Myleus Schomburgkii

[severum boy]

Im wondering if anyone knows weather Myleus schomburgkii is one or two species. As far as i can tell with my own fish, i have two different species; one with a thin black bar and a red anal fin, and one with a thicker black bar and black/blue tinted finnage. Does anyone know wich is the real schomburgkii and wich needs to be classified as a distinct specie?

 

[pacuboy]

I think there is only one type of black bared silverdollars. They get to about 5 inches. And for your red anual one that might be a redhook? The one with the black strip sounds like a black bared. Any chance of some pics of the red anual fin one??

 

[Lateral Line]

The thick vertical bar with the bluish finnage sounds like Myleus schomburgkii. There are a couple of Metynnis species, M. fasciatus, (also described as M. hypsauchen fasciatus), for example, has a red anal fin and thin vertical bars, but usually more than one. Does the fish have other, faint vertical bands?

 

[severum boy]

No, just the one stripe, and its cirtanly a Myleus sp.(long dorsal fin) so i dont think its a M. fasciatus. Il get some pictures out soon. In fact, il tank them now!

 

[pacuboy]

No, just the one stripe, and its cirtanly a Myleus sp.(long dorsal fin) so i dont think its a M. fasciatus. Il get some pictures out soon. In fact, il tank them now!

I can't wait to see some pics.

 

[severum boy]

This is one of the Myleus. As it has just been caught, it's colour has faded. I am VERY sorry about the size of the images, cant find a way to reduce them (Paint does not work). He is about 5". Thanks goes to anyone who has any ideas on what this fish is!

 

[severum boy]

Come on, no one knows??? It is a wild fish btw so almost cirtanly not a hybrid (Fred).

 

[RadaR]

Haha, was just a suggestion mate.

 

[Lateral Line]

Browsing the net, I found several pictures which were labelled as Myleus rubripinnis rubripinnis which had the regular red anal, but also showed a vertical stripe. Look at this one for example. I have to say, I have not seen a M. rub. rub. marked in that way, but I would also say that as a planted tank keeper, I know very little about SD's as they are such notorious lawn mowers!

 

[severum boy]

Thanks Lateral Line, thats the fish.
Interestingly, the Baensch Aquarium Atlas shows Myleus rubripinnis r. as the redhook, with M. r. luna and M. r. l. yellow as different subspecies with no mention of a black stripe. Could they just be a regional variation of standard redhooks?

 

[Lateral Line]

The extra clause in the linnaen name suggests that, at this time at least, they are recognised as distinct sub-species. Frequently though, when sufficient specimens have been collected, a continuous range is found and they are synonymised as a regionally varied species.

Tends to depend a lot on the classifying investigator. They tend to fall into two groups, splitters and lumpers. Splitters sometimes create new genera and species for the most trivial reasons, lumpers tend to accept regional variation and synonymise "species".

 

[severum boy]

I have seen my fish sold as Myleus schomburgkii which means that there must be a few of them out there. Is there anyway some people on the fourum could look into it taxonomy?

 

[Lateral Line]

To really sort it out will require a well stocked lab to conduct DNA gel electrophoresis. In that way the "closeness" of the various "species" can be tracked.

It often reveals suprises. Mike and I were commenting on some DNA results for Loaches. It showed that individuals of certain widespread species were more genetically diverse then some seperate species were, i.e. that the two definite species were closer then some of the individuals within a single species! If you think about that, it is pretty weird.

 

[Whynitica]

[I think there is only one type of black bared silverdollars. They get to about 5 inches. And for your red anual one that might be a redhook? The one with the black strip sounds like a black bared. Any chance of some pics of the red anual fin one??

This post has been edited by pacuboy: Dec 6 2006, 04:36 PM]




Really? My black-bars are 7.5 inches and still growing!! The bumblebee goby in vid is over an inch long.

<a href="http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VoyVNVEpsE" target="_blank">http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VoyVNVEpsE</a>