Results for “scale”

It can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: 61-68 scales in the lateral series; a small, well-defined, sometimes ocellated black spot on the shoulder and another in the centre of the caudal peduncle; body without longitudinal stripes formed by spots on scales; caudal fin uniformly dusky or colourless, lobes without stripes or black margins.

M. ocellatus can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: caudal-fin rounded; eye stripe not connecting spot on posterior projection of opercle with eye; dorsal-fin rays filamentous posterior to a vertical through the posterior anal-fin rays in adults; 16-19 spinous dorsal-fin rays; 6-13 rakers on ceratobranchial of first gill arch; posterior tip or margin of body scales not darker than scales.

This species was originally sold as M. fuscus and then M. sp. "lepidophage. The name refers to the act of lepidophagy, which is the act of a fish eating the scales of another fish. In nature M. lepidiadaptes apparently lives an opportunistic lifestyle, feeding almost solely on the scales of other species, although interestingly not other mbuna. However in aquaria this behaviour has never been witnessed. Do not keep it with other Melanochromis species as they may hybridise....

This fish is sometimes traded as Oreichthys cosuatis, O. sp. 'high fin', O. 'umangii' (a nomen nudum that has only ever been applied to an image of a fish in the book 'Ornamental Aquarium Fish of India'; K. L.Tekriwal and A. A. Rao 1999), Puntius 'arunavii' or 'neon highfin barb'. It can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: absence of a dark marking in the anal-fin (vs. presence in other species); ½7½ scales scales between pelvic-fin origin and dorsal midline (vs. ½6½ in O. cosuatis and...

Following Bonou and Teugels (1985), P. africana can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: colour pattern unique, comprising a series of 8-11 dark, chevron-shaped markings extending along the body posterior to the pectoral fins; 19-24 scales in the transverse series; lateral line complete with 73-83 pored scales; 45-48 dorsal-fin rays 45-48; 32-35 anal-fin rays.

This species is poorly-known in the aquarium hobby and has a confusing taxonomic history having been considered both synonymous with or a subspecies of the congener P. ticto in the past. It can be distinguished from other members of the genus by the following combination of characters: lateral line complete with 27 scales (following Day); body with two dark blotches; anterior spot one scale row below lateral line; dorsal-fin with rows of spots.

This species occasionally appears in the aquarium hobby, but the trade is largely reliant on commercially-produced 'tiger barbs' of questionable origin. It is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: lateral line complete; 14 circumpeduncular scales; 21-23+2 scales in the lateral row; dorsal-fin black with red outer band; pelvic fins red.

This striking species may also be seen on sale with the trade name of 'red scissortail'. It can be distinguished from the similar-looking R. trilineata by the presence of orange/red colouration in the with other diagnostic features including black tips to the caudal lobes, 11-12 predorsal scale rows and a dark reticulated pattern to the edges of the scales. The 'scissortail' moniker is derived from the characteristic twitching motion of the when the fish is at rest. Rainb...

It's unlikely that this species has been in the aquarium hobby given its natural range and the lack of commercial fishing for the ornamental trade in that area. Among congeners it's most similar to R. davidi but can be told apart by presence of 8 (vs. always 9 in R. davidi) soft dorsal-fin rays, 10 (vs. 11-12) transverse scale rows, and 6-7 (vs. 8-10) scales between the first dorsal-fin origin and upper pectoral-fin base.

This species may not yet have appeared in the ornamental trade but it has been collected by a few individuals. It can be told apart from related species from Taiwan by possessing 30-32 longitudinal (lateral) scales vs. 32-39 in other species, and 6-8 scale rows between the origin of the first dorsal-fin and upper pectoral-fin base vs. 9-15 in other species.

This species has been in the aquarium trade since 2010 and is sold under several names including 'Chinese vermilion goby', 'Zhou's scarlet goby', 'scarlet goby', and 'flame goby'. It can be told apart from congeners by the following combination of characters: second dorsal-fin rays I, 8-9; anal-fin rays I, 7-8; pectoral-fin rays 16-18; longitudinal scale series 29-31; predorsal scales 10-12; vertebral count 10+16=26.

Although S. jardinii superficially resembles its Asian cousins, it is not considered as desirable an aquarium inhabitant, nor is it classed as being at risk in nature. It can be easily distinguished from the asian species by its much smaller scale size, greater lateral scale count (32-35 as opposed to 21-25 in the asian aros) and duller patterning. It differs from its Australian relative S. leichardtii by its more sloping head, downward-pointing barbels and patterned gill covers. The base colour...

A. iridescens and its closest relative A. longipinnis can be distinguished from all other barred species of Acrossocheilus by the following characters: wider (vs. narrower) black vertical bars on the flank in adults, each five to eight (vs. no more than four) scales in width; a horse-shoe shaped (vs. arched) mouth gape; rostral barbel located posteriorly (vs. anteriorly) to a horizontal line through the anteriormost margin of the lower jaw; two postlabial grooves extending anteromedially beyond (vs. away from) a horizontal line through the roots of the rostral barbels.

Members of the genus are characterised by possessing a particular number of dark vertical bar on each flank, and A. parallens belongs to a group of species with five or six such bars, each of which is two scales in width. Congeners sharing this pattern include A. fasciatus, A. hemispinus (in juveniles only), A. jishouensis, A. kreyenbergii, A. paradoxus, A. spinifer, A. wenchowensis, and A. wuyiensis.

This species is also traded as 'yellow-finned', 'yellowtail' or 'blue Congo' tetra and is occasionally bred on a commercial basis, although not on a scale comparable to its better-known relative Phenacogrammus interruptus. No recent key to the genus exists but based on Géry (1977) and images in Mbimbi Mayi Munene and Stiassny (2012) it can be told apart from congeners by a combination of: extended median caudal-fin rays in adult males; absence of prominent dar...

This is an exceptionally hardy and adaptable species. It's not an especially common fish in stores, but is quite widely available in hobbyist circles. The common name arises from the row of modified, paired scales that form a keel running from the base of theto the caudal fin....

A. calvus is a predator by nature and its body shape has been adapted to allow it to enter small crevices and gaps in the rockwork of Lake Tanganyika to prey on eggs, fry and small fish. Its laterally compressed shape makes the fish hard to spot head on, giving it an advantage over would be predators and prey alike. It is also quite well-armoured, possessing thick scales which can be turned towards potential attackers. These can cause real damage with their serrated edges. Several colour form...

This is the ubiquitous 'bristlenose' catfish in the aquarium hobby and is bred commerically on a large scale although it's precise origin is unknown with some of the opinion that it may be a hybrid. Several line-bred ornamental varieties exist, including piebald, albino and long-finned forms of both the standard and albino fish, of which long-finned fish are sometimes sold as 'butterfly' or 'veiltail' catfish.

This undescribed species has been available in the aquarium hobby since 2006. It may also be seen on sale with the name Badis sp. 'flame dot' in reference to the body scales which in males possess a bright red centre or B. sp. 'red' as it appeared in a 2007 German magazine article. It appears to belong to the B. corycaeus group of species (see below). Since the species Badis singenensis was...

This species is traded under several names including 'royal danio', 'blue-spotted hill trout', and 'blue-dotted mirror fish'. It can be distinguished from congeners by possessing a single row of bluish-green spots along the length of the body, white margins on the dorsal and anal fins, 37-38+1 lateral line scales, and fleshy rudi...