2016 Peru trip

Here we go! Hope you enjoy this virtual trip to Peru! :)

This trip almost didn't happened TWICE! But I was glad to make the sacrifices to make it happen in the end. Full story on the blog. I spent roughly one week around Cusco and one week in the Peruvian Amazon close to Iquitos. Most of the fishing was done in the Amazon, but I was happy to catch at least one Andean species and two saltwater species. This visit to Peru also allowed me to check off another continent which I have fished. Now I just need Africa ;) and Antarctica :shock:!

The full blog starts here on Day 1 (I'm sure you can navigate through the other days on my blog):

http://muskiebaitadventures.blogspot...eru-day-1.html

Here are some selected photos. Lots more on my blog.

Cusco

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aPP5HfP4W..._8219_post.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ubohZoWn..._8245_post.jpg

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QCIb8NvxQ..._8258_post.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wVBs46l0B..._8301_post.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-48kP8sQpB..._8307_post.jpg

Pisac

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0I1cBgoI8..._8340_post.jpg

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TK65vLjfc..._8363_post.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKKo0F03E...orama_post.jpg

Ollantaytambo

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jx5s2ysZa..._8366_post.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l81aEWg61...orama_post.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wN9lzaQgU..._8393_post.jpg

Salkantay hike - Highest I've ever hiked so far (4600m)...while having a bout of food poisioning!

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FuQcTAOW4..._8480_post.jpg

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lfPUxH4hk...orama_post.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EZd1Dm1lw...orama_post.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sm_VNzXfv...orama_post.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMY9lkk8T...orama_post.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uGguRU2g-...orama_post.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SlFASKm66...orama_post.jpg

Machu Picchu

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m9u5b6okz..._8609_post.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHvx6gKu2...orama_post.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-17dt123lM..._8670_post.jpg

Peruvian Amazon

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-osbfqIU1A..._8678_post.jpg

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C6DrUxAV8..._8774_post.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hyDXYEUtz..._8828_post.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r9W7IByJR..._8912_post.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HTjWrsOS8..._8925_post.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rh7_sW5Xd..._8945_post.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pRkKaBf0N..._8971_post.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I0xBR1Rko..._9042_post.jpg

Some interesting food

Guinea pig

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auMvDVvNH..._8518_post.jpg

Alpaca

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w1jvG09x2..._8556_post.jpg

Palm weevil larvae

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LKJzhM-GC..._8738_post.jpg

Breaded Arapaima

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WhTdzRVZ7..._8966_post.jpg

~~~~~~

And finally, roughtly 50 species from fish from Peru caught on this trip.

Acrobrycon ipanquianus - Species #579

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eZaa0Qcrh..._8531_post.jpg

Serrasalmus rhombeus - Species #580 (Red eye and thick black margin on the tail ID this as S. rhombeus)

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dBZiRvIfY..._8862_post.jpg

Pirapitinga (Piaractus brachypomus) - Species #581

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDqRfArXq..._8705_post.jpg

Red Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) - Species #582

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ch2X_7OXe..._8859_post.jpg

Bloch's Catfish (Pimelodus blochii) - Species #583

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ptOI4IoX2..._8714_post.jpg

Sorubim maniradii - Species #584 (black stripe seems diffuse to me)

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D7-OSQ0Py..._8723_post.jpg

Cynodon gibbus - Species #585 (little cousin to the well known Payara. The Payara has much shorter anal fin)

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4fP3aqA4..._8727_post.jpg

Ageneiosus ucayalensis - Species #586

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjBNlFjhP..._8732_post.jpg

Triportheus angulatus - Species #587

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UQPcO34Bj..._8745_post.jpg

Tetragonopterus argenteus - Species #588

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iCaKMkP2e..._8753_post.jpg

Metynnis luna - Species #589 (Not sure on this ID...still trying to figure out)

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IC9HGvaSt..._8757_edit.jpg

Triportheus albus - Species #590

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f8CbHpqB-..._8764_post.jpg

Flatwhiskered Catfish (Pinirampus pirinampu) - Sepcies #591

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7UCPWpu8G..._8772_post.jpg

Trahira (Hoplias malabaricus) - Species #592

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lv6rYHHFi..._8784_post.jpg

Spotted Pike-characin (Boulengerella maculata) - Species #593

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DMlUYqg4p..._8778_post.jpg

Brycon melanopterus - Species #594

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pcG5p78up..._8788_post.jpg

Mesonauta mirificus or Mesonauta festivus - Species #595 (It is difficult to tell if this was a M. mirificus or M. festivus)

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CkPFcAWkz..._8792_post.jpg

Crenicichla semicincta - Species #596 (Green diagonal bands on the body is the ID key)

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZ2pcJTtD..._9099_post.jpg

Leporinus moralesi - Species #597 (This species was determined base on range. L. moralesi is found in Peru)

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W5g1wGBzR..._8800_post.jpg

Blue Whale Catfish (Cetopsis coecutiens) - Species #598

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IXQdIImP9..._8804_post.jpg

Pterodoras granulosus - Species #599

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U8y3UnY9x..._8808_post.jpg

Cichla monoculus - Species #600!!!

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jQMIztIlo..._8815_post.jpg

Brycon cephalus - Species #601 (Still trying to determine if it really is B. cephalus)

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-399fwGTAj..._8822_post.jpg

Tucan Fish (Chalceus erythrurus) - Species #602

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ai9eAREPZ..._8827_post.jpg

Spotfin Hatchetfish (Thoracocharax stellatus) - Species #603

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mkjbdEyF2..._8839_post.jpg

Rhamdia sp. - Species #604 (Still trying to determine which Rhamdia species it is. I may never know.)

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CfxeNU0in..._8866_post.jpg

Hypselecara temporalis - Species #605

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K7RgdpQl2..._8876_post.jpg

Ageneiosus inermis - Species #606

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q8Sja5N3Z..._8895_post.jpg

Spotted sorubim (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans) - Species #607

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NDqXk1gDI..._8907_post.jpg

Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii - Species #608

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vy2MQKe_x..._8933_post.jpg

Zamurito (Calophysus macropterus) - Species #609

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QvpEjv0xi..._8941_post.jpg

Laulao Catfish (Brachyplatystoma vaillantii) - Species #610

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IsPm-idNm..._8956_post.jpg

Ctenobrycon hauxwellianus - Species #611

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J5E6sQ_Rg..._8970_post.jpg

Aequidens tetramerus - Species #612 (we think these are A. tetramerus...still checking)

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d8u_FUvOX..._8979_post.jpg

Brachychalcinus sp. - Species #613 (some thinks it is B. copei, but I'm not so sure)

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vIfp2V6Rr..._8987_post.jpg

Bujurquina syspilus - Species #614

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MDJ3TJczO..._9001_post.jpg

Mylossoma aureum - Species #615

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtpaEVe3o..._9005_post.jpg

Roeboides myersii - Species #616

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jxmbJYXs0..._9009_post.jpg

Pimelodella cristata - Species #617 (I'm certain it is a Pimelodella, and P. cristata seems the closest)

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PBX60ZTu0..._9028_post.jpg

Aimara (Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus) - Species #618

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EM1qfKv3E..._9046_post.jpg

Erythrinus erythrinus - Species #619

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FRuFaGSXY..._9052_post.jpg

Bandtail Tetra (Moenkhausia dichroura) - Species #620

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBphR95EO..._9054_post.jpg

Glass tetra (Moenkhausia oligolepis) - Species #621

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8n4zUy9Fa..._9058_post.jpg

Moenkhausia sp. - Species #622 (This is a different Moenkhausia with faint humeral spot with smaller scales)

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IZjyhWXJH..._9073_post.jpg

Astyanax sp. - Species #623 (In the publication Ornamental Fishes of Peru, this was listed as an Astyanax sp., but no one seems to know which species it is)

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2LoZ7vZUS..._9089_post.jpg

Twospot Astyanax (Astyanax bimaculatus) - Species #624

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5UeXRUAWj..._9131_post.jpg

Moenkhausia colletti - Species #625 (Still trying to verify this)

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uGDuwqQIZ..._9140_post.jpg

Pimelodella sp. - Species #626 (There are so many similar Pimelodella species, still not sure which one)

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0hxPRVGLZ..._9175_post.jpg

Moenkhausia lepidura - Species #627

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p5l7AEKDB..._9198_post.jpg

Giant Blenny (Scartichthys gigas) - Species #628

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Xxn5VBkg..._9219_post.jpg

Chalapo Clinid (Labrisomus philippii) - Species #629

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-irPtwvtwN..._9232_post.jpg

Fantastic trip and post. Congrats on all the species. I noticed that several of those fish had very ragged looking fins and tails. Is there a reason for this????? Again thanks for the great post.........................Daniel

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by boogaloo

Fantastic trip and post. Congrats on all the species. I noticed that several of those fish had very ragged looking fins and tails. Is there a reason for this????? Again thanks for the great post.........................Daniel

---

Piranha are vicious. Many species, instead of attacking healthy fish, will nip at fins and scales instead. Most of the fish we caught had fins that were bitten off to various degrees. Piranha will nip at each others' fins as well even in the same school, but that's mostly more out of aggression rather than feeding behaviour...unless an individual within the school is too weak to defend itself...then it is a free for all.

The smaller fish seems to get it bad. But the bigger catfish, in general, seems to avoid these piranha bites. The catfish are more frequently found in the current while the piranha seems to prefer areas with less current...which could be one reason why the catfish are not affected as well.

For example...

Missing entire lower tail lobe.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pcG5p78up..._8788_post.jpg

Distinct bite by juvenile piranha on the lower tail lobe.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtpaEVe3o..._9005_post.jpg

Bite on the upper tail lobe.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iCaKMkP2e..._8753_post.jpg

But this cichlid had it the worst out of all the fish I caught. Not sure how it survived with fin that damaged. It came from a piranha infested log jam.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K7RgdpQl2..._8876_post.jpg

beautiful scenery!

Excellent photography. Tks for sharing your trip.

Cheers

Great pictures!! You must have a degree in icthyology, lol!

Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing. My Wife went to Peru a couple of years ago with work. She said your pics brought back some really good memories. The people in Peru were wonderful and the country was so beautiful.

Brilliant pics., must have been a fantastic experience.