 Having
some background in parisitology, I can assure you it is not a good
idea to eat rare fish. That however is not the subject. This is
about fish that “aren’t around anymore,” not those
uncooked.
About 2 years ago, I wrote about a little fish named Cynolebias
bellottii from the Lake of Ducks in Argentina. I obtained some
eggs from a now good friend in Buenos Aires who was the first (and
apparently only one) who collected wild specimens from this location.
He was especially impressed with the color and large size of the
strain living in the Lake of Ducks. I was able to get a hatch after
about 6 months of dry time (you guessed it, an annual killifish)
and raise a few fry. I got some eggs from the few I raised and again
raised another generation. I was never able to attain the full size
of the wild specimens (according to Juan they grew to 15 cm) but
got eggs and fry nonetheless. I raised 4 pr from this generation.
Since it is wise to spread a species or fish location around just
in case you somehow manage to kill yours, I did get two of the 4
pair out to good homes. I still have 2 pair. Now, what’s this
rare fish thing?
I received email from Juan this summer asking if I had gotten any
of the bellottii to breed. He was concerned since as he
stated “The Lake of Ducks is no more! It is now a sea of concrete.”
Although there are other populations of bellottii in Argentina,
this particular strain is gone except in Juan’s tanks, my
house and in two other homes in Ohio and Maryland. Not exactly an
endangered species, but sort of rare since the strain is now the
responsibility of 4 individuals. There is no reason to try to reintroduce
it into the wild, but it would be nice to maintain the fish. I would
love to raise some outside next summer to see what size they can
attain in captivity. Also it would be nice to have a killie I could
feed young Oscars to just for revenge.
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