apistogramma macmasteri vs. viejita

[patrick1]

hello dear dwarfcichlids freaks!

my question is how can i see the difference of the species?>
this is the question in the forum in the netherlands
http://www.aquaforum.nl/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=15;t=000773;p=1

the foto's are nice let me know what you know

greeting patrick

 

[cootwarm]

Hi Patrick,

Here is a link to a thread where this was discussed:
http://forum.apistogramma.com/viewtopic.php?t=2077
There is mention of a red seam being present on the dorsal fin of viejita only. My dominant male viejita doesn't give me a real good look, but he does appear to have a red seam on his dorsal fin. So far I don't see any red seam on the macmasteri.

I've had some F1 viejita for almost a year now. I just recently got some wild caught macmasteri and they clearly look different (color). The macmasteri appear to be lighter color...slight blue visible on cheeks...more red on tail fin.

However I don't think I can make a good visible comparison right now because I've only had the macmasteri 10 days so they're settle settling in, but also at the same time, they seem to have a sickness and on top of that they're younger than the viejita. I've lost 2 of my 6 macmasteri so far I hope I don't lose any more. Maybe in a month or two, if I still have any, I should be able to make a good comparison. Some people think they are just 1 species.

Michael

 

[Mike Wise]

Everything mentioned is correct. The first fish pictured is the colorful wild form of "Red-back" or "Red-shoulder" A. macmasteri. The fish pictured after it is a domestic form that possibly is a mix of 2 or more closely related forms.