the vivarium issue 1 vol. 3 winter/spring 2015

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Editorial

Ashley RademacherAnimal Care and Education CoordinatorZoo Med Labs

With each New Year comes the tradition of reflecting on the past year and looking

forward, making “resolutions” and plans for the future. These resolutions often have to do with personal health, wealth, and other goals. This year, consider the health of our planet and survival of many of our world’s incredible species as you make your New Year’s Resolutions. This issue of The Vivarium and Aquarium News is meant to inspire you with a conservation theme to learn new ways that you can help protect the species that need our help.There are so many different aspects of conser-vation and as pet keepers, we can play a vital role in the preservation of many species. Hab-itat and biotope preservation are essential for maintaining wild populations of many plants and animals. While many factors are often out of our control, the good news is, there are many things we can do to help the plight of threatened and endangered species. Keeping and caring for pets is a great way to educate and inspire people to learn about their

pets’ wild counterparts and do what they can to protect them. Many terrarium and aquarium spe-cies breed readily in captivity.As a reptile breeder or herpetoculturist, produ-cing captive bred offspring can be very rewarding and help relieve pressure from wild populations.In some cases, viable breeding populations may only exist in captivity and occasionally, only in the hands of private keepers and breeders. Creating and maintaining these “assurance colonies” is a vital aspect of species conservation that many individuals and organizations can participate in.Zoo Med Labs is proud to contribute to conser-vation efforts for numerous species. Zoo Med is a major sponsor of the Turtle and Tortoise Pre-servation Group (TTPG), the Turtle Survival Alli-ance (TSA), the International Iguana Foundation (IIF), and the United States Association of Repti-le Keepers (USARK). These organizations participate in a wide vari-ety of conservation efforts including educating and inspiring current and future reptile keepers, providing habitat rehabilitation, conducting field research, and creating and managing captive as-surance colonies to help ensure the survival of threatened species. Additionally, Zoo Med works with several different endangered species in our breeding facility and have been able to success-fully hatch a few in 2014 including: Yellow Blot-ched Sawback Turtles (Graptemys flavimacula-ta), Forsten’s Tortoises (Indotestudo forstenii), and a Spiny Hill Turtle (Heosemys spinosa). While you usher in the New Year, I would like to encourage you to find out how you can be (or maybe already are) contributing to conservation efforts and make the most of 2015!

Contents

EnvironmentBuy a fish and save a tree

Endangered speciesThe Bala Shark

Hyperolius riggenbachi - what a stunner!

The Three Striped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon baurii)- the ideal dwarf turtle

The Electric Blue Dwarf Gecko - terrarium enthusiasts can save it!

Theloderma corticale - the Mossy Frog from Vietnam

NEW ON THE MARKET!

CichlidsPeaceful herbivores?

4-9

10-13

14-21

22-29

30-35

36-39

40-47

48-53

Wonderful plated lizards - Gerrhosaurus major

54-57

EnvironmentBuy a fish and save a tree

by Ulrich Glaser, Head of amtra Croci GmbH

The Vivarium - Issue 1 Vol. 34

“Buy a fish and save a tree” is at first glance a rather incomprehensible statement, but it’s

true! The export of more than 30 million orna-mental fish per year from the Amazon region in

Brazil makes an important contribution to the re-tention of the rainforest and provides a living for the indigenous population of the region.

In September 1991 the self-styled “fish-nerd“ Scott Dowd from Massachusetts fulfilled a long-cherished dream. He traveled in the Ama-zon region, the home of some of the most popu-lar freshwater ornamental fish such as the Cardi-nal Tetra and the Discus. “At sunrise my boat was afloat on the Rio Negro, flocks of squawking ma-

The Vivarium - Issue 1 Vol. 3 55

Impression of the Rio Negro, the home of the Cardinal Tetra and many other popular aquarium fishes.

caws traversed the sky, and otherwise there was just endless water and green forest as far as the horizon“, remembers Scott. The water beneath his boat teemed with gorgeous ornamental fish, many of which he had kept in the aquarium since he was ten years old. And now he had come to the place where these fish were found, Barcelos, a town in the heart of the Amazon region.

When he arrived there, however, he was initial-ly horrified. On the riverbank he found a multitu-

de of men who had tied up their little boats and were delivering hand-woven, plastic-lined bas-kets filled with water and containing masses of ornamental fish caught in the nearby rivers and streams. The collecting area worked by the fis-hermen was around 29,000 square miles (75,000 km²), about a quarter of the size of Germany. The collecting baskets were loaded on to a passen-ger steamer where they occupied the entire lo-wer deck. The steamer transported them to Ma-naus, around 280 miles (450 km) away. The fish were delivered to the exporters there, who then dispatched them all over the world.

His first reaction was, “Something isn’t right here, so many wild-caught fish leaving the region“. But nowadays, 23 years later, he knows better: “The collecting of ornamental fish in this region makes an important contribution to the regional economy while simultaneously conserving its resources and hence preserving the rainforest in its original form“. It is a fact that the roughly 40,000 inhabitants of the Barcelos region earn up to around 60% of their living from collecting ornamental fish – the locals call them piaba (= little fish).

This gave birth to the idea of the Project Piaba Eco Amazon, and when Scott Dowd isn’t busy training Electric Eels or working with Anacondas at his current workplace, the New England Aqua-rium in Boston, then he invests every spare mi-nute in promoting and supporting this project, which was founded in collaboration with the Uni-versity of Manaus and with support from the Uni-ted Nations. Its declared goal is to conduct the collection of piaba, the unique ornamental fish of the Amazon region, in an environmentally fri-endly and professional manner and to train the fishermen on the spot so they are better qualified for the work. This means that the inhabitants of the region can earn their living in a sustainable fashion, and are not forced to resort to alternative sources of income such as the felling of forest, with all the well-known associated problems. Scott Dowd is currently the leader of the project.

It is fascinating to watch how the local fishermen collect the fish carefully and very skillfully with their little nets. The entire family, whose life takes place almost exclusively on the veranda of their straw-thatched hut on the river bank, helps with the work. They sort the fish and transfer them


A typical settlement on the Rio Negro.

School children in the Barcelos region. Many of their families earn their living by collecting orna-mental fish.

into baskets using hollowed-out gourds. Unwan-ted bycatches are sorted out on the spot and re-turned to the water.

“I know of no other more environmentally friendly fishery,” enthuses Scott. Nevertheless, we cannot help but ask how even so large a region can cope with the annual removal of more than 30 million fish? Scott explains it to us. The entire, vast Amazon region is affected by dramatic fluctuations in water level. Every year, during the dry season, the water level drops by around 33 feet (10 meters), in order to rise again very

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Cardinal Tetra


dramatically during the rainy season. This is, by the way, the reason why the houses of the local people are built on tall stilts on the bank. When the water level sinks, millions of ornamental fish disappear, trapped in evaporating pools or puddles. Evolution has adapted to this. Many species produce enormously large numbers of offspring via the production of hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of eggs by a single mother fish. In this way the population recovers again with every rainy season.

In fact the fish that are collected and exported to aquaria all over the world are better off, as nu-merous fish live for many years in the aquarium, while in the natural habitat they survive for only one season, until the next dry period. “A Cardinal Tetra that manages to survive from the previous year in the Rio Negro is a real veteran,“ jokes Scott.

In the course of evolution the fish have adapted to the extreme living conditions in the dark, hu-min-stained, very soft water and have sometimes evolved surprising, even bizarre lifestyles: the

Aquarium-fish collector at work

School bus in the Barcelos region.


Typical forest stream (igarapé) in Brazil, home to innumerable aquarium fish. All photos: Ulrich Glaser


Marbled Hatchetfish, ever popular in the aqua-rium, can leap a long way out of water, as can a tetra species that jumps out of the water to spa-wn, attaching its eggs to the undersides of leaves and thus protecting them from predators.

Careful preparation of the water is indispensable in providing piaba with a natural biotope in their new home, the aquarium, but this means avoi-ding chemically aggressive substances that can spoil the water. Ideally use a water conditioner that contains only pure, natural ingredients, and specifically the substances that are present in large amounts in tropical soft-water rivers and streams, the so-called DOC (dissolved oxygen carbon) compounds. These are, for example, responsible for the dark amber coloration of the Rio Negro, the home of by far the most popular aquarium fish, the Cardinal Tetra.

Scott Dowd and a major German manufacturer of aquarium products are now working together on a new idea, the development of a QR code. Scanning this will link the ornamental fish ent-husiast with a web page where he can see how he can help preserve one of the world’s unique landscapes by buying piaba and products to help create the ideal aquarium biotope for them. “If this helps families to make a living in harmony with the unique world of the Amazon, then it is a good thing,” says Scott.

Please see www.projectpiaba.org for more infor-mation.

http://www.projectpiaba.org

www.projectpiaba.org


by Frank Schäfer

Our aquaria contain lots of fish species that owe their continued existence on this planet

to their importance as ornamental fish, and which are extinct or presumed dead in the wild. These species include the Bala Shark, Balantiocheilos melanopterus.

Endangered speciesThe Bala Shark

It is unknown why the Bala Shark is so endan-gered in the wild. A book on the endangered fau-na of Thailand asserts that over-fishing for the aquarium hobby may be responsible for the de-cline in numbers, but there is no proof of any kind for this. On the contrary, it is a demonstrable fact that all the Bala Sharks currently in the aquarium hobby originate from captive breeding.

Bala Shark, Balantiocheilos melanopterus.


Two very similar speciesUntil recently (2007) it was thought that there was only one species of Bala Shark, namely Balantiocheilos melanopterus (the genus name is often spelled incorrectly with -us at the end). Then scientists Ng and Kottelat described a sec-ond species, B. ambusticauda. The two species cannot be told apart from one another as juve-niles; only in adult specimens is there an obvious difference in head form (any one who is interest-ed is referred to the original description of B. am-

busticauda). B. ambusticauda grows to 8 in (20 cm) long, B. melanopterus to 14 in (35 cm). The description also mentions differences between B. ambusticauda and B. melanopterus in the color-ation of the anal and ventral fins, but this is in-correct, as these differences cannot be seen in historical photos of B. ambusticauda.

B. ambusticauda originates (or used to) from the middle and lower Mekong and Chao Phraya basins (past imports came from Thailand), but


This is the first published color photo of a Bala Shark in the German aquarium literature (Aquar-ien-Terrarien, June 1959, back cover). The photo, by Dr. H. Jesse, shows the species B. ambusti-cauda, probably now extinct, as the fish originated from Thailand.

Balantiocheilos means ”purse lip”.melanopterus means ”black-finned”.ambusticauda means ”with a burnt tail”.

Lexicon: Bala Sharks

the species is now regarded as most probably extinct. B. melanopterus comes from Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra, where populations are in dramatic decline. All aquarium stocks since 1980 have been captive-bred and derive from fish orig-inally imported from Indonesia.

The first importation of the Bala Shark to Eu-rope took place in 1955 via the Tropicarium in Frankfurt, and the species is first mentioned in the magazines Aquarien-Terrarien and DATZ in 1959. But these early reports of importations all probably relate to B. ambusticauda.

Bala Sharks are large, peaceful fish that are splendid occupants for larger community aquar-ia. It should never be forgotten that they owe their survival to their commercial relevance. It is thus important that the species should continue to be traded extensively in order to remain of interest to commercial breeders.


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Hyperolius riggenbachi - what a stunner!

The reed frogs (Hyperolius) include 128 currently recognized species and are distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. This wealth of species is interesting in itself, but Hyperolius go one further: all the spe-cies exist in at least two color forms, in many cases more. More often than not the male and female don’t look alike! This in-cludes the fantastic Hyperolius riggenba-chi. by Thorsten Holtmann

Two standard color phases and additional morphs are distinguished in Hyperolius. The

difference between phases and morphs is that a phase can vary in the course of the individual’s life, while a morph remains constant throughout life.

Hyperolius riggenbachi, female all Photos: Frank Schäfer


Color phasesImmediately after the metamorphosis from tad-pole to frog all Hyperolius exhibit the color pha-se J, with the letter J standing for juvenile. The majority of males remain in this color phase J all their lives, while all females and a small number of males change to color phase F with the onset of sexual maturity.

Hyperolius riggenbachi, male. Males remain smaller than females at about 1.2 inch (3 cm) in length.



Morphs or subspecies?In addition to the phases that occur in all species, there may also be morphs within a population, and these are permanent once the frogs have changed color. Thus there are individuals, particularly in phase F, which are quite different in appearance. Two subspecies of H. riggenbachi have been described, the nominate form and H.

r. hieroglyphicus. The difference between the two is that H. r. riggenbachi is tricolor in phase F, with a complex dorsal pattern composed of red, black, and white, while H. r. hieroglyphicus is bicolor in phase F, ie the dorsal pattern comprises only black and white. Nowadays there is a tendency to regard the two forms not as subspecies but simply as morphs, because firstly, the phase J coloration is the same in both of them, and

Hyperolius riggenbachi, female


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secondly, the distribution of H. r. riggenbachi lies in the middle of that of H. r. hieroglyphicus.

The photos show all of the hieroglyphicus mor-phs. The species is distributed in the highlands of western Cameroon and the adjacent part of Nigeria.

BreedingThis Hyperolius species lays its eggs on land in the immediate vicinity of water, and after hatching the tadpoles wriggle into the water. Because ma-les predominate in importations (they congregate to call and hence can easily be collected in large numbers), the species is nowadays also bred in captivity for the pet trade.

Females attain a length of about 1.6 inch (4 cm).


The Three Striped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon baurii)- the ideal dwarf turtle

Not everyone has the same amount of space for pursuing the finest and most meaningful hobby in the world: keeping animals. Many enthusiasts who only have room for small tanks think this means that they cannot keep turtles at all. That isn’t the case, however, as there are a number of turtle species that firstly, remain very small, and secondly, do not require a lar-ge tank as they don’t feel a particularly

great need to move around.The turtles discussed here belong to the family Kinosternidae, which are also known as the mud turtles or musk turtles. They include some of the smallest turtle species that attain a carapace length of only 4-5 in (10-12 cm). There are, however, also large-growing species, so it is im-portant to know a little about identifying the species. by Christoph Fritz, www.reptilia24.com


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Kinosternon baurii

With a maximum carapace length of just 5 in (12 cm) in females - males remain even

smaller at around 4 in (10 cm) - this turtle really is small. In addition, there are records of females becoming sexually mature at a length of around 3 in (7-8 cm) and an age of five to six years. Ma-ximum age in captivity is around 50 years old, and some individuals can even attain that age in the wild.

DistributionThe species is found in the south-east of the Uni-ted States. Its main area of distribution is on the Florida peninsula, but at the same time it is also found in the coastal lowlands of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, North Caro lina, and Virginia. The species is generally regarded as common and not endangered, and is not subject to any trade restrictions or conservation regulations, al-though the local population in the Florida Keys is threatened by habitat destruction and hence protected by law in the USA. The trade has no influence on wild populations.

Ecological adaptability Kinosternon baurii, popularly known as the Three-Striped Mud Turtle, inhabits still and slow-flowing waters of all types, including tempo-rary pools. If such a pool dries up then the turtles move elsewhere. Migrations of up to 2.2 miles (3.5 km) have been recorded. These turtles also deliberately seek out preferred breeding sites. Unfortunately this means that K. baurii is a fre-quent road casualty.

In the wild these little turtles are omnivores that feed on palm seeds, algae, insects, snails, and so forth. They are in turn the regular prey of Alli-gators and predatory birds such as the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis). The tiny juveniles and the eggs are eaten by large numbers of animals, but the turtles compensate for this by a very high reproductive rate.

A female can produce up to six (usually three) clutches per year, with one to six (usually two to three) eggs per clutch. The eggs are enormous compared to the tiny mother turtle, and one can only wonder how they manage to fit inside her. They require 80-145 days to mature, and develop only at temperatures of between 82 and 86°F (28 and 30°C). If the temperature drops to 72.5-75°F (22.5-24°C) then the embryo undergoes a pause in its development. On hatching the young are around 0.8-1 inch (2-2.5 cm) long and weigh 2.1-3.9 grams.

Small turtles - small aquarium?This question is a matter of considerable cont-roversy. Many of the arguments adduced are, however, simply emotional and have little to do with the requirements of the turtles. In Germa-ny the legally prescribed minimum size for an

Kinosternon baurii is very attractively colored. As long as these creatures remain underwater the eye is covered by the protective nictating mem-brane.

aqua-terra rium for the maintenance of a single turtle is a tank length of three times carapace length, a tank width of one-and-a-half times ca-rapace length, and a water depth of twice shell depth. Where only one individual (with a maxi-mum carapace length of 5 in (12 cm)) is main-tained this means a bottom area of 14 x 7 in (36 x 18 cm) and a water depth of around 4-5 in (10-12 cm), though it isn’t really possible to keep a turtle in such a small aquarium. A standard 24-in (60-cm) aquarium is, however, perfectly adequa-te for creating a well-designed habitat for these

little turtles.In so doing the following basic rules are very im-portant: Kinosternon climb and walk around more than they swim, so it must always be easy for them to reach the water’s surface and if possible the water level should not exceed 8 in (20 cm). Suitable decor items include suitably weathe-red bogwood and round stones. The substrate should be a layer of fine sand around 2 in (5 cm) deep, as these turtles are very fond of burying themselves.


Many individuals leave the water only to lay eggs, but this varies a lot from turtle to turtle and hence needs to be checked: place a piece of flo-ating cork bark in the tank, and if this “land area” is utilized then you should install a permanent land area. This can consist of a suspended pla-stic container filled with sand, with a low-power spotlamp fitted above it to produce a temperature of 86-95 °F (30-35 °C) beneath. These turtles have a low UV requirement; a proprietary terrari-um-hobby fluorescent tube with a UV component will be perfectly adequate. The aqua-terrarium

should not be sited in too brightly-lit a spot.During the months of February to November the water temperature should lie between 72 and 79 °F (22 and 26 °C) with a lighting period of 14 hours. A winter rest of around two months with only eight hours of light (this is much more im-portant than temperature at the start of the winter rest, which is regulated by hormones) at 54-57 °F (12-15 °C) is very beneficial for long-term health and breeding in these turtles.



Singly, in pairs, or in groups?Fundamentally, it is best to keep all mud turtles singly. The males are very intolerant of one ano-ther and can drive females crazy by their perma-nent readiness to mate. In addition, females also sometimes squabble violently among themsel-ves, although this varies considerably from indi-vidual to individual. You might be really lucky and buy a pair that get along well, but unfortunately that cannot be guaranteed. Moreover, in some cases these turtles will start squabbling after ye-ars of peaceful cohabitation. That sort of thing can even happen in humans... For this reason it is essential to have as many tanks as turtles, as then you will be prepared in advance for any pro-

blems and able to respond rapidly when neces-sary.

The male and female are placed together for breeding, and this usually leads to fruition very rapidly, with an almost 100% fertilization rate, while females stressed by being kept permanent-ly with the male often don’t “take” at all. Unlike in many other reptiles, the females are anything but fussy about where they lay their eggs, and will willingly accept the sand-filled container de-scribed above. If absolutely necessary they will also simply lay their eggs in the water, but things should never be allowed to come to that. Fema-les kept singly may also produce eggs but these

Eggs of K. baurii. The white ring shows that the egg has been fertilized. All photos: Frank Schäfer

are, of course, infertile, just like with hens, which don’t require a rooster in order to produce eggs for breakfast.

Turtles and fishThe best and most interesting way to keep these turtles is together with fish. In the first place, the aquarium will be more attractive to look at - more going on in it - and secondly, the fish will very rapidly indicate if there is something wrong with the water. Biotope-correct species include the Florida Flagfish (Jordanella floridae), the Least Killifish (Heterandria formosa), sunfish (Enneacathus chaetodon, E. gloriosus, and E. obesus), and pygmy sunfish (Elassoma). Anyone

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Female Three-Striped Mud Turtle. The species swims relatively well but can nevertheless easily drown.

Kinosternon means ”movable breast”; the name refers to the fact that these turtles have a hinged ventral armor. baurii: named in honor of the German zoolo-gist Georg Herman Carl Ludwig Baur (1859-1898).

Lexicon: Three-Striped Mud Turtles

lucky enough to obtain some Sailfin Mollies (Poecilia lati pinna) will find that these usually tricky fish develop into really splendid specimens, as for reasons as yet unexplained, livebearing toothcarps develop extraordinarily well when kept together with aquatic turtles. Naturally, the choice of fish species isn’t limited to the species listed here. The only species that shouldn’t be kept with turtles are slow-moving bottom-dwellers such as whiptail catfish (Rineloricaria, etc).

As a rule fish are safe from the small chelonians; the worst-case scenario is that weak or sick spe-cimens may fall victim to the turtles, but that is of no account.

FeedingThree-Striped Mud Turtles tend to be more carni-vorous than omnivorous in captivity. It is a good idea to cultivate duckweed, in particular the large species Spirodela polyrhiza (Greater Duckweed), in the tank. Then, quite simply, vegetarian food will be available if the turtles happen to develop a desire for it. In other respects feeding is remar-kably easy as Kinosternon baurii isn’t choosy, though the food must always be absolutely fresh and high quality! It doesn’t matter whether it is manufactured food for swamp and aquatic turt-les or frozen food for aquarium fish. Vita mins and valuable unsaturated fatty acids “go off” more ra-pidly than many people realize, a common seri-ous mistake. Food should always be purchased in small quantities. Dry food should be used wi-thin at most six weeks of first opening the con-tainer, and deep-frozen food within around six months. Dry food should never be kept in a light, warm, and/or damp place, it must always be sto-red in an air-tight, light-proof container in a cool place.


This dainty little animal - it attains a maxi-mum total length of around 2.25 in (6 cm) - is

known only from a very small distribution region in Tanzania. Its range - as known to science - is restricted to an area of only around 7.7 square miles (20 km2) in the east of the country, speci-

The Electric Blue Dwarf Gecko - terrarium enthusiasts can save it!

No other reptile has created such a stir in the past six years as the Turquoise Dwarf Gecko, Lygodactylus williamsi, also known as the “Electric Blue”. Although the species was scientifically described as long ago as 1952, it wasn’t until 2004 that a number of specimens appeared in the international pet trade, and it first became known to the general public in 2008, at the Interzoo in Nuremberg.

by Thorsten Holtmann

In terms of its scalation Lygodactylus williamsi resembles the species L. picturatus and hence was originally described as a subspecies of L. picturatus. All photos: Frank Schäfer

fically the remnants of formerly more extensive coastal woodlands. Within this area the Electric Blue Dwarf Gecko is found only on a single spe-cies of tree, the screwpine Pandanus rabaiensis. Every screwpine is home to a single male, along with females and juveniles. The screwpines com-prise less than 20% of the woodland area, but because screwpines are easy to count it is pos-sible to calculate the population of Electric Blue Dwarf Geckos in the area fairly accurately.

Protected - only on paperThe reason for the dramatic decline of the East African coastal woodlands lies in the unregulated cutting being practiced in the forest. On the one hand valuable hardwoods are being felled, while on the other the human population is constantly increasing and with it the hunger for land. In addi-tion wood is the most important fuel for the local people. Illegal clear-cutting is the result. Although the entire known distribution of the Electric Blue Dwarf Geckos is nominally protected, this protec-


tion exists largely only on paper. The forest cont-inues to shrink, and even though the screwpines have no commercial value, they aren’t spared during the cutting. After clear-cutting, for examp-le for the purpose of agriculture, the forest cannot regenerate naturally even if the illegal deforesta-tion is halted; invasive tree species colonize the area and prevent the original community of spe-cies from establishing a foothold again.

Independent of wild collectionsThe terrarium hobby can readily make do without wild-caught specimens, as Electric Blue Dwarf Geckos are exceptionally easy to breed. One German breeder, for example, currently has 24 breeding groups, with it being readily possible to maintain one male with three females. Each fe-male produces a clutch of two eggs every four to six weeks year-round, which means at least 16-18, but usually 20, juveniles can be expected per female per year. The eggs are incubated at 73-82 °F (23-28 °C) and a relative humidity of 70-90 %,

and the hatch rate is approaching 100%. In the terrarium these reptiles attain sexual maturity at an age of around four months, so if necessary it is possible to produce three generations per year.

At the rate of a clutch per female every six weeks that equates to around 620 youngsters, and a clutch every four weeks to around 860. In practice, however, it isn’t possible to sell such large num-bers. Moreover in theory, given sufficient space, with no females being sold, and with around half of the young being female, then such a starter group could produce between 1,400 (six-weekly clutches) and 5,500 (four-weekly clutches) juve-niles per year. In other words, every reproduc-tively-capable female, along with her offspring and their offspring, could achieve a 25-times to 48-times increase in the original population in a single year.

This enormously high reproductive rate is neces-sary for such small creatures, which occupy a position a long way down the food chain, to com-pensate for high losses in the wild. That means that under normal circumstances the collection of wild specimens of these small reptiles for the terrarium hobby has no noteworthy effect on the overall population, as long as the habitat remains otherwise undisturbed.

The Electric Blue Dwarf Gecko is looking at an uncertain future in the wild.


Even though the wild population of Lygodactylus williamsi can tolerate a certain amount of collec-tion pressure without harm, such collecting is un-desirable. In the first place, the collectors often aren’t exactly careful about how they obtain the geckos and destroy the home tree in the process, and secondly, the designation of protected zones would be rendered meaningless. They represent a very species-rich habitat, extremely deserving of protection and conservation, and every effort to retain this habitat requires our unreserved sup-port! The Electric Blue Dwarf Gecko is, after all, just one of numerous species that occur there.


www.usark.org


Can the Washington Convention help?The Washington Convention on International Tra-de in Endangered Species (CITES) regulates the international trade in specially protected animal species. These species are not necessarily rare or endangered, but in the view of some experts they could be if collected and traded in excessi-ve numbers. As a rule the concern isn’t so much the trade in live animals but mainly that in animal products (leather, pelts, ivory, and even complete corpses as in the case of seahorses, tigers, etc). Even so live terrarium animals are also affected.

There are two important categories, detailed in lists of species, the so-called appendices to the Washington Convention. Appendix 1 cont-ains species that are deemed to be so endan-gered that the trade in wild-caught specimens is banned, without exception. Only captive-bred specimens from the second generation on may be traded freely, as long as they are accompanied by the legally-required paperwork to prove they are captive-bred from the second or subsequent

generations. The majority of species, however, are included in Appendix 2. In principle they can be traded, but this requires an export permit from the country of origin and an import permit from the recipient country. Scientists are now campa-igning for the Electric Blue Dwarf Gecko to be in-cluded in the Washington Convention in order to put a stop to the illegal trade in these creatures.

The Washington Convention has proved effec-tive in some cases. There are, however, many critics of the Washington Convention among scientists, who say that inclusion of a species in the appendices serves only to create a demand that previously didn’t exist at all. Price rises, and a concomitant rise in smuggling, can result from ill-considered and excessive listing. There is every indication that inclusion of the Turquoise Dwarf Gecko in Appendix 1 of the Washington Convention would have negative consequences. It would seriously hinder the trade in captive-bred specimens and encourage the smuggling of wild-caught individuals. The most serious threat to the

Only males (above) of Lygodactylus williamsi are spectacularly blue; females are brown or greenish.


Electric Blue Dwarf Gecko is one that the Was-hington Convention cannot influence: biotope destruction.

New methods of conservation are required It has long been recognized that the only effec-tive way to protect species is biotope protection. In a few special cases, such as certain large ani-mals, the traditional protection of individuals, ie a ban on capture and killing, can be effective, but in 99% of cases it isn’t. Many years ago Bernhard Grzimek was already aware that effective nature conservation was impossible without involving the people affected by it. It is pointless and highly questionable ethically to use the criminalization of the local population to divert attention from the real problem, namely the widespread destruction of biotopes out of economic necessity.

The question remains, what can be done on the spot in Tanzania? How can we help the native people who, out of sheer economic necessity, cut down the forest home of the Electric Blue

Dwarf Geckos and capture these attractive litt-le lizards even though they know it is forbidden? Is it ethically acceptable for us to have nice little Lygodactylus williamsi living in our terrariums as ambassadors of their beautiful homeland, while washing our hands of blame (after all, ours are captive-bred) for the unceasing destruction of species in the natural habitat (other people are responsible for that)? No! It would not be a major problem to use de-velopment aid money to promote re-planting of the East African coastal forest and hence increa-se screwpine populations in Tanzania. Local peo-ple could make a modest but sustainable income from the capture of these attractive little geckos. In that way the Pandanus woodlands could ex-pand once again, and with them the populations of the Electric Blue Dwarf Gecko. Which is, after all, just one of many, many species that inhab-it the forest and which will disappear from the Earth as a result of its destruction.

Lygodactylus: lygos means ”flexible twig” , ”willow twig”, or simply ”willow” (a tree noted for its flexibility), dactylus means ”finger” or “toe”; the name refers to the form of the toes.williamsi: in honor of the discoverer of the species, Mr J. G. Williams.

Lexicon: The Electric Blue Dwarf Gecko


In contrast to many other shrub frogs, T. cortica-le lives permanently in or in the immediate vici-

nity of water. In the wild many of the other spe-cies are found in hollow, water-filled tree trunks. The Mossy Frog, by contrast, lives in waterholes in the limestone (often in caves) and sometimes in deep niches along mountain streams. Here the frogs sit (often in pairs) so deep in the water that only their heads protrude. Their camouflage is perfect, and laymen frequently fail to spot these bizarre frogs sitting right in front of them in the terrarium.

In line with their habitat, the correct way to ac-commodate these frogs is in an aqua-terrarium, where the large water component must be just as well maintained as an aquarium when it comes to water hygiene. A number of small fish (wild Guppies are suitable) should be kept in the water area as bio-indicators. If the fish show signs of ill-health (clamped fins or any other symptoms) then the water must be tested for pollution and the cause of the problem remedied.

These frogs can be fed on crickets and other in-sects. To prevent the food organisms from quick-ly drowning and thus polluting the water, there should be provision for them to climb out in all corners of the water area.

In the wild these nocturnal frogs have to cont-end with temperatures that in extreme cases can drop to 39-41 °F (4-5 °C) in the winter! A winter rest is necessary for the successful breeding of these frogs, and in this regard a decrease in not only temperature but above all the lighting period is important. During the “winter” the photoperiod should be decreased to less than 10 hours of il-lumination per day. A decrease in temperature to 64-68 °F (18-20 °C) by day and 57-61 °F (14-16 °C) during the night for about four weeks will be

Theloderma corticale - the Mossy Frog from Vietnam

The shrub frogs (Rhacophoridae) inclu-de many popular and attractive terrarium frogs. The Mossy Frog, Theloderma corti-cale, from the north of Vietnam, described as long ago as 1903 by Boulenger, has recently come in for particular attention. by Volker Ennenbach

adequate to stimulate the frogs. The temperature can then be allowed to rise again to 75-79 °F (24-26 °C) by day and 64-68 °F (18-20 °C) at night and the photoperiod can be increased to more than 12 hours daily. In addition, hand-warm wa-ter can be sprayed in the evening. The males will then begin to call, thereby clearly demonstrating that the measures described above have been successful. The differences between the sexes are slight, with the males being smaller and slim-mer.

The spawn (between 10 and 40 eggs per day of laying) is deposited above the water’s surface, but often falls into the water. If this happens then the water must be well aerated to ensure the spawn develops well. A single spawning period lasts for several weeks, with eggs being laid at intervals of 7-12 days. The eggs require about 14 days for development, with eggs incubated in the water developing more rapidly and the tadpoles being only about half as big on hatching as their siblings from spawn that develops on land.

The tadpoles first begin to feed about a week af-ter hatching and can be fed on flake foods desi-


gned for fish. The water temperature should be 75-79 °F (24-26 °C) during rearing; if it is sig-nificantly lower then the tadpoles will stop fee-ding. The metamorphosis to frogs takes place at an age of three to six months. Initially the young frogs are more strongly tied to the land than their parents, whose way of life they adopt at an age of about six months.


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Orthosternarchus tamandua

NEW ON THE MARKET!

There are several bizarre species among the South American knifefish, but Orthosternar-

chus tamandua is probably the most unusual of all. The specimen shown here was imported from Peru and is 10-12 in (25-30 cm) long. The maxi-mum length reported for the species is about 18 in (45 cm).



The Golden Barb is an artificial sport that is said to be derived from the Half-Banded

Barb (Barbus semifasciolatus), though nobody can prove this for sure. The fish appeared in the aquarium trade in the 1960s and is said to have been bred by an aquarist named Thomas Schu-bert of Camden, New Jersey, USA. That is the reason why the fish is often referred to as Barbus (or Puntius, both are wrong) schuberti.The Golden Barb is a totally peaceful fish that has remained permanently in the hobby and is always available in pet shops all over the world. More recently, additional sports have been de-veloped, among them individuals that have two or three colors on the body. These fish are called “Koi Golden Barbs” in the trade. Only little needs to be said about the maintenan-ce of this fish, which thrives very well at both room temperature and 82 °F (28 °C). Hardness and pH are of no significance, and as long as the water is drinkable for humans, the Golden Barb will like it. In addition this barb will accept virtually any type of food produced for ornamental fish.

Golden Barb “Koi”

A few specimens of this spectacular new sport have recently reached Europe. They inclu-

de short-finned individuals (“Half Moon Pla Kat”) and veiltails (“Super Delta”). This is the first sport of Betta splendens that has been specially selec-ted for its appearance when viewed from above.

Betta splendens “Koi”As with Koi, only a very few specimens among thousands of youngsters have the coloration that turns a commonplace Betta splendens into an extraordinary Betta splendens “Koi”. This is the reason why the price of these fish is very high. The fish are also very attractive in lateral view, aren´t they?


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Dicrossus foirni is finally available again!

This extremely rarely imported dwarf cichlid was formerly known in the hobby under the

name Dicrossus sp. „Rio Negro“. This fish is a real eyecatcher when full grown. Keeping this jewel is not at all complicated, but extreme wa-ter conditions (pH below 5, hardness practically zero) are necessary for breeding, as otherwise the spawn will not develop.

A short video about the species can be found on Aquarium Glaser’s facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1430331670514501&-set=vb.119893808211837&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1430331670514501&set=vb.119893808211837&type=3&theater




Naturalists can only be glad that the dinosaurs went extinct. For in an era when people are

more inclined to believe in Hollywood fantasies than the realistic, albeit far from simple, views of science, there would undoubtedly be countless deaths because of the fact that herbivorous sau-rians were portrayed as peaceful giants in the film Jurassic Park.

This is the result of a very frequently observed linguistic misrepresentation. The carnivores of the animal kingdom are generally associated with the attribute “aggressive”, and herbivor-es with “peaceful”, but the mode of feeding has nothing whatsoever to do with the potential for aggression in an animal species. For example, the African big game species that kills the most people through its aggressive behavior is not the Lion but the Hippopotamus, which is exclusively vegetarian.

Feeding behavior isn’t everything This misinterpretation of animal behavior is pro-bably the result of the fact that in human socie-ty some people regard the killing of animals for food as aggressive and morally suspect behavi-or, while the killing of plants for food is seen as a peaceful and preferable alternative. In fact, ho-wever, this definition of aggressive behavior re-lates exclusively to predator-prey behavior, or, to put it somewhat more generally, feeding behavi-or. Other aspects of cohabitation, be it with cons-pecifics or with heterospecific life forms, are not taken into consideration. Many predatory fish, for example, are completely peaceful towards both their own kind and other fish as long as they don’t represent food. Meanwhile some exclusively her-bivorous species are regular tyrants in the aqua-rium, and tolerate neither conspecifics nor other fish with a similar way of life in their vicinity. Ex-amples of these include numerous surgeonfish (Acanthurus) in the marine aquarium, and in the freshwater aquarium the lovely mouthbrooders of the genus Tropheus from Lake Tanganyika in Africa.

Cichlids

Peaceful herbivores? - far from it!Tropheus sp. “Kasanga” by Sarah Nieten

Juveniles and females are usually striped.


TropheusAlthough some species of this genus are among the most popular cichlids from the great African rift lakes, and one form or another is almost al-ways available in the aquarium trade, no gene-rally accepted popular name has been estab-lished for these fish. As in the case of the Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus), whose popular name is an abbreviation of the older, now invalid, ge-nus name Platypoecilius, aquarists discussing Tropheus cichlids refer to “Moorii” (for Tropheus moorii) or “Duboisi” (for Tropheus duboisi). The-re are probably some 13 species of Tropheus in Lake Tanganyika, divided into around 120 known subspecies or local variants (Schupke, 2003), but only six species have been scientifically de-scribed (Tropheus annectens, T. brichardi, T. du-boisi, T. kasabae, T. moorii, and T. polli). One of the loveliest is undoubtedly the Tropheus from Kasanga (in the far south of Tanzania), which doesn’t belong to any of the species described to date.

Nasty fellows?All Tropheus feed on aufwuchs. The word auf-wuchs is German in origin and refers to the mul-titude of micro-flora and -fauna found on the sur-faces of underwater objects - in the wild usually stones, wood, and aquatic plants. The bulk of the aufwuchs in the habitat of Tropheus consists of small algae. Tropheus are found on sunlit ro-cky shores, where they are usually seen in large groups, although things are far from peaceful in these groups. The fish are constantly engaged in territorial squabbles or exhibiting courtship beha-vior, which itself isn’t exactly all sweetness and light. It isn’t easy to give a rational explanation of this high inclination towards aggression, as food is not only in short supply but also rather nutri-ent-poor. Hence it isn’t in fact very sensible to immediately invest hard-won energy in exhaus-ting battles. Nature doesn’t, however, function so simplistically: because Tropheus are common-place cichlids of the rocky littoral and found all over the lake, their behavior is quite obviously a successful survival strategy - and that is all that matters.

Dominant male Tropheus sp. ”Kasanga”, also known as the ”Red Rainbow”.


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Constantly on the moveThere is always something going on in an aqua-rium with Tropheus. These fish are frantic swim-mers. Dominant males are extremely colorful. Juveniles and females of Tropheus sp. “Kasan-ga” are noticeably differently colored to males. While juveniles continue to enjoy a sort of immu-nity because of their age, the females develop an order of rank among themselves. For many aqua-

rists this picture of a lively, very colorful commu-nity, in which there is constantly something going on, is the motive for becoming involved with the maintenance and breeding of Tropheus in the aquarium. It may, however, possibly also explain why the high potential for aggression in Tropheus has proved favorable in the course of their evo-lutionary history.

This male is second in the order of rank.


An attempt at an explanationTropheus are so-called agamous maternal mouthbrooders, which signifies that males and females do not form any long-term pair bond and the females alone are responsible for brooding the eggs in their mouths. A male in full color is exhibiting dominance behavior. He is saying, “I am strong and invincible”. Every other male is a potential rival to be driven away. Subordinate males exhibit noticeably duller colors or even

assume female coloration. A female is thus well advised to seek out the most colorful male as a mate, as he will pass on good genes. When a fe-male approaches such an alpha male, then he in-terprets this as willingness to spawn. If, however, the female is not ready to mate, then the male will see the female as no more than a competitor for food, and to be driven away.

Females in turn fight among themselves for the best feeding sites, as they are prevented from feeding during the time when they are brooding eggs in their mouths. Only those that have man-aged to eat their way to a good energy supply prior to breeding will be able to withstand the de-mands of the mouthbrooding period.

Kasanga in the aquariumThe high tendency to aggression in Tropheus and their urge to keep moving necessitate a large tank. This is also necessary because Tro-pheus are best kept in groups of 10 or more indi-viduals, so that the aggression is spread and the battering received by each fish reduced to some degree. A nutrient-poor diet, rich in roughage, is important, as otherwise sooner or later the fish will become obese or suffer diseases of the di-gestive tract. Tropheus - and T. sp. “Kasanga” is no exception - require water that contains as little as possible in the way of metabolic wastes and has a low germ count, as otherwise they won’t show their attractive colors. The filtration must be designed accordingly. And Lake Tanganyika is rather warm, so don’t skimp on the heating - 79-82 °F (26-28 °C) is best. Anyone willing and able to provide these conditions will get a lot of pleasure from an aquarium populated with Tro-pheus sp. “Kasanga” and be able to make lots of interesting observations.

Note that fish of other species are usually of no particular interest to Tropheus. It is nevertheless not very advisable to keep other species in the Tropheus tank, as in the long term the constant hectic activity will drive quieter species to the wall. In addition, species that feed on small organisms, for example the Lamprologus assemblage, are difficult to feed as the fast-moving Tropheus are very quick to take the Lamprologus food, which in any case is unhealthy for Tropheus. The most suitable tankmates are goby cichlids (genera Eretmodus, Spathodus, and Tanganicodus).


Plated lizards (Gerrhosauridae) are a fa-mily of lizards found exclusively in Africa and Madagascar. They can be easily reco-gnized by their oblique rows of scales and the prominent lateral folds on the body. by Thorsten Holtmann

The Sudan Plated Lizard has a wide distributi-on in Africa and is in no way restricted to the

Sudan as the popular name might suggest. It is found in Ethiopia, Benin, Botswana, D. R. Congo, Eritrea, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Mo-zambique, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, and the Central African Republic; importations are at present primarily from Tanzania.

All one and the same?These imports comprise two color forms of this impressive lizard, which can easily attain 20 in (50 cm) in length. The first is beige-colored, the male in breeding condition has a blue area on the otherwise whitish throat, and the head plates are uniform beige. The second form has numerous black lines on the body and the throat is always whitish; in breeding condition males the anterior part of the lateral fold is bluish and the anterior part of the flank tinged with red, and the head plates exhibit large black spots in all specimens. Following the last complete revision of the family by Loveridge (1942), then the light colored individuals belong to the subspecies Gerrhosaurus major major, and the striped ones to G. m. bottegoi. More recently Broadley (1987) investigated the museum material from Tanzania and came to the conclusion that all Tanzanian Sudan Plated Lizards should be assigned to the nominate form. Clearly more research is required here, and for this reason only individuals from the same importation should be used when breeding.

Wonderful plated lizards - Gerrhosaurus major


Pair of the beige form of Gerrhosaurus major. Photo: Frank Schäfer


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Sexual differencesUnfortunately the sexes are difficult to tell apart outside the mating season, but can readily be distinguished when males are in breeding con-dition (see above), which in Tanzanian individu-als takes place during the winter months in the northern hemisphere. Both sexes have femoral pores, but these are more pronounced in the male. Males have comparatively broader heads. If in doubt, these lizards can also be probed – as is usual with snakes – in order to determine their sex, but this should be done only by experts as the danger of harming the lizards must not be underestimated. Males can be very intolerant of one another, hence determining sex is not unim-portant. It is recommended that these lizards be kept singly, in pairs, or in groups with an excess of females.

OmnivoresAs well as the usual food insects, Sudan Plated Lizards are very fond of over-ripe bananas. Infant fruit foods and fruit yogurt are enjoyed by many

individuals. This is very handy if you need to ad-minister medication for any reason (for example, the obligatory treatment against worms). Freshly imported specimens should be treated for mites and ticks, but in general Sudan Plated Lizards are very robust and not susceptible to disease.

Timid giantsAlthough Gerrhosaurus major is one of the real-ly large lizards, the species is nevertheless very timid and shy. They hardly ever try to bite you, and if held fast they will endeavor to wriggle free and release their foul-smelling feces. If the ter-rarium is provided with plenty of hiding-places while they settle in then they will hardly ever be seen, and for this reason the tank should initially be arranged for visibility. The lizards will then le-arn much more quickly that no danger threatens from their owner. A few outgoing companions such as Agama agama or Acanthocercus atricol-lis are ideal for housing with these plated lizards, and will also rapidly cure them of their shyness.


This pair from Tanzania also in theory belong to the nominate form. Photo: Frank Schäfer

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this issue of

© Text & Photos:Frank Schäfer / Aqualog

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the vivarium issue 1 vol. 3 winter/spring 2015

Documents

numerous species

survival of threatened

different endangered

conservation efforts

worlds incredible species

wild populations

future reptile keepers

new years resolutions