Re: En: species, subspecies, strains, populations, races etc.

["Scott Olson" <olson7@hotmail.com>]

I've read this thread over the past day or three with great interest.  I am 
familiar with two examples (there are probably many more) of separate and 
distinct species that not only interbreed freely, but the resulting 
offspring are fertile.

Cutthroat trout and rainbow trout (I won't bother with the Latin names) 
interbreed both in the wild and in hatcheries.  These fish are distinctly 
different, yet the hybrids are so successful that in many areas of my home 
state of Montana they have displaced the native cutthroats.

Lady Amherst and golden pheasants are two other examples.  Morphologically 
very different from each other, at least in the color and shape of their 
feathers, captive populations of these two species have become so interbred 
that it is difficult - if not impossible - to find individuals in captivity 
that do not appear to be hybrids.  In all but a few cases, these hybrids are 
many generations deep in captivity due to the rarety of both species in the 
wild, as well as the difficulty of obtaining wild specimens from China, 
their native home.

In both of these examples, the hybrids are entirely fertile, and fully able 
to breed with either parent species - and this goes on for generations 
seemingly without end.

So while many, even very similar species of Apistogramma may not be able to 
hybridize with any great success, there may be combinations of species that 
can do so.  Any mixing of species or forms in a single tank should only be 
done if ONLY males or ONLY females are included, or for very young fish in a 
grow-out situation.  Certainly breeding-age individuals of both sexes should 
not be mixed by the casual hobbyist/breeder (people like me!!)

Scott

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