Re: Polygamic A. pertensis !!?

[Fredrik Ljungberg <Fredrik.Ljungberg@saab.se>]

I was quite certain that I had A. pertensis but I spoke with Dr. Sven 
Kullander two years ago and he thought the subject was tricky. I
interpreted
that as if it wasn't so easy to tell A. pertensis from other similar
species
as I had thought. Like you say Mike, it is probably just normal
variations 
within a species and not enought to warrant separation. 

/Fredrik


> 
> A. pertensis is a fairly easy species to identify. The main problem most
> people have with this species is the variability in the number of rows of
> spots on the tail fin. The holotype shows a fish with only 5 or 6 rows. There
> are photos of fish with 10 or more rows. This has confused hobbyists in the
> past. Are these different species? Probably not. It appears that the number
> of spot rows increase with the size of the fish to some extent. The male A.
> pertensis in Linke & Staeck matches the holotype quite closely. So do most of
> the photos listed as "A. pertensis" in the Aqualog book (p.55). The form
> labeled "A. cf. pertensis" on the same page appears to be a different form
> (species?). It is more elongate, with longer extensions on the dorsal, anal,
> and ventral fins. The caudal fin appears to be longer, too. Could these only
> be extremely old aquarium specimens of A. pertensis? I'm not sure.
> 
> Mike Wise
>


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