Apistogramma erythrura

By Pet Zone SD Team • November 2026

Overview

Apistogramma erythrura, the Redtailed dwarf cichlid, spent 13 years in the aquarium hobby under a placeholder name before science caught up with the trade. Practicalfishkeeping.co.uk and Aquatic Republic both document that it was sold as "Apistogramma sp. Mamoré" from 1995 onward, named informally for the Bolivian river system it comes from. Wolfgang Staeck and Ingo Schindler finally gave it a formal description in 2008, in Vertebrate Zoology (58(2):197–206), naming it erythrura — Greek for "red" and "tail" — for the bright red caudal fin most adult males carry, alongside extremely elongated anterior dorsal-fin lappets and pelvic-fin filaments long enough to reach the back edge of the anal fin.

There's a second layer to this story that's specific to this site. Wolfgang Staeck isn't just erythrura's co-describer — he's the same biologist and cichlid aquarist honored in this site's own A. staecki, named for him in 1985 after he collected that species' type specimens on a Bolivian expedition with Horst Linke. Twenty-three years later, the man the hobby had named a fish after came back as a taxonomist and co-described a second species from the very same Río Mamoré system. It's a genuinely rare case in this genus of the same person appearing on both sides of a naming story — honored collector, then credited describer.

Natural Habitat

FishBase places erythrura's confirmed range in the lower Río Mamoré drainage of Bolivia's Beni province, with collecting sites between the Río Yata drainage to the west and the Río Itonamas drainage to the east — a narrow endemic range for a genus that includes some much wider-ranging Bolivian species. This site's own A. trifasciata, by contrast, spans the Paraguay-Paraná and Guaporé basins across Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina — one of the broadest ranges in the genus set against one of the narrowest, in two species that are each other's closest known relatives. FishBase also notes, with an explicit "reportedly" caveat rather than as confirmed fact, that erythrura is exported for the aquarium trade from Lago das Cobras in the Río Pacaás Novos drainage near Guajará-Mirim, Rondônia, Brazil — a different country from its documented Bolivian type locality, and a secondhand claim this guide isn't treating as settled. Practicalfishkeeping.co.uk, citing the original description, adds that collection sites are clear-water habitats: acidic, very soft, and transparent rather than the tannin-stained blackwater some other apistos favor.

Tank Setup

• Tank size: Not documented species-specifically in any source checked for this guide. Given its small adult size (1.7"/4.3cm SL), a 15–20 gallon long tank — the genus-standard minimum for similarly sized species on this site — is a reasonable working default. See our tank setup guide for scaling up for a harem or breeding setup.
• Substrate & décor: No species-specific decor guidance exists in the sources checked for this guide. A dedicated spawning surface such as a small upturned plant pot covers Aquatic Republic's breeding-tank advice, the same low-cost approach used for several other apistos on this site.
• Water chemistry: FishBase's native-habitat range is pH 5.2–6.4 at dH 0–1 — very soft water. Aquatic Republic's breeding-specific guidance tightens slightly to pH 6.0–6.5 at roughly 5 dH. See our water parameters guide for building soft, slightly acidic water safely.
• Filtration & flow: Not documented for this species specifically. Gentle flow and stable, mature water are the safe default used genus-wide on this site — see our water quality guide.

Feeding

Aquatic Republic gives genus-standard guidance: feed mainly foods that reach the bottom third of the tank, such as sinking flakes and granules, as a daily base diet. Live or frozen foods — bloodworm and brine shrimp are both named — are recommended specifically for conditioning a pair before breeding. No source checked for this guide gives anything more species-specific; see our general feeding guide for broader conditioning strategy.

Temperament & Compatibility

No source checked for this guide rates erythrura's temperament, aggression, or tankmate compatibility in any detail. Treat it like a typical small apisto until a keeper with firsthand experience documents more: calm tankmates, no other Apistogramma species in the same tank, and particular caution around this site's own trifasciata specifically, since the two are each other's closest known relatives and hybridization risk between close relatives runs high across this genus.

Breeding

Erythrura is a cave spawner, consistent with every other species on this site. For the breeding tank, Aquatic Republic recommends one male with several females when no bonded pair already exists, paired with a dedicated breeding surface such as a small upturned plant pot and water nudged toward pH 6.0–6.5 at roughly 5 dH to help trigger spawning. Aquatic Republic's own species page states plainly that there is no documented breeding report on file for this species — a genuine documentation gap, not a difficulty rating this guide can fully stand behind. Follow our general breeding guide for the broader conditioning-to-fry process.

Sourcing Notes

Erythrura's own trade history is a sourcing lesson on its own: for 13 years, anyone buying it was buying a fish under a placeholder locality name, "Apistogramma sp. Mamoré," with no formal description to check claims against. That's resolved now, but a related wrinkle remains — FishBase's own page notes, as an unconfirmed secondhand claim, that export stock is reportedly sourced from Lago das Cobras in Rondônia, Brazil, a different country from the confirmed Bolivian type locality in the lower Río Mamoré drainage. If you're offered erythrura, ask specifically which country and river system the stock traces to, and treat an unsourced "Mamoré" label with the same caution any apisto deserves when a trade name predates or outruns its documentation. See our general sourcing guide for broader guidance on vetting a seller's locality claims.

Final Thoughts

Erythrura isn't a species to chase for ease of keeping or wide availability — it's a small, narrowly endemic Bolivian apisto with a genuinely good story and real documentation gaps still to fill. What it offers instead are two of the more satisfying connective threads on this site: it's the closest known relative of this site's own trifasciata, a far easier and far more available species to compare it against directly, and its 2008 description was co-authored by the very man this site's own staecki was named for in 1985 — a Bolivian expedition collector who returned, decades later, as the taxonomist crediting a new discovery from the same river system.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Apistogramma erythrura's discovery history notable?

It spent 13 years in the hobby under a placeholder name before science caught up. Practicalfishkeeping.co.uk and Aquatic Republic both document that the fish was traded as "Apistogramma sp. Mamoré" from 1995 onward, well before Wolfgang Staeck and Ingo Schindler formally described it in 2008 in Vertebrate Zoology (58(2):197–206) and gave it the name erythrura — Greek for "red" and "tail," for the bright red caudal fin on most adult males. There's a second layer to the story specific to this site: Staeck wasn't just the describer. He's the same Wolfgang Staeck honored in this site's own A. staecki, named for him in 1985 after he collected that species' type specimens on a Bolivian expedition. Twenty-three years later, the collector returned as a taxonomist to co-describe a second species from the same Río Mamoré system — a rare case of one person appearing on both sides of this genus's naming history.

How big does Apistogramma erythrura get?

Small. FishBase gives a maximum of 4.3cm (1.7in) standard length for males or unsexed fish, citing the original description, and Aquatic Republic's data sheet independently lands on almost the same figure, about 43mm. Neither source breaks out a separate maximum for females, so don't assume the usual larger-male apisto pattern has been measured and confirmed here — it just hasn't been documented either way.

What water parameters does Apistogramma erythrura need?

FishBase lists its native habitat as pH 5.2–6.4 at dH 0–1 — genuinely very soft water, among the softest ranges on this site. Aquatic Republic's breeding-tank guidance nudges slightly higher and tighter, pH 6.0–6.5 at roughly 5 dH, specifically to help trigger spawning. Practicalfishkeeping.co.uk, citing the original description, adds that collection sites are clear-water habitats — acidic, very soft, and transparent rather than tannin-stained blackwater. See our water parameters guide for building soft, slightly acidic water safely.

Is Apistogramma erythrura endangered?

Sources disagree, and the disagreement itself is worth knowing about. FishBase lists a specific IUCN Red List assessment of Least Concern, dated 28 October 2020. Cichlidae.com's own species page, by contrast, states plainly that the species has not been evaluated by the IUCN. Rather than pick a winner, this guide flags both: FishBase's entry carries an explicit assessment date, which this guide treats as the more current figure, but a reader relying on cichlidae.com alone would come away with a different answer.

What's Apistogramma erythrura's closest relative, and how do you tell them apart?

Staeck and Schindler's original 2008 description names this site's own A. trifasciata as the species erythrura most closely resembles, and separates the two on a specific trait: erythrura lacks any abdominal markings below the lateral band that trifasciata shows. The two also come from the same broader Bolivian lowland river system, though erythrura is a narrow Mamoré-basin endemic while trifasciata ranges much further, across the Paraguay-Paraná and Guaporé basins into Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina — one of the widest ranges in the genus against one of its narrowest.