The identity of this dwarf cichlid – it belongs to the absolute top-rarities – is under discussion. It is a fact hat it has been collected for the first time in 1995 by Uwe Werner and company near Mitu, Colombia. The city of Mitu is placed at the banks of the Rio Vaupes. Uwe was able to bring some live specimens with him, but sadly they did not breed successfully. These fish were introduced in the hobby literature under the name of A. personata. Uwe Römer in his book „Cichliden Atlas“ identifies these fish as Apistogramma brevis. However, both species – A. brevis and A. personata – are only very poorly studied, so currently it is not possible to decide which opinion is the right one. We simply named them Apistogramma personata Mitu because they are better known in the hobby under that name.
In respect of coloration this species is not a burner, but very interesting. The ability to change the colours is enormous – all pictures show the very same three specimens, one male and two females. A very interesting fact is that the male shows eyespots on the opercles when it is very excited; in cool moods these eyespots are hardly visible.
For our customers: the fish have code 626484 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in small numbers only!
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
