3 Apistos that need an I.D.

[aquaticclarity]

These three fish came in with a box of wild blue rams from Columbia. The fish entered the US on Sunday, got to me Monday night, and the pictures were taken Tuesday morning. I have my guesses as to species listed with the pictures.

Possibly a male macmasteri (at least macmasteri complex) 2 1/2"

female (hopefully and hopefully a match to the macmasteri complex male!) 1 1/2"

male A. alcrina 2 1/2"

 

[RAF]

macmasteris?!

 

[Mike Wise]

Ricardo is probably correct about the macmasteri-complex species. The caudal spot is more oval (mac-like) than square (viejita-like) or round (Schwarzkehl-like). The other fish looks like A. cf. alacrina (Rotpunkt) to me. Male A. alacrina should show rows of spots in the caudal fin. These fish must have been mixed sometime after collection, probably at the export facility. Rotpunct doesn't occur in the same system as macmasteri, and macmasteri comes from upper parts of the Orinoco, not the Llanos region where M. ramirezi occurs.

 

[aquaticclarity]

Thanks guys!

So the "female" is a match then?

 

[Mike Wise]

I think (but not positive) that the female is a young male; no black on the ventral fins.

 

[aquaticclarity]

It has shown black leading edges on the ventrals but not all the time. I'll pull them out over the weekend and see what becomes of them. Here's to hopeing for bioth sexes!