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Are these REALLY a tank bred variety? If so what species was used? Is it possible they're a natural colour form?
Thanks.

Hi!

The SEIDEL/EVERS - Welsatlas writes:
Supposedly first bred in former GDR in Leipzig from an import of the Company Zoologica (never been prooved). The original Rineloricaria sp. "red" could be a Population of R. heteroptera. Most comon reds nowadays are hybrids between heteroptera and lanceolata. This might have been cauz the true reds only produce around 50 fry while lanceolata hybrids produce up to 200 eggs. Differences can be seen when the fish are full gorwn, when the hybrids lose their red color and darken and get much bigger than the true reds.

greetings
C

Well, I guess being a purist I can't justify keeping a non-natural colour form catfish. Somebody offered me a breeding pair, I'll turn the offer down I suppose...its hard to do, they're a beautiful fish.

I would not be too hasty in declining that offer G-H. The Genus Loricaria-Rineloricaria - (Now) Hemiloricair is under active review and is very possible that there are only 4 valid species. Rineloricaria/ Hemiloricaria heteroptera may yet be proven to be a colour variation/ locality type or unlikely, a sub species of H lanciolata, and not a valid species at all. To reject that pair of fish on the off chance that they are not (pure tribe) is unwise.

In science, a hybrid is a mateing of two unrelated species producing nonviable offspring. If the offspring breed and produce live young they are not Hybrids!

The designation of species status these days has nothing to do with colour or size but morphology and DNA. Many of our L numbers will probably prove to be just blondes, brunettes, or redheads of the same species.

Alan

Well, thanks Alan. That certainly makes things seem a-bit brighter, I reckon I will get these fish.

I have three of them, and I just love them. I would definitive buy a pair if I could.

Me also! Mine are great and certainly great Catfish!





Graeme.

Alan_au wrote:In science, a hybrid is a mateing of two unrelated species producing nonviable offspring. If the offspring breed and produce live young they are not Hybrids!

I don't agree with this. This was only the case under the original species concept, but nowadays, with the more complex and refined (some would say less refined) idea of what a species is, this has changed. For example, there is more variation within the human species than all Lake Victorian cichlid species combined. However, many of the cichlid species can mate and produce viable off-spring.

Rusty

I heard from a fellow fish geek that these were a type of farlowella, anybody know if that's true

Hello tauaru,
These are definitely not Farlowella. They are Rineloricaria, but the species, if they are not a hybrid, is still questionable.

Larry Vires

Hi,

the actually name of "Rineloricaria heteroptera" is Leliella heteroptera, if you accept the new genus by Isbrücker in 2001. Leliella is monotypic, the ventral side is fully scuted, Rineloricaria and Hemiloricaria have only uncomplete scuted ventral sides.

I had the possibility to ask one of the first breeders of the red whiptail catfish in Leipzig. He told me, that the aquarium population started with six specimens imported by the "Zoologica" in the 1980s - no tank bred variety. He couldn't tell me the origin of these imports. I don't no if this is right or not, but it sounds possible...

Greets, Martin.