Difference between P. roloffi and P. subocellatus male?

[swamp-rat]

I recently had my P. subocellatus male die unexpectedly, and decided to try to replace him. My female was alone (without a mate) for about a week and a half in my tank. Today I selected a male from a tank of mixed young P. roloffi and P. subocellatus and was wondering if I selected the right species. From what I've researched the two are quite similar. I put the male in my tank and the female was instantly all over him and showed bold breeding colors. Would she still do this if he were a roloffi? Are there any distinguising characteristics to tell the species apart? Here are pictures of him:

Thanks for the help!

 

[tjudy]

I think the fish in your picture is a subocellatus. Roloffi males do not have that spangling of color in the upper part of the caudal fin. The bottom half of a roloffi male's caudal fisn is usually a rust/orange color. Overall I would say that a subocellatus male is more colorful than a roloffi male. Here is a link to my gallery where you can see clear pictures of both species:

http://www.tedsfishroom.com/westafrican.html

 

[swamp-rat]

Thanks. That helps a lot. Indeed, there is a lot of spangling in the caudal and no rust in the lower half. Good advice.

Love the site! I wish I had seen it earlier. You have some varieties of P. taeniatus I hadn't seen before. I'm getting a "Moliwe" pair tomorrow...they came in today but I wanted to be sure they were ok before bringing them home. Thanks!!