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ap. bitaeniata ID , female?

Mike Wise

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Hello

I would like to know, from 3 fish A, B and C, which would be female and which male

To be honest, 2.5 cm/1" fish are a bit too small to confidently sex. I will say that some look more like males and some more like females. In 2 - 3 weeks the sexes will be more noticable:

Males: longer ventral fins; dorsal fin more serrated (more spikes); caudal fin more square on the back edge.

Females: pale; shorter ventral fins, dorsal fin more even & smooth; caudal more round.

They have around 2.5 cm size you
Fish B bitaeniata or agassizi?
Thanks
The fish on the left looks like a young male A. bitaeniata. The fish on the right is not in focus, but probably is A. agassizii. I might be able to be more certain if it were in better focus.
 

Mike Wise

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Thanks

Why is it so difficult to collect/capture females? Because of global warming?Has only appeared males

In polygamous species, the males are out in the open more. They are more easily caught. Even at smaller sizes, the males tend to be a bit larger. Perhaps many of the females are lost to shipping stress.
 

Mike Wise

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It could be. It definitely is a Brazilian form (dark, straight abdominal band; large areas of yellow on the face). The dark caudal fin markings are similar to those I have seen on fish from the Careiro, but there is so much variability in the colors on A. bitaeniata - even within a single collecting location - that it is difficult to separate the populations. If they were sold as coming from the Careiro, then they probably are from there.
 

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