-collecting jungle morning with a giant tarantula on my head, I won't be bald anymore.

[Melody]

Note to self: Share tent with Ms. Xiph & not the "Tarantulas are useful" Gary.

[Namor]

I hereby volunteer my services as official tick remover.
(I'm getting quite good at this most unpleasant task).

[CACAdmin]

Oh good, we're all set! Jay, check the budget! Whaddayamean we're in the red - just print it in greyscale and there is no red..
Sorry Melody, it's in the red (is there any other color? :twitcy: )... somehow I don't think the bank would let me have the funds based on a spreadsheet printed out in B&W to hide the red. :frown:


Note to self: Share tent with Ms. Xiph & not the "Tarantulas are useful" Gary. Don't worry, he won't share the tarantulas with anyone but us bald guys. :wink:

However, there are lots more bugs you'd have to worry about in the tropics. For instance here are a few of the many bugs in the Amazon: http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/insects.html


I hereby volunteer my services as official tick remover.
(I'm getting quite good at this most unpleasant task).
That season again, Namor? I thankfully have never encountered one (& want to keep it that way.)

[Xiph]

I completely didn't think about the bugs...

I volunteer to be the "ship to" person in North America so no one has the difficulty of traveling with the fish. It is a sacrifice, but someone has to do it. :wink:

[Melody]

:rofl: We'd be in quite a dilemma, wouldn't we? Fish collecting... big bugs.... fish collecting..... big bugs.... Alright, Mr. Namor gets to sleep in the girl tent. That might seem like a coin flip win until he is woken up by terrified screams every 20 minutes. By the end of the trip he'd be telling the guys "Anybody remember when sleeping with two women was a good thing?:coffee2: " :laugh:

Jay, there's Mollies there, fudge the budget. Just ask Campbell how, he's an expert.:rolleyes:

[GaryofMontreal]

You know there are easier ways. Rent a hotel in Mexico, and a car. Drive around. Xiphophorus and mollies galore. Goodeids on the west side. It could be cool.

[Melody]

That's not the full collecting experience, Gary.

OK I'm over that now - a hotel it is! Jay - a bigger bank loan, if you please.

[CACAdmin]

OK, I'll ask but I think they actually expect you to have collateral when you apply for a loan... :frown: and somehow I don't think they'd accept my fish as collateral. :twitcy: You might have to wait until I win a lottery jackpot.

But we can still plan. We'll leave the selection of collection locations to Gary, the ladies can do the travel plans (book flights, hotel, etc). ... make sure it's a hotel with a pool and patio with some shade where we can sit and relax at the end of the day of collecting. How does sitting in the shade sipping Margueritas, ladies?

[GaryofMontreal]

The "good old days" when the Herbert Axelrods of the world just showed up, caught fish and sold them are behind us. Countries like Mexico, Costa Rica and Belize have fauna protection legislation in place that oblige collectors to work with local scientific bodies if they want to remove fish from the wild. It's a good thing, but it's a limiting one.
So we get permits! Then we have to find a hotel with a pool and fridges. Have a designated driver. And then go wild. I see a sort of conga line of people with dipnets in their hands....
Honduras and Mexico have excellent beer. Belize has one beer, Beliken, and it's not great. But when it's 35 and humid, it'll do. And look, everyone down there has orange Fanta (you can tan indoors with that stuff).

[Melody]

Sounds perfect to me. Let's not go home. ::D: I'll teach everyone how to make money online and we'll work out of there. Yup, that'll do it!