A Definitive Key to Identify African Tiger Fish (Hydrocynus)

[Chicxulub]

I would agree that the young fish you posted are forskahlii. I feel its important to point out that they all have the colored lower lobe with at most only a little color on the upper lobe. I would consider all of those to be consistent with the description I wrote for fatf.

However, the adult you posted is troubling me. I agree the body form certainly looks like a forskahlii, but at the same time I can't find any evidence anywhere else to support the hypothesis that forskahlii has a fully colored, vittatus like upper lobe like the one that fish has. Every fish I've managed to find that has a fully colored tail like that has been a vittatus from southern waters. The northern fishes, brevis and forskahlii, I can't find with a fully colored tail.





I feel both of those fish (both forskahlii from the Nile) fairly closely match the one you've posted, with the exception of their tails only having color on the bottom lobe. One way or the other, the fish you've found is an exceptional specimen. Either its an exceptionally thin vittatus, or its an exceptionally well colored forskahlii. Either way, I don't feel its an ideal representation of either species.

 

[1hottuna]

The adipose fin on both of my forskahlli are clear while my tanzinae and goliath are both dark in color......and my forskahlli have undershot jaw........both of the ones in Wes's last post match that description.......I think the clear or colorless adipose and undershot jaw are key.....your second fish in your last post has a black adipose fin.....here is one of my forskahlli younger and currently.....

View attachment 845475

 

[Chicxulub]

The adipose fin on both of my forskahlli are clear while my tanzinae and goliath are both dark in color......and my forskahlli have undershot jaw........both of the ones in Wes's last post match that description.......I think the clear or colorless adipose and undershot jaw are key.....your second fish in your last post has a black adipose fin.....here is one of my forskahlli younger and currently.....
View attachment 845466
View attachment 845475

Thanks for your contribution!

I think you may be right. I've looked back over the forskahlii that Wes and I have been discussing and I think you're right about the adipose fin. It does appear that the adipose fin has less pigmentation than the other species. Even in the big one that I posted a picture of in the forskahlii profile, it appears that the big one has a washed out adipose fin.

Great contribution!

If I'm granted editing access, I'll add that into the profile for forskahlii. I also have a few glaring typos that I missed in my original editing that I'd like to correct (lol).

Thanks!

 

[fugupuff]

Good healthy discussion and information here. This 1hottuna guy has a very keen and sharp eye, he uses his eyes for a living and do something with fish professionally for a living...

feast your eyes on some tazaniae pictures or unidentified species! some maybe goliaths., either way nice pictures.

 

[limz_777]

nice thread

 

[kwstas_original]

Great reading, we should stick this.

According to some sources on the web, Forskahlii is the Vittatus tigerfish, same fish but different description.
Anyone can confirm that or heard something similar?

 

[Sm0ke]

The adipose fin on both of my forskahlli are clear while my tanzinae and goliath are both dark in color......and my forskahlli have undershot jaw........both of the ones in Wes's last post match that description.......I think the clear or colorless adipose and undershot jaw are key.....your second fish in your last post has a black adipose fin.....here is one of my forskahlli younger and currently.....
View attachment 845466
View attachment 845475

Nice collection of info guys. Thanks.

 

[Chicxulub]

Great reading, we should stick this.

According to some sources on the web, Forskahlii is the Vittatus tigerfish, same fish but different description.
Anyone can confirm that or heard something similar?

Brewster (1986) called vittatus a junior synonym of forskahlii. Paugy and Guegan (1989) clarified that vittatus is valid based on morphology and location. The two fish have distinct ranges that don't overlap. Goodier et al (2011) confirmed this distinction genetically.

 

[cichlaumbriferus]

Very informative. Thank you!

 

[Chicxulub]

Very informative. Thank you!

My pleasure! This was my attempt to try to give something back to the community that has helped me learn so much. I can only hope I've helped some people.

I'm kicking around the idea of doing one of these for payaras as well.