Re: N.pnudiceps was Re: Sexing A. Nijsseni

["Darren J. Hanson" <djhanson@calweb.com>]

At 08:29 AM 3/26/98 +0000, Ken Laidlaw wrote:
>>From articles published in the UK the distinction between 
>the two named species is that parilus has a metallic like 
>marking along the dorsal fin and nudiceps does not.  They 
>could still be colour varieties of the same fish though.
>
>Ken.
Ken

I was able to get more info on the two fish from our Editor yesterday
evening. He faxed me a couple pages from a book (he didn't mention the book)
but, said that the two are two different species. If I can read the fax here
is part of what it says:

On Nanochromis parilus -
"Only a few features distinguish the species.  N. parilus has a more
contrasting pattern and a more conspicuous colouration in the upper
bordering of the dorsal fin. An important point of distinction is the lower
half of the caudal fin which usually lacks a pattern and is violet in colour."

On Nanochromis nudiceps -
"The fish illustrated as N. nudiceps in magazines and books during the past
30 years or so belongs, in the majority of cases, to a species described as
N. parilus only in 1976.  .......The answer was quite simple since both
species have almost the same appearance.  Only very minor points of
distinction exist.  A slight difference is found in the colouration of the
dorsal fin, but a major feature is the additional pattern in the caudal
fin."  "brown on the nape and on the posterior part of the body.  The cheeks
are blue, the gill folds reddish, ?-brown spot lies above the upper edge of
the eye and the iris is dark. The dorsal fin and the upper part of the
caudal fin are bordered dark. The caudal as well as the anal fin are
distinctly spotted. The ventral fins are whitish with the first spines being
grey......Besides the morphological traits, N. nudiceps and N. parilus
differ by the small spots which are arranged in vertical lines on the caudal
fin and which are present in this form also in the species N. splendens."

Now, in one of my books "Complete book of Dwarf Cichlids" by Hans-Joachim
Richter - "Roberts and Stewart (1976) descibed the new species Nanochromis
parilus on the basis of the different coloration of the fins.  With many
aquarists and in my own spawnings it became apparent that both color forms
can appear in the offspring.  Since this occurs over several generations, it
is questionable whether Nanochromis parilus is truly an independent species."

Now, I am really confused. In the fax, their are different species. In the
book I have, they are the same.

So, I still don't know whether they are actually the same (color morphs) or
definitely two distinct species.

Anything you can add to make it easier to tell?

Ok. After rereading the above statements N. parilus lacks a patter and is
violet in colour in the tail. The N. nudiceps spotted.

Do I have it now? I hope so.

Thanks

Kaycy