Apistogramma inconspicua - identification

[Nain]

I just purchased 2 pairs of what I believe to be A. inconspicua at my LFS. After a detailed review of Romer's Cichlid Atlas, I have eliminated other like species such as A. geisleri and A. commbrae, but the Romer description (and photos) are confusing. The photos show a double spot of a rough hourglass shape at the base of the caudal fin that is oriented in a horizontal manner (i.e. the spots are side by side and joined in the middle). My fish have a double spot, but it is oriented vertically. Any opinions as to my fish identification?

 

[Konigwolf]

Anychance of a photo?

Andrew

 

[Mike Wise]

Your description is not detailed enough for an identification. If it does not have the double caudal patch, then it is not A. commbrae.

Don't trust Römer's pictures of A. inconspicua! The more slender fish (photos by J. Glaser) are not A. inconspicua, but a very colorful form of A. commbrae. Too many people separate these 2 species by color, thinking that all A. commbrae are virtually colorless & all A. inconspicua have red somewhere on the gill covers. Actually the best way to separate them is by the depth of the body. A. commbrae is more slender, which makes the lateral band appear lower on the flanks of the fish. A. commbrae has abdominal bands that usually are continuous & visible in most moods. The same abdominal bands on A. inconspicua are usually indistinct and broken. If you are willing to sit down & count dorsal spines, A. commbrae has 16 while A. inconspicua usually has only 15. There is another fish out there that looks very much like A. inconspicua except that it has 16 dorsal spine. This is A. similis.