Danio Interbreeding and species roundup

[KerriPaul]

In response to a question on a previous thread

It appears that, theoretically any two species of danios can interbreed (although getting dangila to breed with nigrofasciatus would be a real challenge)

You will get healthy young that show characteristics of both parents (my kerri/roseus hybrids were stunning)

However they are 99.99% likely to be infertile. If you are lucky enough to get fertile offspring then you have probably created a new species of danio.....although there is a report of rerioxnigrofasciatus hybrids producing fertile young on one occasion

Breeding danios with devarios is not as far as I know practical although I have seen claims of zebra danios breeding with giant danio (which is actually a devario)

There are only a handful of danios, the rest are devarios. The devarios are mostly deeper bodied and have short barbels, the true danios have long barbels.

The true danios are:

Danios with scientific names:

Abolineatus - Pearl Danio

Choprae - Glowlight Danio

Dangila - moustached danio -6 inches long

Feegradei - Yoma Danio

Kerri - Blue/Kerrs Danio

Kyathit - (has zebra and leopard morphs known as Orange Finned Zebra and Ocelot Danio)

Meghalayensis - Meghalaya Danio (looks like a large red finned zebra)
Nigrofasciatus - Spotted Danio

Rerio - (two morphs Zebra Danio and Leopard Danio)

Roseus - A red pearl danio like fish without the orange/blue stripe.

Recently discovered danios not yet given scientific names

Danio Sp Burma/TW02 - Tiny gold danio covered in blue spots. Fins spotted, male has red tinge to anal fin

Danio Sp "Hikari" - Looks a little like Danio Kerri, Males are more yellow. Deep bodied for a danio

Danio Sp Myanamar/Blue Redstripe - like a miniature pearl danio with longer stripes (may be a pearl danio morph)

Danio Sp TW01 -Brown with vertical black bars (not got this one yet)

Danio Sp TW03 - Panther Danio - Brown with dark brown spots

All the others are Devarios (there are about 50 of these) except a few tiny species of Danionins in the genuses Danionella and Microrasbora.

Plus of course the white cloud mountain minnow - see separate thread for more details of this fish.

For photos of many of these I recommend Wolfs website

 

[The-Wolf]

you have forgotten another in the family Danionin
Sundadanio axelrodi ‘blue’
which may yet be reclassified as a danio.
other than that Paul, great post

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=172

 

[KerriPaul]

Thanks Wolf.

BTW I understand that meghalayensis was originally classed as a synonym of Dangila as no one could provide a specimen. That was rectified last year when someone sent a specimen to Fang and its separatenes was confirmed.

It looks like we have several "sub" groupings in the true danios

1) Dangila, Meghalaya, Feegradei

2) Rerio, Kyathit, Nigrofasciatus, sp Burma, and probably sp TW01 TW03

3) Abolineatus, Kerri, sp Hikari, sp blueredfin/myanmar, Rosues

4) Choprae (which may turn out to be a devario eventually - it is apparently a bit of an odd one out)

As far as I can see it was Dangila who caused the renaming chaos.

Originally we had Brachydanio and Danio. Most brachydanios became danios and Danios became Devarios. Dangila was originally a Danio but was properly a Brachydanio. However Brachy means small, so I suspect that to call the biggest (6 inch) danio of the lot a Brachydanio was deemed somewhat absurd, hence the general renaming

 

[KerriPaul]

Re Danio and Brachydanio. Pete C has enlightened me a little more.

The brachydanios were identified by the lack of a lateral line or an incomplete line and having seven branched dorsal rays. The danios had 12-16 rays and a complete lateral line.

It seems the definition was always a matter of debate until fang fangs research when she declared brachydanio invalid and separated the danios into Danio and a new genus of devario.

The devario tend to be deeper bodied and have vertical stripes and rudimentary barbels

The Danios tend to have stripes and/or spots and have long barbels

Danio choprae is still the subject of ongoing debate and may one day become devario choprae.

As far as I know only danio dangila and feegradei have their original scientific names.