Re: sp. "Opal"?

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

doug wrote:
> 
> My LFS just got in a pair of apistos he was told are this. THey sure aren't
> in Linke and Staek or Richter. The male looks a lot like borelli with red
> spots and iridescent blue on the face, but the body is more drab with a
> broken lateral line and that "broad transversal banded pattern". There
> is no caudal spot or ab stripes, but the lateral line runs into the
> caudal fin ala borelli. Kathy Olsen sent me a preprint of her article
> with A. sp. "Opalita" scribbled in under the borelli group. Could this
> be it?
> 
> -Doug
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Doug,

The ASG presently considers A. sp. Opal/Opalita a color variant of A.
borellii.  There presently are quite a few wild and domestic color
morphs of this species with minor color pattern differences. 
Considering the wide distribution of A. borellii, don't be surprised if
some of these are eventually raised to species level.

Mike