New here, although I have lurked for quite some time. I'm familiar with several of you from another forum. A little about me:

I'm an evolutionary biology graduate student. My interests are in phylogenetic systematics, phylogeography, biogeography, and speciation. I'm a firm believer that a laboratory is nothing more than a big, powerful tool and a necessary evil, but that real learning comes from being in the field, before, during, and after a research project. Science is a means for me to be the natural historian I've always wanted to be. I have been all over the U.S. and a few other countries, but my main (and favorite) stomping grounds are the SE Coastal Plain and the Guiana Highlands. My focus for the longest time has been herpetology, but my first loves have always been amphibians, ichthyology, and entomology.

I've kept all kinds of fish over the years, exotic and native. I find characins pretty interesting and despise just about every old world genus imaginable. I've kept lots of different catfish and have done the various African cichlids, but quickly grew bored of them for new world species, especially Geophagus and other earth-eaters. However, I do really dig Paratilapia. I've also kept/keep many of the primitives,which have always been a favorite of mine. Done the whole Polypterus thing and at one time had 5 of the 6 Dipnoi (still have my favorite, Lepidosiren. No matter what though, my tanks always quickly found a native dropped in them and, since I'm somewhat of a purist, quickly were switched over to native tanks.

My favorites have always been what I could find locally. Since I grew up in Florida (and just moved back after 8 years in Texas), this means things like Lepomis, Enneacanthus, Elassoma, various Notropis/Pteronotropis, Fundulus etc. Of course, things like Amia and Lepisosteus are always fun too. Never been much of a fan of the Percidae, though they are fun to look for. My tanks are usually a combination of native fish mixed in with the local aquatic salamanders (Siren, Pseudobranchus, Amphiuma, Necturus). Currently my focus is to find two of my favorites that I've never seen before (and have been somewhat of an obsession for the last decade): E. chaetodon and Acantharchus pomotis.

I spend entirely too much time on a fieldherping forum, enjoy arguing points of view, discussing all things science, and generally giving people a hard time that deserve it . Ichthyologists aren't the nasty types that herpers are, so I don't plan on being myself here (I need to invest more time in another forum like I need a whole in my head), but I figured I should contribute if and when I can so I'm not just a sponge here.

Here's a few shots of some Pteronotropis hypselopterus from a few weeks back:







Later, KW

Welcome! Seems we attract quite a few herpers here. Nice pics of some nice fish as well. What area of FL are you in?

Hey Kenny, glad see you came over!
You will be a great addition to this forum. Now that you're here, you're gonna hafta be on the lookout for cool fish when you go underwater to grapple with 100lb turtles.
You may find if you start lapsing into "being yourself", your posts will mysteriously disappear moments after they're posted. This is definately a kinder, gentler forum then some we've participated on.
I'm looking forward to seeing you post some of those Florida natives. Just do me a favor and go light on the salamanders.
Monster turtle posts will be well appreciated though.

I tend to forget just how drop-dead beautiful the Pteronotropis species are. And welcome to the forum, of course.

You may find if you start lapsing into "being yourself", your posts will mysteriously disappear moments after they're posted. This is definately a kinder, gentler forum then some we've participated on.

Does this mean I might have some competition for the "most pruned" posts?

Does this mean I might have some competition for the "most pruned" posts?

No never!

drewish: Thanks. Yeah, herps and fish seem to go hand-in-hand. I've known many who started in one hobby and then quickly ended up in the other hobby. Often though, it seems they combine them. We even have the joint society. I'm in Tallahassee, FL, a few miles from the Ochlockonee River.

Mike: Yeah, I've lurked long enough and have been around fish people enough to know that, by-and-large, the communities are a bit different in their etiquette, lol. I definitely check out the fish while turtling, but its hard to keep your eye out for these:

Micropterus salmoides


Lepisosteus oculatus


Minytrema melanops


Percina nigrofasciata


When these are lurking around below you:

Macrochelys temminckii


fundulus: Thanks. Yes Pteronotropis sure are beautiful.My favorite is welaka. Give them a few minutes and the males will calm down and start displaying and chasing each other around your head while snorkeling. Interesting fish for sure.

Irate: I plan on behaving, but I've been banned from all three of the major herping forums (permanently from two of them), so we'll see .

Later, KW

but its hard to keep your eye out for these:
When these are lurking around below you:
Later, KW

Nice!
I'd have the opposite problem. I'd be so intent on stalking those darters, I'd likely stick my fingers right in the mouth of that gator snapper without seeing it.
Great photos by the way. Underwater pics are not seen here as much as I'd like. Of course most of us don't have the crystal clear vis you can get in the springs down there.

Hey Kenny, good to see you over here. I will reiteratewhat I said on the other forum ... I didn't know you were into the native fish. Wish I would have known a few months ago, I would have picked your brain on them a little more.

Andy