INDONESIA: Mamberamo – the most remote jungle region on Earth. Part 1

By Heiko Bleher

Mamberamo is a myth which has followed me since my early days of research and collecting rainbowfishes in the mid 1970s, when I started to visit the most unexplored island on Earth, New Guinea. My first expedition into this hardly-known region together with G. R. Allen, the famous American ichthyologist, and the German W. Tins was in 1982. During this difficult journey almost every species we found was new to science and I was able to introduce unique and very colourful species into the hobby from the island, such as Chilatherina bleheri, Melanotaenia boesemani and Melanotaenia irianjaya along with many others. I have returned many times since, while I was able to get the government permit – which is needed – to get to the Mamberamo only twice and on one account with my dear friend Kamihata san, whom I call “the second most famous ornamental fish collector”…

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