Can anyone ID this one?

[Scooter]

This little guy hitched a ride with a shipment of A. gibbiceps to my lfs and they didn't know what he was. I grabbed him and I think it's A. steindachneri. Anyone feel differently? He's about 1".

http://www.netsnapshot.com/pcw/pickalbum?Scooteroo

Click on either of the "fish" links on the page.

 

[Neil]

Scooter,
I think that you have an A. hippolytae there. The caudal spot is a little too large for a steindachneri. It looks oval in shape, which is a distinguishing characteristic for hippolytae. They are very similar fish and I could be wrong, but I don't think so because the collection of gibbiceps is much closer to the collection of hippolytae (near Manaus).
Neil

 

[Scooter]

Thanks, Neil. You may very well be right. I had it narrowed down between the steindachneri and hippolytae, but the caudal fin, which is hard to see in the picture, looks more like steindacneri's. They are so similar though. Now you've even got me second guessing the gender. It definately looks a lot like a female hippolytae in non-breeding color, but it just may be too young to really tell. But I'm certainly no expert. Maybe Z Man will want to take a stab at it too.

 

[Z Man]

It does look like an A. hippolytae female to me also. The spot above the lateral line is in both male and female. Although the female does get a lot of color in her fins, the black on the leading edge of the verntal fins suggest a female.

 

[apistodave]

I'll make it unanimous

 

[Scooter]

Well, I guess it's immaterial now. The little one passed on about three weeks ago. He developed what looked like a fungus on the operculum. I put him in a sick tank and attempted treatment. The first round of treatment had no effect, so I attempted a second. He never made it through it. :cry:

 

[Neil]

Shame! Maybe they will get another batch in sometime. I have seen them come in with aggies too.

 

[Scooter]

I doubt they'll get any more for two reasons. First, this little guy came accidently with another batch of fish. They didn't know what it was. Second, I'm only one of a small handful of customers with an interest in Apistos, so they're going to quit ordering large orders. They going to start doing special orders of specifically what I want (type and quantity) and piggyback them on regular orders. They've got a tank full of cacatuoides right now and I would suspect that's the last big shipment they get of any Apistos.

 

[Neil]

Still, depending on what they can get, that is a pretty good deal! The collection or wholesale establishment that they get their fish from probably can get A. hippolytae again. They should know what they are. But there is a lot of others that might be more interesting to you. Special orders might be the way to go.
Neil