Re: interbreeding

[IDMiamiBob@aol.com]

On 9/11, mfjacobs writes:
>I had a gentleman tell me that A.
>agassizi will not inter breed succesfully....without kowing for sure I
>just said OK.......I wanted to tell him to shove it but I thought I
>would ask.....Pete, feel free to throw in an opinion if Uwe isn't
>around.  His precise statement was..."If you think an aggie from Peru is
>going to breed with some aggie from Brazil, you're nuts."  quote,
>quote!!!   What do you think???

>Have a good one..........jump in anyone!!!
>>
I remember from my killie days that there are several species of Aphyosemion
whose various populations and subspecies were occasionally incompatible as
far as fertility, while other species in the genus were crossable with
similar species.  Go figure.  Over time, isolated populations can develop
differences in chromosome count, or differences in gene arrangement on the
chromosomes.  How this happens, I don''t have a clue.  Maybe Dr. Uwe can
handle the technical part of this answer.
  It does seem reasonable therefore that between different populations of A.
aggasizii, especially different color morphs from different major areas,
there can be some lack of fertililty in cross-spawning.  I guess the best way
to answer the question is to try it.  Please, though, if you do it, remember
that purity of strains is significantly important to the majority of us.
Bob Dixon

PS Color of the eggs is detirmined by diet, not fertility.  I had several
sterile spawns from my cucatoides, until Dave Soares suggested I separate the
male and female for a week.  I had suspected he wasn't participating.  After
their "trial separation" he perked right up and the last four spawns have all
been good.  M guess absence DOES make the heart grow fonder!!