What genus and species am I? Phalacronotus?

[Viktor Jarikov]

I was brought in from Thailand but my prior fishtizenship and collection locale are shrouded in an intractable mystery, wrapped in a riddle, inside a chest full of golden fish sculls and bones, buried on an unknown island, inhabited by ruthless cannibals and predatory lemurs and koalas...

I was brought in as the "dinema catfish", apparently in reference to the fearsome toothy Belodontichthys dinema, to create some kind of a stir in the big great distant USA... but I opine it's a ruse, a good old switcheroo, and I don't think I am.

Me and my 4 kin are 3"-5" currently. Very young and largely big-eyed and clueless. We used to like shrimp at the Predatory Fins shop in Boca Raton, Florida, USA, where we spent many months and almost no one wanted us; we grew from 2" to our current size at the shop. Now our new feeder, a big, hairy, ape-looking thing crossed with a giant insect, offers us something he calls NLS generic pellets and cut silversides and glass minnows soaked in VitaChem and we seem to prefer to take the pellets, mouth them, and spit most out, swallow with some disgust the rest, and less so interested in the fish pieces, which obviously confuses our fish-challenged keeper...

We had been priced at a dignified $70 each but all 5 were let go at the rather dishonorable $45 each, which hurts but we are learning to live with it...

[Viktor Jarikov]

...

[Fishmandavew]

With a lack of dorsal, decent size eye in the young fish and very minimal whiskers, I do conclude you are in my opinion phalacronotus. Furthermore I would suggest with a distinct lack of shoulders you are most likely p.bleekeri

[Fishmandavew]

Although as a fellow fish keeper has pointed out, if you really zoom in on the whiskers they may appear slightly too long, and there does appear to be a hint of a spot at the caudal, so more likely P. Micronemus

[Viktor Jarikov]

Thank you so much Dave for this. I am glad guys on the MFK have shown interest and knowledge.

I'd appreciate any input from other peers here too.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Anyone one else?

If everyone is unsure, maybe HH could take a shot at the ID?

[bekateen]

This is outside my paygrade. Definitely one for @Silurus.

Cheers, Eric

[Silurus]

It's nearly impossible to tell if this is P. apogon or P. bleekeri without looking at the shape of the toothbands on the upper jaw.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Thank you so much Silurus! So this is between apogon and bleekeri. I am glad I at least got the genus right.

I may try to get a picture of the upper jaw toothpatches.

Sister thread on the MFK: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/foru ... us.744859/