ID confirmation plz

[Lilleo6]

Hi,guys! My friend sent me a video and we are curious about the name of this apisto. I think it’s a member of the Regani Group.. but I’m not sure which one it is.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Mike Wise]

What was it sold as? It appears to be a species recently imported, supposedly with A. juruensis from western Brazil. None of this has as yet been authenticated.

 

[Lilleo6]

What was it sold as? It appears to be a species recently imported, supposedly with A. juruensis from western Brazil. None of this has as yet been authenticated.

Hi Mike！
The seller doesn’t know the name as well,just labelled as “Unknown Apisto”. And I think you are right, the seller says it came with A.juruensis.

 

[Mike Wise]

I guess the next question is which species is being sold as "A. juruensis": A. juruensis, A. cf. juruensis (Purus) = A. cf. cacatuoides (Rio Acre) from Peru, or A. alpahuayo?? I haven't seen photos this fish.

 

[Lilleo6]

I guess the next question is which species is being sold as "A. juruensis": A. juruensis, A. cf. juruensis (Purus) = A. cf. cacatuoides (Rio Acre) from Peru, or A. alpahuayo?? I haven't seen photos this fish.

Here are the screenshots of the A.juruensis video which is post by the seller

 

[Mike Wise]

Hard to say from the rather poor photos, but it looks more like A. alpahuayo to me. If so, the fish are from Peru, probably the lower Rio Ucayali system. That would mean that the regani-complex species is related to A. paulmulleri.

 

[Frank Hättich]

I don't agree with Mike here. Because of the bluish lips, the blue and orange ventral fins and the seemingly missing black throat area, I'm quite confident that they are true A. juruensis.

 

[Mike Wise]

Frank, you definitely could be correct, but I personally can't ID the species from these photos. You know me, color is not a definitive characteristic and the abdominal stripes look more like those on A. alpahuayo. It would be helpful to get a clearer photo of the caudal fin pattern and the throat area.

 

[Frank Hättich]

Of course I agree with you that in general color isn't particularly helpful when it comes to ID (it might even be misleading), but there are exceptions to this "rule" and imo allpahuayo vs. juruensis is one of the best examples.

 

[Lilleo6]

Thank you,Mike and Frank. I really learnt a lot from your conversation. I had talk to the seller and asked for some clearer photos and video. Once he replies me, I will post the photos or screenshots.

By the way, I have a pair of A.Allpahuayo, so I think it will be A.Juruensis.

 

[Frank Hättich]

Thank you,Mike and Frank. I really learnt a lot from your conversation. I had talk to the seller and asked for some clearer photos and video. Once he replies me, I will post the photos or screenshots.

By the way, I have a pair of A.Allpahuayo, so I think it will be A.Juruensis.

This yellow form of allpahuayo (A 199) is of course easily distinguished from juruensis by means of it's "leopard-like" colored ventral fins. My point is that the blue form (A 198) can be distinguished from juruensis by color alone too. More precisely, if the lips are bluish and the upper part of the ventral fins is blue and the lower part orange it's juruensis. If the color of the lips can't be seen clearly, I would even rely on the coloration of the ventral fins alone if it is reasonably distinct.

 

[Lilleo6]

This yellow form of allpahuayo (A 199) is of course easily distinguished from juruensis by means of it's "leopard-like" colored ventral fins. My point is that the blue form (A 198) can be distinguished from juruensis by color alone too. More precisely, if the lips are bluish and the upper part of the ventral fins is blue and the lower part orange it's juruensis. If the color of the lips can't be seen clearly, I would even rely on the coloration of the ventral fins alone if it is reasonably distinct.

Oh I see. Yeah you’re right, I forgot the blue form. It’s rare to see the blue one in our country and the local social media.Thanks for your explication, Frank.

 

[Mike Wise]

I forgot the orange lip on Alpahuayo vs. the blue lip on A. juruensis. Yes, it most likely is A. juruensis.

 

[Lilleo6]

Hi Mike
If it's A.Juruensis,then what will the the regani-complex species be？Do you get any idea about it？I am still really curious about it haha

 

[Mike Wise]

A. moae or something similar

 

[Lilleo6]

A. moae or something similar

Thanks a lot,Mike! I have already bought two from the sellers, and I will keep updating the photos of them.
Emm.. One more question, is there any tips for distinguishing the gender of A.lineata and A.Megaptera？They are about 2～3cm already.

 

[Mike Wise]

At that size it is unlikely that they are 100% sexible.

 

[Lilleo6]

At that size it is unlikely that they are 100% sexible.

Got it. It’s too early to ask haha
By the way,here comes more photos of the regani-complex species. I have tried my best to take a clear picture by my phone haha.

 

[Mike Wise]

Thanks for photos. I must admit they are some that I've ever seen from a smart phone.