Apistogramma macmasteri Kullander, 1979
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Apistogramma macmasteri is a dwarf cichlid in the tribe Geophagini, one of the tribes of the subfamily of American cichlids, the Cichlinae. It is a freshwater fish that lives in the rivers Guaytiquía and Metica in the Meta River system. The Meta river system is a part of the Orinoco basin in Colombia. They live in areas with soft sandy bottom and plenty of dead roots and branches in the water. Plants are uncommon in areas where Apistogramma macmasteri is found.
They grow up to 7 centimetres (2.8 in) in total length.
Fish keepers have selectively bred variants with brighter colors than those found in the wild. It is possible that some of these are crossbred with Apistogramma viejita.
The author, Sven O. Kullander honoured the cichlid aquarist Mark McMaster with the specific name of this species. McMaster had pointed this species out to Kullander in 1973, when only aquarium specimens were available.
Wikipedia contributors, Apistogramma macmasteri; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:02:37.585137+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Apistogramma macmasteri Kullander, 1979
- Name authority
- Kullander, 1979
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Apistogramma
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCichliformes
- familyCichlidae Bonaparte, 1835
- subfamilyCichlinae Bonaparte, 1835
- genusApistogramma Regan, 1913
- speciesApistogramma macmasteri Kullander, 1979
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Apistogramma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Apistogramma pleurotaenia (Regan, 1909) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma atahualpa Römer, 1997 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma erythrura Staeck & Schindler, 2008 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma gossei Kullander, 1982 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma baenschi Römer, Hahn, Römer, Soares & Wöhler, 2004 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma elizabethae Kullander, 1980 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma cacatuoides Hoedeman, 1951 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma guttata Antonio C., Kullander & Lasso A., 1989 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma panduro Römer, 1997 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma feconat Römer, Soares, Dávila, Duponchelle, Renno & Hahn, 2015 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma cruzi Kullander, 1986 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Apistogramma gibbiceps Meinken, 1969 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Kullander, S. O. (1979). Species of Apistogramma (Teleostei, Cichlidae) from the Orinoco drainage basin, South America, with descriptions of four new species. Zoologica Scripta, 8 (1): 69–79. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-6409.1979.tb00620.x Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:FNBF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.