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Theraps Wesseli.
Wij als fanatieke
liefhebbers van
midden Amerikaanse
cichliden (John en
Brian) van deze
homepage, maken
normaal gesproken
onze eigen artikelen
van de cichliden die
we zelf houden.
Natuurlijk zijn niet
alle midden Amerika
cichliden in
Nederland aanwezig,
daarom hebben we
vrienden in Amerika
gevraagd om over
deze cichliden te
schrijven, in dit
geval betreft het de
Theraps Wesseli.
Wij danken Rusty
voor het mogen
plaatsen van zijn
artikel (in engels
geschreven) over de
cichlide die hij
heeft ontdekt en we
zijn er zeker van
dat u dit artikel
met plezier zult
lezen.
(This article was
originally published
in "Buntbarshe
Bulletin" No. 175,
pp. 1-7. the
bulletin of the
American Cichlid
Association).
In March 1991, I
found myself
collecting cichlids
with fellow
cichlidophiles Ross
Socolof and Dr.
Harry Specht on the
Caribbean coast of
northern Honduras.
As usual, I was the
first to enter the
water. Equipped with
a dive mask, I was
pleasantly surprised
to spot a fish in
the river I had
never seen. When I
saw the fish I
screamed to Ross to
come see it before
it vanished beneath
the massive boulders
in the rapids of the
river. On first
sight I knew this
fish must be new and
once Ross viewed it
he agreed with my
assessment.
Subsequently, after
some 12 trips to
this area over a
five-year period,
this cichlid was
named Theraps
wesseli, in my
honor, by Dr. Robert
Rush Miller of the
University of
Michigan. The
species description
was published in the
June 1996 issue of
Tropical Fish
Hobbyist. My
intent here is to
describe the habitat
of Theraps
wesseli and how
difficult a fish it
was to capture.
Perhaps this
difficulty is the
reason it has gone
undescribed this
long.
Theraps wesseli
exists in at least
three streams in
Northern Honduras,
the Rio Juhapa, Rio
Belleaire and the
Rio Hauron. All of
these streams are
part of the Rio
Papaloteca basin in
the Departmento de
Atlantida between
the coastal city of
La Ceiba and Sava (Saba
on some maps). All
three streams
originate in the
coastal Cordillera
Mountain range and
flow in the
Caribbean Sea.
Clouds constantly
hug the mountain
range and provide
clean, pure water to
these pristine
mountain streams.
The water clarity
during the dry
season (January to
June) is
spectacular. The
crystal clear stream
consist of fast
moving water with a
current of
approximately three
feet per second, a
pH of 7.8 and a
water temperature of
approximately 25°C
(77°F.)
Surprisingly, the
water is relatively
soft. The bottom
consists of sand,
rocky rubble and
large boulders with
a maximum depth of
only 2.4-3.0 m (8 to
10 feet.) The banks
are lined by a lush
green vegetation.
Many consider this
the area on of the
most beautiful areas
in all of Honduras.
Theraps wesseli
lives in the fastest
current in the
river. This rapid
loving cichlid is
similar in color to
Melanochromis
auratus from
Lake Malawi in east
Africa. During
normal coloration,
the male and female
have a narrow black
strip extending from
the eye to the base
of the caudal fin.
Above and below this
mid-lateral stripe a
gold stripe can been
found. The overall
body coloration is
from tan to yellow.
The tips of the
dorsal and anal fin
are chalky blue, as
are the scales along
the flanks. During
courtship, the body
below the
mid-lateral stripe
turns jet black in
both sexes. This
breeding color phase
begins a week or so
before spawning and
lasts until the fry
have left the nest.
It is during
courtship that this
animal is most
strikingly similar
in color to M.
auratus.
Distinguishing the
sexes is difficult,
except during the
height of courtship
when the black color
of the female
intensifies. The fry
at one inch are
exact replicas of
the adults. This
asset should make
these popular with
aquarists because
most young Central
American cichlids
are dull gray as
juveniles.
As I mentioned
above, Theraps
wesseli is at
home in the rapids
of the river and is
quite rare in its
habitat. My most
liberal estimate is
that there is only
one T. wesseli
in every 1000 fishes
in the stream. Not
only is it rare, but
its life in the
rapids make it
extremely difficult
to capture. In
addition, at the
slightest
disturbance, the
animal quickly
vanishes into the
cracks of the
boulders. The trick
to capturing this
elusive cichlid was
going after them at
night. Equipped with
underwater lights
and braving the
rapids at night,
eventually, and with
much difficulty,
after numerous
sightings and hours
of fruitless
pursuit, specimens
were captured. It
should be noted that
these relatively
peaceful flowing
streams became
raging torrents
during the height of
the rainy season
(July to December).
The bridge at
Jutiapa was
completely washed
away during a storm
in 1993. It's
amazing how fish can
withstand such
torrents in nature.
Other inhabitants of
the stream include
an undescribed molly
(Poecilia)
that is commonly
called "bar-tail"
because of the black
crescent on the
caudal fin.
Poecilia mexicana,
Alfaro huberi,
Xiphophorus helleri
(green swordtail),
Belonesox
belizianus (pike
top minnow),
Gambusia sp.,
Heterandria
bimaculatus,
Phallichthys amates
and an undescribed
plant which only
grows in the fastest
rapids, all occupy
the streams with
T. wesseli. Also
in the rapids, along
side of T.
wesseli, was an
interesting gobie,
Sicydium
gymnogaster. It
has fused pelvic
fins which serve as
a suction cup and
allow it to "hang
on" to rocks in the
rapids. Freshwater
crabs and large
shrimp scurry along
the bottom in search
of food. Even though
there are many
interesting fish in
these streams, it is
the cichlids that
fascinate me the
most. The slack
areas are inhabited
by Amphilophus
robertsoni, and
a color morph of
Archocentrus
spilurum known
as "cutteri." A.
robertsoni is a
medium-sized blue
cichlid that
constantly sifts
through the sand for
food. It avoids fast
flowing water and is
quite relaxed in the
warmer back waters.
Archocentrus
spilurum are
well represented
throughout the
streams but seem
most at home in the
moderately flowing
water. They keep
along the bottom of
shallow water and
could be found along
the occasional
vertical rock walls
that formed the edge
of the stream in
places. It would
peck at the
substrate as if
tearing of mouthfuls
of food and whatever
algae and debris was
there. Currently, as
with many cichlids,
this particular
color morph of A.
spilurum is
still under
taxonomic review.
The "cutteri" from
this area have a
beautiful blue
streak through the
mid-section of the
body and have
wine-red fins,
distinctive from the
gray A. spilurum
from neighboring
Belize to the west.
In closing I would
like to thank the
following people for
either direct and
indirect help in my
pursuit of this
elusive cichlid:
Vance Alford, Carl
Barker, Garlan Bird,
Carl Bischoff, Phil
Clary, T.J.
Delahanty, Thom
Grimshaw, David
Herlong, Andy
Jackson, Don Kink,
Paul Mann, Eddie
Martin, Richard
Peake, Charlie Pyles,
Tim Rohleder, Todd
Sanchez, Steve
Sears, Keith
Sheppard, Ross
Socolof, Harry
Specht, Dick Thomas,
and Morgan and Suzie
Wessel.
© Copyright 1996,
Rusty Wessel
All rights Reserved |
