Re: Pelvicachromis subocellatus

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

KEVIN KOROTEV wrote:

> Mike,
> Thank-you for your response, but questions still remain in this thick head
> of mine.
>
> Will all my P. subocellatus fall into one of these categories?
> a) P. subocellatus Form 1 MONAD
> b) P. subocellatus Form 2 MATADI
> c) P. sp. aff. subocellatus (of which there are 2 forms; larger and smaller)
> or is there a fourth, actually the first; simply Pelvicachromis
> subocellatus, "described...in 1871...(and) hardly ever offered or kept
> nowadays."?

Kevin,

Without seeing your fish and knowing what name they were sold to you as it would
be impossible to say if they are all the same species or population. I don't
think the large form of Pv. sp. aff. subocellatus was ever distributed in the
hobby, nor is the type form of Pv. subocellatus from the Shiloango region of
Gabon & Angola(enclave). I have had Yellow Krib males that looked very much like
the photo you mention. It is the females that readily separate the species and 2
mentioned color forms Pv. subocellatus.

>
>
> You also said, "Most "Wild Kribensis" that I've seen are Nigerian
> Pelvicachromis species - mostly Pv. pulcher with occasional Pv. taeniatus
> Nigeria forms & Pv. sp. aff. subocellatus."
> What would you then suspect of "wild kribs" that looked just like the
> picture on page 142?  The male is a mirror image with a more prominent black
> lateral line. The female has the telltale dorsal spot, but is otherwise
> colored like the male and the picture.

I have never seen a female that looks like the male pictured. Pelvicachromis
species are sexually dimorphic and dichromatic. I suspect that you have 2 males.
Yes, males can have dorsal spots. Were there any other fish mixed in with the
shipment? This usually means that they are wild. If not, I'd bet that you have
true subocellatus. Yellow Kribs do not come in except as odd contaminants or
mixed with Pv. pulcher & Nigerian forms of Pv. taeniatus. If you would give
specific information it would be easier to make an educated guess. Photos would
be even better. If, for example, you are trying to ID fish using immature
specimens I doubt you have enough experience to do it. I doubt that I could do it
even.

> You actually guessed the nature of my greatest mystery; trusting the claimed
> identity of another set; sold as MATADI.  They are not like the pictures,
> nor the "wild kribs".  I'll tackle that later.

My question is why do you think your Matadi aren't real Matadi? More information
is needed.

Mike Wise

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