I am allmoust sure that this is apistogramma steelblue

[António Vitor]

what do you think?

it's the best photo I could get from this fish..

http://plantasmolhadas.no.sapo.pt/temp/macro1steel.jpg

can you give your oppinions on what are the ancestors of this possible "hybrid"?

Thanks!

Regads!
António Vitor

 

[Randall]

Hello Antonio,

Mike Wise has the follow to say about Apistogramma. sp. "Steel Blue."

This is just an opinion. I tend to agree with the Japanese apisto experts that the Blue-head/Steel-blue Apisto is a cross between 2 different species - 1 a resticulosa-like form & the other a caetei-like form. Czech commercial breeders apparently produce their Blue-heads by using caetei-like females with SE Asian males & get fertile spawns - at least the males of the spawns are viable. I don't know, maybe the females of this hybrid have some fatal genetic defect and they all die.

Anyone who would like to try breeding this form might try doing the same as the Czech - buy some Blue-head males & cross them with females of either a caetei- or resticulosa-complex fish. It would be interesting to see what happens.

Mike Wise

http://forum.apistogramma.com/viewtopic.php?t=1932

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[António Vitor]

thanks Randall..
I thought it would be possible to detect some apistos afinities from the head...

it looks allmoust like apistogramma sp. "red-cheek"..

but with a little more blue...
look at my photo!

 

[Mike Wise]

Colors (except the dark markings) rarely are useful in apisto identification. Your fish is not Red-cheeks/Rotwangen. Red-cheeeks has broad caudal fin stripes with narrower pale areas between them. Yours are of a more equal width. The tail more resembles that of the typical A. caetei forms. I have never seen the extensive blue color on the head of any form other than the Blue-head/Steel-blue Apisto.

 

[António Vitor]

Thanks mike!
I guess it's dificult to guess who where the "progenitors" of steelblue...


Regards!
António Vitor