Fishes of a clear-water creek in terra firme rainforest in Suriname, South America

The video shows footages shot on 1 September 2017 of eleven fish species of a clear-water creek in terra firme rainforest of the Mindrineti River Catchment, Saramacca River System, Suriname, South America.

Although most tributaries of the Mindrineti River are highly disturbed by small-scale gold miners the present stream is relatively undisturbed (but note some sediment deposited on pebbles and rock). However, the water was still clear and offered good condition to document the behavior of the more common fishes of such a rainforest creek.

The cichlid Krobia guianensis (local name ‘krobia’) is seen guarding its newborn. A pair of a second cichlid, Crenicichla saxatilis (‘datrafisi’), is in full breeding colors. A small group of Corydoras aff. aeneus (‘seseiguse’) is foraging on the streambed. Other bottom fishes include a solitary armored Hypostomus (‘wara-wara’) catfish and a group of spiny Pimelodella catfish (‘liba dyaki’). A beautiful tetra Moenkhausia hemigrammoides (‘sriba’) hides between large woody debris. The piscivorous pike characin Acestrorhynchus falcatus (‘dagufisi’) is patrolling in the open water of the pelagic zone where slender Bryconops (‘nyanga-nyanga’) also live. The short video ends with a busy ‘market place’ showing large shoals of at least two tetra species and including a few Acestrorhynchus falcatus.