Need help with ID of this orange tailed Apistogramma

[Melanochromis]

็Hi all,

An interesting fish showed up at a shop here in Bangkok. The shop owner said the fish came with the name "Peru Flash", or maybe "Peru Flag". He wasn't so sure about the name but he believes it is probably Apistogramma eunotus.

Interestingly, when the males grew older they develop extensions at the top and bottom of the orange-colored caudal fin. They seem to have no trouble spawning and raising fry in tanks at the shop.

I hope someone might be able to identify the species of this pretty fish. Any help is definitely appreciated

ps. pictures are borrowed with permission from another Thai apistogramma keeper who googled the fish and found the name Apistogramma cf eunotus "Orange Tail".

 

[slimbolen99]

I love trying to sneak in on these identification queries before the experts have time to chime in...although I'm normally wrong.

The males you show pics of look identical to my A. eunotus "orangeschwanz", at least at first glimpse, but display more blue in the gill plate than what I've seen. The female you show has a lot more coloring of the dorsal (4th pic?), although the fifth pic seems to be exactly what I have had. I'm surprised at how elongated the dorsal and anal fins have been getting on my F3 generations, and it looks like yours are almost that far along. They are great fish, no matter the true identification.

 

[ste12000]

I would of said A.cf.Eunotus... But not with the strongly lyrate caudal fin??? Thats thrown me completely?

 

[Melanochromis]

The long caudal fin is what confuses me too. The fin looked "normal" when the fish first arrived. But just a few weeks later, males developed the extensions at the top and bottom edges. Is this normal for eunotus-type apisto?

 

[Mike Wise]

A similar specimen of A. cf. eunotus Orangeschwanz/Orange-tail can be found in the 1st edition (German only) of Linke & Staeck's book with caudal extensions - but certainly not as long as on the pictured fish. It obviously is a well-cared-for fish (and fairly old) to develop such extensions. Yes, it is A. cf. eunotus (Orangeschwanz).

 

[Melanochromis]

A similar specimen of A. cf. eunotus Orangeschwanz/Orange-tail can be found in the 1st edition (German only) of Linke & Staeck's book with caudal extensions - but certainly not as long as on the pictured fish. It obviously is a well-cared-for fish (and fairly old) to develop such extensions. Yes, it is A. cf. eunotus (Orangeschwanz).

Thank you very much for the information. So, A. cf. eunotus Orangeschwanz/Orange-tail it is.

The male in the pictures is not the only one with caudal extensions this long. Virtually every male in this batch is like this (at least 4-5 of them are still at the store). And I don't think they are that old. They only arrived to the shop just a few weeks ago, or perhaps 1-2 months at most... I have bad sense of time... Maybe the hot weather in Bangkok causes the fish to grow quickly and have longer extensions than usual?

 

[Mike Wise]

The fish in the photo shows a pronounced nuchal hump. This is never seen on apistos unless they are both old (over 18 months - 2 years old) and and fed a high fat diet (obese). It is possible that these are brood stock that have been 'retired' at the hatchery.

 

[Melanochromis]

The fish in the photo shows a pronounced nuchal hump. This is never seen on apistos unless they are both old (over 18 months - 2 years old) and and fed a high fat diet (obese). It is possible that these are brood stock that have been 'retired' at the hatchery.

The nuchal hump thing is a new knowledge for me. Thanks for the info!