Newbie needs help with terminology

[JoLtNbolt]

Hey guys...

I'm kind of new to bettas, and I'm trying to figure out exactly which traits Plakat and Mask are for. I keep seeing these listed over and over on aquabid, but I'm not quite sure what they are. My guess is that Plakat has something to do with the shape of the anal fin, and I thought that mask meant that the fish's head was a different color (covered with a mask) but then I saw pictures of fish that were listed as Mask but had a solid color over the entire head and body.

Thanks in advance!

 

[JackDemp528]

The plakat is the wild type of betta. I'm not sure about Mask, I would assume it's a coloration thing.

 

[BrookeLea]

plakats have shorter fins and i was told that masks have thicker finnage

 

[Styx]

Most everyone I know refers to masks in regards to color. If it doesn't have that different color on the face, I have absolutely no idea what they're talking about.

Plakats have short fins all around, not just the anal, tail too.

 

[Synirr]

As has been mentioned, plakats are bettas where even the males have short fins rather than the long flowing ones we're all used to seeing in pet stores.
I'm not sure about the true definition of a masked betta, but my understanding is that a betta is said to be "masked" if there's a top layer of pigmentation on them which masks any colours underneath. Here's an example I found. See how the golden colouration appears to be on top of other layers of pigmentation?

 

[BrookeLea]

Man...now i'm really confused. I wondered what "mask" meant for the longest time, I thought that it must have had something to do with coloration, but I couldn't figure it out. I asked the breeder that I buy from in Thailand, and she told me that it meant that they had thicker finnage. I was glad that I finally knew what it meant, but I guess she was wrong and now I'm left confused again