Heiko Bleher

Hi guys,

long thread and little (almost no) time I must finish two books... Bt in short:

1. Scientifically the Geophagus sp. with the orange and/or red head and dorsally red (in some or depending on breeidng or not), are up to this day considered to be Geophagus proximus and G. proximus (variants or colour morphs) is found throughout the upper, middle and lower Amazon basin.
2. Therefore Geophagus proximus (variants) are also found in the Araguaia-Tocantins-Xingu rivers. BUT IN NONE IS A red-headed/red-shoulder variant. THOSE are LIMITED to the Tapajós/Arapiuns rivers.
3. Only recently is a Geophagus 'proximus-variant' been described from the Rio Tocantins: Geophagus sveni Lucinda, Lucena & Assis 2010, but also that one HAS NO RED nor ORANGE HEAD.
4. The species often in the trade/hobby mentioned as Geophagus sp. 'Araguaria' with a ornage and/or red head is totally misleading and simply wrongly named by someone. Also none of the specimens Stawikowski/Werner, DCG, etc. mention (1990, 2000, 2004, etc.) form the Araguaia and Tocantins shown in publications from those places show a orange or red head. Those have (to my seeing and research) all been Geophagus proximus variants (or the newly described sveni) WITHOUT ANY ORANGE OR RED DORSALLY.
5. Besides: I have started to collect fishes extensively in the Rio Araguaria and Tocantins in 1965 (and I was the first worldwide to expoort all fishes from those two river, including the Tocantins Discus with my Aquarium Rio, at that time located in Rio de Janeiro). And I went back many times to those two rivers, and Xingu, during the last part of the 20th Century and in the new Millennium (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006) and NEVER EVER SAW A RED OR ORANGE HEADED Geophagus variant there.
6. You all can also look at the http://www.cichlidae...ies.php?id=2633 site and will also see no orange or red headed Geophagus picture from those areas on there very good site.

I hope you all can live with that and actually I hope to see you all in October,

best regards
Heiko Bleher