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Nanochromis splendens?

chch888

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5 Year Member
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13
Location
Taiwan
Hi, i am a dwarf cichlid fans from Taiwan,

i just picked one fish from several female Nanochromis parilus, but i am not sure if it's splendens or teugelsi.

I need help to identify this male Nanochromis, many thanks.

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gerald

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5 Year Member
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1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
My guess is the upper fish is N. splendens and the lower fish is N. parilus. There is a LOT of variation within species in the "nudiceps group", and I'm not convinced that the characteristics used in the species descriptions by Roberts & Stewart (1976) are reliable, especially since N. teugelsi wasn't recognized until 30 years later, and the geographic boundaries of the "species" in this group have not been well defined.

I have a male "splendens" who has developed black dorsal markings like N. teugelsi. Ekona's pictures of him a year ago, before the black markings developed are here: http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/threads/nanochromis-splendens-wc.18431/. The female died awhile back.

BTW -- Nice hulstaerti barbs too!

Roberts, T. R. and Stewart, D. J. (1976). "An ecological and systematic survey of fishes in the rapids of the lower Zaire or Congo River" Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard vol 147(6): 239-317.
 

chch888

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
13
Location
Taiwan
My guess is the upper fish is N. splendens and the lower fish is N. parilus. There is a LOT of variation within species in the "nudiceps group", and I'm not convinced that the characteristics used in the species descriptions by Roberts & Stewart (1976) are reliable, especially since N. teugelsi wasn't recognized until 30 years later, and the geographic boundaries of the "species" in this group have not been well defined.

...........................................

thanks gerald, greatly appreciated for your help on the related link and article.

i am now downloading the paper of Roberts et al. for studying. i also believe the male fish is splendens.
while the female is parilus or not, i am still not sure because it's different from those other females in the same tank.( imported from Germany,
claimed WC N. parilus). the body shape is more slender and the cheek color is slightly in yellow orange but not blue as others.

and for Barbus hulstaerti, yes, you are right, i got several pairs weeks ago. the three dots of the recent male of hulstaerti are not distinct,
two of them are usually fused together. maybe because the distribution area are different.
IMG_0250_c.jpg
IMG_0077_c.jpg
the first and second photos were taken in this year.
the third one were the fishes imported at 6 years ago.
 

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gerald

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
I have a suspicion that the slender body described in wild N. splendens may just be a developmental result of living in faster water -- not necessarily a genetic difference. They likely expend LOTS more energy to acquire food than Nano's living in slower streams. My "splendens" male is no longer slim-bodied like that "classic" photo of splendens on the AMNH Congo River Project website (link below). His body proportions are now about the same as typical parilus or teugelsi. It's also possible that very few live long enough in the wild to get the deeper adult body shape. Maybe the AMNH crew caught all 1-yr old splendens ... just guessing ... or else maybe my fish is not really splendens. I need to shoot an updated photo of him ... apologies in advance it will NOT be anywhere as good as Ekona's! http://research.amnh.org/vz/ichthyology/congo/cichlidLIVE/index.html
 

afra

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
56
Location
Leechburg, Pa.
Both of the female Splendens that I have show orange cheek marks. Gerald, your male looks very similar to mine but the female in the pic does not look like the females here.
 

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