Gastromyzon stellatus profile*x

[Martin Thoene]

*Work in progress*

Scientific Name: Gastromyzon stellatus (Tan, 2006)

Common name: None.

Synonyms: None.

Distribution: Sarawak, Borneo.

Sexual Dimorphism: Females probably plumper all over than males.

Maximum size: 2 inches

Similar to: Part of the Gastromyzon ridens group, which consists of G.ridens, G. stellatus, G. crenastus, and G. zebrinus .

Care: Inhabit fast flowing streams over boulders. Aquarium must duplicate these conditions as fish have very high oxygen requirements. See: http://www.loaches.com/hillstream_loaches.html for more detailed explanation.

With all Gastromyzon species, care is broadly the same. All need excellent water-flow and aeration, numerous rocky hiding places and smooth pebbles and boulders to graze over. Lighting should be bright to encourage algal growth in the aquarium. Plants are not necessary as the fish do not normally encounter them in the wild, but they will help with water-quality. Suitable plants for high-flow environments are Anubias and Microsoreum. These will grow on rockwork or driftwood.

Feeding: Good quality flake, sinking pellets, algae wafers, thawed frozen Bloodworm, Mysis Shrimp, blanched Spinach, Kale, natural algae an advantage.

Water parameters: pH:7.0-8.0. Hardness: Medium. Max dh:

Temperature: 68ºF to 75ºF(20-23.8°C)

Breeding: Not bred in aquaria.


Caption: Gastromyzon stellatus .
Credit: Martin Thoene


Caption: Gastromyzon stellatus
Credit: Martin Thoene


Caption: Gastromyzon stellatus
Credit: Martin Thoene


Caption: Gastromyzon stellatus
Credit: Martin Thoene

This species sometimes arrives mixed in with shipments of Gastromyzon ctenocephalus or Gastromyzon scitulus.


Caption: Gastromyzon stellatus .
Credit: Martin Thoene


Caption: Gastromyzon stellatus .
Credit: Martin Thoene


Caption: Gastromyzon stellatus .
Credit: Martin Thoene


Caption: Gastromyzon stellatus .
Credit: Martin Thoene

[shari2]

Martin,

In this profile you have similar to the G. ridens group. In our index ridens is listed as a synonym for G. stellatus

Would you like me to change that to link to G. stellatus, or is the index in error?

[Martin Thoene]

Well, apparently Tan lists this as a new species.

Jim, can you verify if there's an actual description in the book?

I think it's more an affiliation with ridens.

Martin.

[Jim Powers]

Stellatus is considered part of the ridens group which includes four species (ridens, stellatus, crenastus, and zebrinus)
And, yes, there is a species description of stellatus.

[Martin Thoene]

OK Jim, so in that case it's a seperate species, but "associated" with ridens.

I'm going to edit the text Shair so it shows the associated species, but your list should remove it as a synonym. We were erronously calling it ridens before we knew the true ID, so it's not a scientifically connected synonym.

Jim. am I right with (Tan, 2006) or is there another name in the description?

Martin.

[Jim Powers]

I would assume it will eventually be (Tan, 2006) but for now it only lists it as (new species).
By the way, I should have the H. zollingeri, H. smithi, and L. disparis done either tonight or Monday.

[Martin Thoene]

Brilliant stuff that man!

Martin.

[Jim Powers]

You've got that right!

[shari2]

Thanks Martin.

Couple more questions:

There is no G. ridens in the index. There is G. sp. 1 and G. sp 2...
Should I replace one of those with G. ridens, or add it as a new entry?

Where do you want the >LINK to go to?

[Martin Thoene]

<(LINK) in this case would go to zebrinus as it's covered.

We have no pics of crenastus as it's newly described.

We have no pictures of ridens that I'm aware of. We thought that stellatus was ridens, and on that basis (as you'll remember) I wrote a profile for The Book.

However, due to the update in knowledge I had suggested to Mark that he ask TFH to pull it and replace with a Sewellia lineolata profile that I wrote (he has the ms). We do of course have copious photos of that species, and for a book it's visually more stunning.

I'll checked those numbered species. #1 is the yellow morph fish I owned a few years ago. I'll do an UNIDENTIFIED profile for it as it's an interesting thing visually. #2 is Beaufortia kweichowensis and can be quietly forgotten as far as I'm concerned. There's no pictures in that old profile that are of any merit compared to what we have now.

I want to ask Hendra if we can use his photos because I'll do profiles for his SK1 and SK2 species if he agrees.

Martin.

[shari2]

Ok, thanks.
I'll set the link.