VIDEO: Crossoloricaria variegata and friends

Crossoloricaria variegata, dorsal view. Image credit: Oliver Lucanus — *Crossoloricaria variegata*, dorsal view. Image credit: Oliver Lucanus

In concert with his latest article, AMAZONAS contributor Oliver Lucanus shares a brief video look at some spectacular whiptail catfishes: Pseudohemiodon apithanos, Rhadinoloricaria macromystax, and Crossoloricaria variegata, all from Colombia.

Pseudohemiodon apithanos are highly variable in color, with the black and beige markings changing based on their mood. They spend most of their time buried in the substrate. High water flow and routine water changes are required for their husbandry.

Learn more about these and other species in "Choco-rarely seen loricardiids from the Andes," by Oliver Lucanus, published in the January/February 2021 issue of AMAZONAS — Learn more about these and other species in “Choco-rarely seen loricardiids from the Andes,” by Oliver Lucanus, published in the January/February 2021 issue of AMAZONAS

From the Choco region, Crossoloricaria variegata: They can be territorial but seldom cause injury (watch them fight over food in the video below).

Reaching 14 inches (35 cm) in length, Rhadinoloricaria macromystax, The Salvador Dali Whiptail, is a fish that Lucanus considers reserved for the experts. “It’s crazy delicate,” he warns, requiring warm, oxygen-rich, fast-flowing water and clean water chemistry; weekly water changes are non-optional.

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