Only very rarely members of the enigmatic genus Rhynchodoras (family Doradidae) appear in the ornamental fish trade. It is believed that these fish live in the very riverbed where collectors of ornamental fishes usually do not fish at all. All species of Rhynchodoras have a strange appendix on the jaw that looks like a share; the function of this structure is unknown.
Three species are currently recognized in the genus, none of them is reported from Peru so far; our fish are from Peru. It is nevertheless very likely that our specimens belong to Rhynchodoras woodsi, a species described in 1976 from the Rio Pastaza basin in Ecuador. It is reported so far (despite Ecuador) from the Amazon basin in Brazil (not in the rivers Xingu and Tocantins) and Guyana. Maximum length reported is 10.5 cm, our fish are currently 3-4 cm long.
For our customers: the fish have code 287511 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in small numbers only!
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
