【 Tags:Grasshopper jumper perch, native information】
Photo by Ivan Mikolji
I wish I could breathe underwater. I wish I could stay in the green tunnel and let time freeze. It's perfect nature. This green tunnel stretches infinitely on the underwater horizon. River tigers (Brycons), straight-line carp (Moenkhausia) and other cruising lightfish swam past me and then disappeared somewhere in the distance. Some swim along the current, while others swim against the current. The aquatic grass with long leaves swayes left and right under the action of a strong current, and everything is so green. When I clamp my legs between the trunks of trees that have been poured into the water, I can spend a long time sitting there admiring every move under the water. What I like the most is the incredible water reflection. They're not real, but you can see them clearly; they're visual illusions that triple the beauty of nature.
The green tunnel is a narrow waterway that connects two rainforest creek pools. Technically, they can be classified as "rapids". As the river narrows, the speed of the water flows faster. I was already too cold to bear in the pool downstream, and I was shivering there. The water flow creates a "water blocking" effect that makes me shake uncontrollably. Every 30 to 40 seconds the vibration lasts for 10 seconds. If I concentrate and relax my muscles, I can sometimes stop shaking after they start. I have my usual equipment: my wetsuit, 14 kg lead belt, video camera and camera.
So my legs are still sandwiched between the fallen logs. I felt like I was riding an underwater motorcycle. As soon as my leg was loosened, the current would drag me down the river at a fairly fast speed. I wedged the camera into the soft river bottom, held my camera, took a deep breath, and lay back until my back lay on the trunk. Now I am lying in heaven. It's a completely different perspective; if you could lie inside your aquarium, maybe you'll see it too. As I lay there, I spotted a rare fish called home to the green tunnel – the grasshopper perch (Ammocryptocharax elegans).
In an instant, my mind switched from dream mode to working mode. I watched the grasshopper jumping perch. My gaze wouldn't leave it for more than a second. This fish is as green as a swaying aquatic plant and is only 4 cm long. This is a fish similar to a green iguana, and its movements on underwater objects are also similar. It actually uses its pectoral fin to crawl on aquatic weeds. Even if the water is flowing very fast, grasshoppers can make it look as if there is no water flow; you could say they are fully adapted to this habitat. They are slender as tubes and have long pointed heads; their large pectoral fins are very interesting, like the wings of an airplane. The front half of the pectoral fins help them crawl and anchor to the base. This is a key feature because it keeps them close to food sources, keeps them from having to swim often to save energy, and helps them keep camouflaged to avoid possible predators. The rear of the pectoral fin moves up and down like an aircraft aileron to stay on the ground or lift up to move to the next position. Sometimes, they stop in the water and the fins don't seem to move at all. But on closer inspection, I noticed that the pectoral fins would take a ∾ shape, which might act as flaps to increase resistance so that they stand still under strong currents and float effortlessly. Of course, now I feel a little sad; I'm still shaking with my feet against the trunk. My Aqua soul realized that even if I really wanted to be part of the Aqua creatures, there was nothing I could do.
Due to the strong water flow, the habitat of the grasshopper jumping perch is quite "clean". Loose particles drag down the river at high speed, and everything that floats downstream is immediately inspected by hungry lamp fish. If the food is edible, it will be swallowed, and if it is not, it will be spit out. Each lightfish in the green tunnel will examine the inedible particles until it slows down and settles to the bottom of the pool downstream. The only thing that looks "dirty" here is epiphytes, but in the green tunnel, anything has to be anchored. Epiphytes only "thrive" on rough surfaces, such as the trunks of trees I hold, small branches, the roots of mauritia flexuosa, and the jagged edges of some aquatic leaves.
So, our green friend climbed twice and then took a bite of the epitaph that stuck to all the rough natural decorations. Then it will stay for a half minute or so, then climb two more times, and then pick up the possessor again. If it's still lying on a branch or swaying in a long water weed, you'll see the same behavior. Once you stare at the grasshopper jumping perch for a while, you will suddenly start to see a lot of other individuals. During the time I spent about two hours or so in the Green Tunnel, I found about ten of them. They are strange, and in the water they are observed very fond of eating decomposing broken plant ends. Whether the stem or leaf of the aquatic grass is broken, the remnants of the branches and leaves begin to decay, usually turn into a white paste, and the grasshopper perch likes to eat these things or what lives in them (bacteria?). ）。 They seem to be particularly fond of the decaying substances of plants such as Montrichardia arborescens and Amazon calla sagittifolia. They can spend a lot of time picking up these white rotting stems. I didn't want to taste the slimy super withered salads at all, but they seemed to be very much enjoyed.
Curiously, another occupant of these green tunnels is also green. I found pencil elves (aka green jets; Acestridium dichromum) living with our grasshoppers. While they seem to live in the same place and feed on the same things, they don't compete with each other or fight for turf. They are all very docile fish and very competitive. No fish fight over these slimy things.
Its water quality parameters are the same as most of the waters in the Venezuelan, Amazon and Orinoco river basins. The low pH is between 5.8 and 5.2, depending on the season. The temperature fluctuates between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius. Small non-migratory fish such as grasshopper jumpers and pencil elves live in the stream because it does not dry up during the dry season. If they do dry up, these fingerlings will not survive, and the rivers will be filled with larger cruise or migratory fish. The bottom of the green tunnel consists of hollow decomposed materials. I tried to stand up and sank my ass down, not hitting the bottom. I just felt small branches and bubbles coming out of the ground as I sank into it faster than I could in quicksand. There's really no mud, sand or floor, it's like a sandwich made of countless fallen leaves and branches. I grabbed the trunk so as not to be swallowed by the "floor". What's in it? Who knows!
As usual, I made a plan, a photo strategy, to get the best photos. There are many challenges in taking images of fish in their natural habitat. This particular green tunnel has a riparian belt rich in vegetation. The thick shade of tall palm trees (Moriche Palms) and tall trees makes the whole scenery very dim. When light passes through the tall canopy, the light penetrates the water. There is almost no light at the bottom of the aquatic plant. As the sun moves, the angle at which the light passes through the habitat also changes. Sometimes only one side of the ecological community is illuminated. As the trees above sway in the wind, the light also becomes active. It's like a natural disco, with eco-friendly ornamentation and exquisite natural light performances. Because I don't use flash, I have to follow the light and wait until our fish pass by one of the areas where the sun shines. Sometimes, if there is a disturbance on the surface of the water, such as small ripples or waves, the underwater spectrum may appear. In these special cases, if the angle is correct, the light is broken by water like a prism. Seeing an underwater spectra illuminating a grasshopper bass in the underwater garden of the Green Tunnel, you must use your legs to clamp yourself against the falling wood as you tremble involuntarily and take pictures that will fill me with smiles for the rest of my life.
- About the Author - Ivan Mikolji
Venezuela's leading wildlife expert and underwater photographer, who has taken classic natural images of many tropical fish in their original habitats, is also the founder and chairman of the "Venezuela Fish Fund". He has served as a judge of the International Original Aquarium Landscaping Competition for many sessions, and a judge of the 2018 CBAC Great Wall Cup Original Ecological Tank Landscaping Competition.
This article was translated with permission from the author Ivan Mikolji and published by ifish.
Source @https://mikolji.com/article
Photo @ Ivan Mikolji
Edit @ifish-Big Black
Translator & Reviewer @ Fish in Muddy Waters