Amphilophus margaritifer

[Modest_Man]

Anyone know anything about these guys? I just found a photo in a PowerPoint slide show of Don Conkel's fish.

Don has them labeled as Astatheros margaritiferus, while www.cichlidae.com and www.fishbase.org have them as Amphilophus margaritifer, and their only photo is of the holotype.

Fishbase info here

Don's PowerPoints here

The photo looks like nothing I've ever seen.

Is this what they actually look like? Don has been known to miss label fish and even push hybrids, but I want that fish (if it's the real deal).

 

[dogofwar]

Wasn't there an article in the ACA magazine last year about this being "The lost cichlid"...? The holy grail

 

[Modest_Man]

I thought that was Amphilophus macracanthus? I might be wrong. I have that bulletin, it's just in storage right now.

Info on classification at The Cichlid Room Companion
here.

Ah yeah, you're right. I'm going to have to dig those two up again.

http://www.cichlid.org/BBIndex/BB240.html

http://www.cichlid.org/BBIndex/BB241.html

 

[capefeartarheel]

Don has been known to miss label fish and even push hybrids.

Really? Aside from mis-identifying 2 species and then acknowledging it, I dont think I would agree with that statement at all.

He has written books that even Wayne Weibel, chairman of the American Cichlid Association, consider "the only comprehensive book available in the English language on Central American cichlids", as well as discovering and naming more than a handful of species.

Ive not known of him to push hybrids or anything of the sort. I have however, seen inexperienced and envious people that dont have the knowledge and experience he has, play smear tactics with his findings and classing of cichlids.

 

[cchhcc]

Really? Aside from mis-identifying 2 species and then acknowledging it, I dont think I would agree with that statement at all.

He has written books that even Wayne Weibel, chairman of the American Cichlid Association, consider "the only comprehensive book available in the English language on Central American cichlids", as well as discovering and naming more than a handful of species.

Ive not known of him to push hybrids or anything of the sort. I have however, seen inexperienced and envious people that dont have the knowledge and experience he has, play smear tactics with his findings and classing of cichlids.

How about selling Amphilophus "species conkelii" to my LFS? He has some awesome fish, and I've been a customer, but it is fair to have questions. I wonder about all the "wilds" he sells. The quality is often super and sometimes poor too -- never seems to be anything but an extreme. Some of the fish he ships to my area are really rough, but about 10% are the best I've seen.

 

[Dmaan.]

it does a have a pretty amphilophus like shape to him, no doubt about that.
i like it.
first time hearing about something like this.

modest man, the PUNNIEST MODEST MAN EVER, buy a pair, make babies.
send them to canada, somewhere in my region lol.

 

[Modest_Man]

Whatever. Some people love Don, some don't. Guess I'm just inexperienced and envious. Let's keep this on track.

More info here but none of the fish look even remotely similar to the fish I posted above.

 

[Ryanmahe]

such nice spangling would love to hear if you find one

 

[cookiemonster]

The spangles on your photo look flowerhorn-ish but the body shape is nothing like it. I think they are legendary, the rarest of the rare.

 

[Modest_Man]

His photo does match the holotype pretty closely to my untrained eye.