LÜLING caught in 1963 and 1980 Heros apendiculatus particularly at parts of riverbanks overgrown with grasses of the Yarina Cocha (Rio Ucayali). \usually they were not far from the banks and extremely rare farther from the cost in deeper water
In 1993 RAINER STAWIKOWSKI and CLAUS SCHAEFER caught Heros appendiculatus in a number of lakes in flooded forest ( Igapó )at the bank at the mid-Rio Tefe. They caught the animals that were in deeper and free water with a cast-net.


A pair of Heros efasciatus

JUNK and SMITH admitted the names of the Cichlids of the Genus Heros in a list with the typical residents of the floating meadows where the fishes that are called in that neighborhood "Cara roxo" ( = red cichlid) mainly live of waterinsects and their larva. Here the Heros varieties are caught with casting nets also and sometimes with fishing rods and eaten. At the angling almost only shrimps (genus Palaemonidae) that are present here in large numbers, are used as bait. According to these fisherman the fishes are only during the day in the open water, at night they seek out the flooded forests. By gastric analysis at animals of ca18 to 20 cms one found out that the animals feed themselves at high water and at low water as well with landplants and only at low water also with landinsects. Further there were also parts of fish, Detritus,waterplants, fruits and seeds in the stomachs. The examined fishes came from very different habitats; sandy beach,submerged forest, lakes on the islands and riverbanks with a lot of wood. (Goulding, Carvalho & Feirrera 1988.)
The next species are distinguished
:
Heros appendiculatus Castelnau1855 from Ucayaliriver (Synonym: Uarus centrarchoides Cope 1872 from the Ampiyacu, a tributary on the northern side of the Ucayali river)
The species distinguishes himself from H. severus by a higher bild, Thikker lips and incomplete striping in the adult animals (The stripes are reduced to a row of black spots at the ventral side.)
Heros efasciatus Heckel 1840
Heros notatus (Jardine in Schomburgk,1843)
Heros severus Heckel 1840 (Also known as severum banded cichlid)
Heros spurius Heckel 1840
And at least during the last years some specious were discovered with much red in the color of the body. Heros sp.redshoulder and Heros sp. rotkeil. The scientific standing of them is vague. So what we are waiting for is a in great revision detail of the genus Heros.

 


 

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