twinkles Posted April 27, 2012 Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 Been trying to get a decent pic of this girl for a while, finally managed it.. Crans or upland? I thought she was an upland at first, to go with my boy, but now I think I was wrong and she's a crans? And if so, what's the easiest way to distinguish upland girls so I can go hunting for one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted April 28, 2012 Report Share Posted April 28, 2012 I would guess Cran's, at least I'm unlikely to find uplands around here so makes for one less choice for my IDs First dorsal fin looks to have 7 or 8 spines so that would push it towards Cran's (The New Zealand Native Freshwater Aquarium, McQueen, 2010 -p116) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted April 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2012 Thanks, that's what I thought. I better buy Stella's book I think and take down to the river Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted April 28, 2012 Report Share Posted April 28, 2012 huh, interesting. based on the photo alone, it does look like a female upland because of the less-prominent orange spotting on the face. But then the location makes it less likely. Hang on, just checked out the NIWA fishatlas, plenty of records of uplands around there: http://www.niwa.co.nz/node/90782 Good point about the fin spines, but they can be varied apparently. I would err on the side of upland female, pending more photos How long is she? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted April 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2012 She's from the whanganui, where that first little cluster of red dots are west of taupo, and from the same spot as my upland boy (or at least, i'm sure that's what he is). Here's two more pics, the second is under blue tank light sorry - Here's the boy - Edit: She's about 6-7cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Sorry I missed this one. Err..... now I err towards Cran's..... the boy actually looks like a dead ringer for one of my old Cran's boys: (he was feeling extra colourful that day) I think her spots are not orange enough or spotty enough to be upland..... damned vague fish (Note: the Author of this post reserves the right to change her mind at will.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 He's never red/peach like that, only strong yellow, but I know you mentioned that there's some regional variation and i've never seen a peachy or red boy in our river, just yellow and orange. They both have mottled face patterns though. Shall I assume that they're a pair of the same species, most likely crans? It's hard when they change colour every few second too lol, pale and spotty or blotchy and contrasted or black and yellow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 LOL yes bullies do change colour rather quickly! Does the male have a yellow anal fin? Only Cran's have that. Just looking in the Reed Fieldguide and am reminded that the orange spotting on uplands extends to the vertical yellow stripe at the base of their pectoral fins, making them unlikely to be uplands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 yes he does :happy2: So that's an easy way to positively id the crans boys? Here's his rear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 looks very Cran's male-y to me :happy2: I have started writing the next nz freshwater fish fieldguide :sage: , so starting to :nilly: that I don't know enough about telling these critters apart, hit me with more tricky cases! It helps me learn :smln: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 that'll be great, will have to grab a copy I stop and have a look in the edge of our river when I walk the dog at night, always loads of bullies there and they stay nice and still but it's hard to see if they're common or crans or uplands, and they all seem to adopt the same shades in the same spots, even the boys are hard to pick out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 looks very Cran's male-y to me :happy2: I have started writing the next nz freshwater fish fieldguide :sage: , so starting to :nilly: that I don't know enough about telling these critters apart, hit me with more tricky cases! It helps me learn :smln: I'll have to post some for you Stella, and not tell you where they are from :rotf: /me waits for camera to charge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 bring it on! :spop: :cofn: :digH: :smln: (the book won't be ready till late next year) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Thread hijack Some easy, others well we'll see... Stella, you have seen most of these, although most have grown a fair bit Fish 1: Fish 2: Fish 3: Fish 4: Fish 5: Fish 6: Fish 7: Fish 8: Fish 9: Fish 10: Just because it wanted to be in all the photos: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Can I play? Fair bit of guesswork in my answers lol, but i'll be glad to see how many I can get right.. 1 - redfin 2 - crans 3 - crans 4 - common 5 - common 6 - giant 7 - crans 8 - upland 9 - don't know but he's gorgeous 10 - crans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Can I play? Fair bit of guesswork in my answers lol, but i'll be glad to see how many I can get right.. 1 - redfin 2 - crans 3 - crans 4 - common 5 - common 6 - giant 7 - crans 8 - upland 9 - don't know but he's gorgeous 10 - crans Not bad, and their sex... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 1 - redfin female 2 - crans male 3 - crans female 4 - common male 5 - common female 6 - giant male 7 - crans female 8 - upland male 9 - don't know but he's gorgeous 10 - crans male i guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 :nfs: ok, as fairly quick-fire answers: 1. redfin female 2. Cran's male 3. tricky.... markings look Cran's, head shape doesn't, but it also doesn't look like a common bully profile either, and doesn't have the 'whiskers' of a common..... argh.... going Cran's. (Gobiomorphus buggeredifiknow) 4. common 5. Cran's female 6. common (same fish as in photo 4) 7. Cran's (maybe female) 8. upland male (oddly pale) 9. hard to tell, upland or Cran's male 10. Cran's male 11. turtle food (some of those were really challenging!! Not entirely sure) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 yah :bounce: i didn't do too badly then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 ID : twinkles : Stella : Blueether 1 : redfin female : redfin female : redfin female 2 : crans male : Cran's male : Cran's male 3 : crans female : tricky.... markings look Cran's, head shape doesn't, but it also doesn't look like a common bully profile either, and doesn't have the 'whiskers' of a common..... argh.... going Cran's. (Gobiomorphus buggeredifiknow) : Cran's female 4 : common male : common : common (male?) 5 : common female : Cran's female : Cran's female 6 : giant male : common (same fish as in photo 4) : giant (male?) Not same fish as 4 7 : crans female : Cran's (maybe female) : Cran's female 8 : upland male : upland male (oddly pale) : Cran's male (Waikato catchment so I doubt upland) 9 : don't know but he's gorgeous : hard to tell, upland or Cran's male : Cran's male (he was the male that raised 3 lots of eggs in the spring) 10 : crans male : Cran's male : Cran's male 11 : : turtle food : Xmas Gift Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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