Lower Paraná Basin

[Jorge O'Reilly]

Thought I'd add some videos/pictures and share some species I saw while netting at night. I'll keep it (fairly) small, 25 cm or less.

First off, some small Platydoras Armatus foraging around.



Next, Piabucus Melanostoma. I found it striking, and took a picture even when I left some relatively "prettier" and widely known species undocumented, such as Serrapinus Kriegi or Aphyocharax Anisitsi.

Some sort of pleco, hard to tell which. Could be Hypostomus Luteomaculatus, small, or Uruguaiensis, dunno.

Characidium Zebra, juveniles (confirmed this with an ichthyologist just to be sure) Also caught a full grown one but sadly did not snap a pic of it.





Already shown, all the Otocinclus sp., likely Vestitus, absolutely swarming the place. In the first video you can see one as well, towards the end.

Last, and perhaps the one I liked the most, Leporinus Striatus. This species grows to about 25 cm, and I did not take a picture. These are off the internet. IMO, they do not do the blood-red snout justice. It's barely perceptible, but really striking in person.

There's tons of fish I haven't mentioned. Rineloricaria is perhaps the oddest, although I find them pretty distasteful for some reason.

I'll do this again sometime this year, but closer to Buenos Aires, this is a 1000 km trip and can't be done too frequently. If it happens, It'll be more cichlid-heavy, and I'll do my best to document it more thoroughly. Here are some shoreline pics. You can see how an aquarium could be made to mimic these roots, as the river was very very low these days, but this is all usually underwater.

 

[LFNfan]

This is amazing. And you found and netted all those fish just swimming in the waters of the area you visited?
Did you bring them back to your aquarium?

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

They congregate on the shoreline at night. I also saw a three-footer dorado (salminus brasiliensis) prowling, so they have VERY sharp reasons for their behaviour.

No, they all went back. It was a fishing trip, so the larger baitfish turned into bait, but most of the ones pictured were released. I came back via plane and collecting them for aquarium purposes is a grey legal area at best. Our environmental laws are pretty stupid.

 

[John q]

Hate to break it to you @Jorge O'Reilly but that fish in the picture above ain't going to fit in your tank mate. 😄

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

I couldn't catch any of those. They weren't meant for my tank... Although at that size I'd have trouble with the grill as well. They are INCREDIBLY good over a fire.

Sadly, they are only that golden hue when they are adults. Juveniles are pretty drab, and when really small they are like 85% mouth, look like gulper eels.

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

They are insanely colorful. Insanely. I spotted one ten meters away swimming in the river, in a pitch black night with only a crappy phone's flashlight.

 

[LFNfan]

That's so cool. Amazing colours on the dorado in the second picture! And from your photos that area looks like a pretty special place to visit and fish.

I had not thought about laws around collecting for aquarium purposes but, yes, I can see that might be a thing.

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

I had not thought about laws around collecting for aquarium purposes but, yes, I can see that might be a thing.

Usually, you're fine collecting. You can grab a boatload and use it as bait, but if you transport it and some random cop sees you with live animals he might think you're "trafficking native fauna" and then some idiotic DA might pursue a case based on a decade-old, effectively unapplied law with obscure wording, passed for political gain by morons with no relationship to actual conservation. It wouldn't stick, but it would be an incredibly annoying process.

 

[PARAGUAY]

"Morons with no relationship to actual conservation" Sadly this is all to common in the UK, An excellent aquarium shop, owner very knowledgeable also sold other fauna thinking Rabbits etc, last time l was there he told me and others the unbelievable new regs for keeping and selling livestock by the local authority, last time l went past it was closed shutters down and for sale signs up

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

It's all done to scratch a vote. They'll slap "environmental protection on the title" and pass a bill with no heads or tails. All it does is screech YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITH LOCAL FAUNA, promptly ignored by everyone.