Stella Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 er, Firefish, I think that is one of your redfins... hint of diagonal facial stripes and compare the height of the two dorsal fins with the fish in the other photos (actually you can even see the limit of the colour stripe) The height of the first dorsal compared to the second looks kinda common-y to me, but I am not seeing that listed as a trait in McDowall's books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 maybe a female redfin if it is the fish form the pics on page 1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 er, Firefish, I think that is one of your redfins... No, its the same as the one in the 2 pics from the first page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 There is still time 8) But I'd have to get rid of my tropicals if I am to get natives, and I'm so attached to the tropicals! I love the little Apistos! They're so full of personality I'm only allowed two tanks set up at a time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 If it was a Cran's female there should be a dent behind the eyes, but there isn't one. If it is a common you expect a tapered head, but it isn't really tapered... I am guessing it is a big fish, maybe around 8-10cm? Maybe the tapering lessens with size, not sure, my big common seems less pointy than a small one I had.... (oooh, sample size of two...) The face looks splotchy like a Cran's, and whiskered like a common. The number of dorsal spines could be either. Damned difficult fish can they hybridize? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Good point. What about subspecies? We have a Common Bully subspecies/varient in a certain part of Marlborough called the Tarndale Bully. Could this also occur with fish in the North Island? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Good point. What about subspecies? We have a Common Bully subspecies/varient in a certain part of Marlborough called the Tarndale Bully. Could this also occur with fish in the North Island? I believe the Tarndale is more closely related to the cran's bully, and is a species in it's own wright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 The thing with the Tarndale bullies is that they are so very isolated from anything else, and the altitude plus pond life has probably had selection pressures on them. The argument over what on earth they are is long and curly (try going a google scholar search on the species name!). I met a guy at the Freshwater Sciences conference in October who is doing his thesis on them, I can't remember what his angle was. I think it is pretty much accepted now that they are not Cran's, but whether they are commons, a subspecies of commons, or a new species derived from commons, the argument remains. Very very very sadly, Bob McDowall, the most influential New Zealand native fish scientist and loud arguing voice on this matter, is dying and very unlikely to see the outcome of the next turn of the argument. if anyone is interested, I made a little powerpoint a while back to help me understand the phylogeny (family tree) of the NZ and Australian bullies. There are several unexpected surprises in it. If you want a copy, *email* me and I will send it to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 The thing with the Tarndale bullies is that they are so very isolated from anything else, and the altitude plus pond life has probably had selection pressures on them. The argument over what on earth they are is long and curly ... http://www-ub.massey.ac.nz/~mboffin/people/mstevens/pdf/McDowall_Stevens_2007.pdf Was an interesting read and stand corrected on the above comment I made Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted January 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Yesterday we got lots of insects for the fish. mainly ephemoptera and water boatmen. It was really cool to watch, I had a nice photo lined up, with the fish looking at a water boatman, but I pressed the shutter a second too late: There are lots of water boatmen left over, and they are really interesting to watch too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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