Kaix
07-28-2006, 09:59 AM
Give Ameca splendens a Try
Also known as the butterfly goodeid, these splendid live bearers are easy to keep, breed and raise.
I’ve always had a soft spot for live-bearing fish. Today, a vast array of colorful guppies, platies, swordtails and mollies are readily available at local fish stores and are very popular. Although manmade sports are great, wild-type live bearers, adorned in their natural garb, have an innate beauty I find hard to pass up.
Natural History
Guppies, platies, swordtails and others are members of the family Poeciliidae. Other live bearers suitable for our aquariums may belong to Anablepidae, Hemirhamphidae or Goodeidae. Poeciliidae species are commonly available, but one must actively search for Anablepidae, Hemirhamphidae and Goodeidae species, but it’s worth it. Ameca splendens (Goodeidae) is one such fish.
Ameca splendens was scientifically described in 1971 by Miller and Fitzsimons, who placed it in the new genus Ameca, named after the collection site of the Rio Ameca Basin in Mexico. Ameca splendens, commonly known as the butterfly goodeid or the butterfly splitfin, received its species name “splendens” because of the glittering scales on the flanks of the male.
Young male and female fish look similar and can be difficult to distinguish. The body coloring of adult males is a metallic greenish gray on the back. Adult males also have a longitudinal band formed from a conglomeration of black spots running from the gills to the penducle, which separates the lighter-colored underbelly. Also, a splattering of iridescent scales and black spots adorns the flanks of the male. As they become subadults, males develop a faint vertical yellow band on their caudal fin, which develops into a bright orange-yellow band edged with a black band on the penducle side. The males, which only reach a total length (TL) of 3 inches, develop the typical goodeid andropodium, where leading rays of the anal fin are separated from the rest of the anal fin by a notch to form a lobelike appendage.
The andropodium is flexible and used during mating to aid in the transference of sperm to the female. Females can grow to more than 4 inches TL, but they are less colorful than the males, and their anal fins are undifferentiated. In females, the black spots tend to pepper a large part of the lower body rather than being restricted to the midline.
At one time, Ameca splendens could be found at several locations within the Ameca Basin, which is located in western Mexico on the rugged Pacific slope. This species was noted in both the Rio Teuchitlan and Rio Ameca.
In these locations water flows over limestone and is hard and alkaline. Its general hardness (gH) is 6 to 10, carbonate hardness (kH) 7 to 11 and pH 8. Water temperature depends not only on the season but whether it’s day or night. It ranges from 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Here, the large rocks are often covered in a dense mass of algae, and the banks sometimes have hornworth species.
The wild diet of Ameca splendens includes all kinds of algae (e.g., green hair algae) and crustaceans. Different species of goodeids are found in the Ameca Basin. Unfortunately, loss of habitat and introduced species, such as tilapia and common carp, are putting pressure on indigenous species.
Also known as the butterfly goodeid, these splendid live bearers are easy to keep, breed and raise.
I’ve always had a soft spot for live-bearing fish. Today, a vast array of colorful guppies, platies, swordtails and mollies are readily available at local fish stores and are very popular. Although manmade sports are great, wild-type live bearers, adorned in their natural garb, have an innate beauty I find hard to pass up.
Natural History
Guppies, platies, swordtails and others are members of the family Poeciliidae. Other live bearers suitable for our aquariums may belong to Anablepidae, Hemirhamphidae or Goodeidae. Poeciliidae species are commonly available, but one must actively search for Anablepidae, Hemirhamphidae and Goodeidae species, but it’s worth it. Ameca splendens (Goodeidae) is one such fish.
Ameca splendens was scientifically described in 1971 by Miller and Fitzsimons, who placed it in the new genus Ameca, named after the collection site of the Rio Ameca Basin in Mexico. Ameca splendens, commonly known as the butterfly goodeid or the butterfly splitfin, received its species name “splendens” because of the glittering scales on the flanks of the male.
Young male and female fish look similar and can be difficult to distinguish. The body coloring of adult males is a metallic greenish gray on the back. Adult males also have a longitudinal band formed from a conglomeration of black spots running from the gills to the penducle, which separates the lighter-colored underbelly. Also, a splattering of iridescent scales and black spots adorns the flanks of the male. As they become subadults, males develop a faint vertical yellow band on their caudal fin, which develops into a bright orange-yellow band edged with a black band on the penducle side. The males, which only reach a total length (TL) of 3 inches, develop the typical goodeid andropodium, where leading rays of the anal fin are separated from the rest of the anal fin by a notch to form a lobelike appendage.
The andropodium is flexible and used during mating to aid in the transference of sperm to the female. Females can grow to more than 4 inches TL, but they are less colorful than the males, and their anal fins are undifferentiated. In females, the black spots tend to pepper a large part of the lower body rather than being restricted to the midline.
At one time, Ameca splendens could be found at several locations within the Ameca Basin, which is located in western Mexico on the rugged Pacific slope. This species was noted in both the Rio Teuchitlan and Rio Ameca.
In these locations water flows over limestone and is hard and alkaline. Its general hardness (gH) is 6 to 10, carbonate hardness (kH) 7 to 11 and pH 8. Water temperature depends not only on the season but whether it’s day or night. It ranges from 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Here, the large rocks are often covered in a dense mass of algae, and the banks sometimes have hornworth species.
The wild diet of Ameca splendens includes all kinds of algae (e.g., green hair algae) and crustaceans. Different species of goodeids are found in the Ameca Basin. Unfortunately, loss of habitat and introduced species, such as tilapia and common carp, are putting pressure on indigenous species.