Yellow Kribs

[jonah]

What is the latin name for yellow kribs? Are they just a color variant of pulcher? I know somebody with fry, but they don't know what the real name is and the store they bought the parents at are useless for info and they don't carry them anymore.

 

[Neil]

I know that i have heard that before, but I just can't remember which species is the "yellow krib". There are so many common names out there that it could be any number of fish depending on ho you are talking to. Could be a form of a pulcher or taeniatus or maybe even a humilus.
So the latin name would be Pelvicachromis ...?...
We might have already discussed this, so it is worth trying a search for it. Or maybe Randall, Ted or someone else knows.
Neil

 

[tjudy]

I have seen the 'yellow krib' name used most often for Pel. taeniatus types (most often nigerian yellow and moliwe). I have also heard it used for Pel. roloffi, the females of which can be quite yellow.

 

[2la]

Around here the 'yellow krib' is merely a color form of P. pulcher with a yellow base color.

 

[Randall]

The "Yellow Krib"

Dear Jonah,

First of all, death to common names. They can be useless because common names for the same fish vary considerably depending on to whom one talks.

The "yellow krib" is Pelvicachromis subocellatus. This common name, however, is misleading because many Pelvicachromis species exhibit yellow coloration, and P. subocellatus is not even a "krib" at all.

All the best,

Randall Kohn

 

[2la]

Whoop, I made a boo-boo. The yellow kribs around here are sold as "Pelvicachromis sp."; however, they definitely are not P. subocellatus (which are labeled as such and look significantly different), appearing much closer to P. pulcher but with a more slender body and relatively larger fins.

More evidence that lots of common names suck. :wink:

 

[Randall]

Will the Real "Krib" Please Stand Up?

Dear Jonah,

I'm very sorry, but I seem to have inadvertently deleted your pior post somehow. :? Part of it is quoted below in my response to your question. Please feel free to post it again.

Thanks!

Randall

Randall: What do you mean 'P. subocellatus is not even a "krib" at all'? What makes a krib a krib? I'd always thought that only pulcher were considered "kribs", but now I'm starting to wonder.

Hi Johah,

The common name "krib" or "kribensis" was erroneously assigned to Pelvicachromis pulcher from Nigeria.

In 1951, a brightly colored West African dwarf cichlid was imported into Germany. It was thought to be Pelmatochromis kribensis from Cameroon; which, at the time, was a valid taxon. This new import proved very popular in the hobby and among commercial breeders and became commonly known as the "krib" or "kribensis."

It wasn't until Dr. Thys pointed out the error in his landmark 1968 paper that both hobbyists as well as scientists came to realize that the popular "krib" was actually Pelvicachromis pulcher from Nigeria and not P. kribensis from Cameroon. In the same paper, Thys synonomized Pelmatochromis kribensis with P. taeniatus. So, the common name "krib" or "kribensis" was originally used for P. pulcher, thinking that it was P. kribensis which was synonomized with P. taeniatus.

Confusing, isn't it?

Where today's nomenclature is concerned, Pelvicachromis pulcher from Nigeria is valid, Pelvicachromis taeniatus "Kienke" is the fish formally known as Pelmatochromis kribensis from southwest Cameroon, and Pelvicachromis taeniatus (originally described from Nigeria) is also valid...at least for the time being.

This saga has been confused and misstated for so many years that most hobbyists can't distinguish fact from fiction. Dr. Thys, however, was very clear and unambiguous when discussing all three taxa in his 1968 paper.

Common names do suck.

They sure do!

All the best,

Randall Kohn

 

[jonah]

Will the Real "Krib" Please Stand Up?

Dear Jonah,

I'm very sorry, but I seem to have inadvertently deleted your pior post somehow. :? Part of it is quoted below in my response to your question. Please feel free to post it again.

Thanks!

Randall

It must have been all of that cursing I did in my previous post. :lol:

Where today's nomenclature is concerned, Pelvicachromis pulcher from Nigeria is valid, Pelvicachromis taeniatus "Kienke" is the fish formally known as Pelmatochromis kribensis from southwest Cameroon, and Pelvicachromis taeniatus (originally described from Nigeria) is also valid...at least for the time being.

So the bottom line is that P. pulcher, P. taeniatus and P. taeniatus "Kienke" are all "kribs" while the other Pelviacachromis species are not. I think the kribs my friend has are probably just a yellow variant of the trusty old pulcher, we don't get much unusual in this part of the country.

Thanks for the taxonomy lesson.