The large genus Leporinus comprises more than 90 species and still confronts science with hardly solvable problems concerning the delimitation of the species. Among the groups of species known for decades as particularly complicated is the group of forms around Leporinus maculatus. These are Leporinus, where at least a part of the flank pattern consists of round spots. Leporinus pellegrinii, which was described in 1910 from Surinam, belongs to the “maculatus group” (the spelling with two “i” at the end is the correct one). The author Steindachner later also assigned animals from the Rio Branco to this species. Unfortunately, the species was not illustrated in the scientific description, so that until today there are doubts about its identity. According to the present opinion the species exists in the Rio Branco, Essequibo, Tibit, Saramacca, Suriname, Mana and in the Peruvian Amazon.
We have at present very beautiful Leporinus, which are to be counted most probably to the species L. pellegrinii, in stock. Our animals come from Brazil, we did not get more exact information. It is a relatively small Leporinus species, which according to the available information does not exceed 12 cm total length (including tail fin). Among themselves the beautiful fish are peaceful, which is always worth mentioning with Leporinus.
For our customers: the animals have code 265933 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
