Masses of maassi

The forum for the very best information on loaches of all types. Come learn from our membership's vast experience!

Moderator: LoachForumModerators

Post Reply
User avatar
The.Dark.One
Posts: 340
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:56 pm
Location: Castleford, England

Post by The.Dark.One » Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:56 am

Emma Turner wrote: The average size of these is 9-10cm TL. Is the above specimen definitely a V. maassi and is just not displaying the dorsal surface stripe because it's still settling in? Or is it V. cinnamomea? Some are like this, others are the more typically purpley body colour (like in the earlier in-tank pics) with a prominent orange dorsal stripe.

:?:

Emma
Hi Emma

The ones without the stripe could be cinnamomea although the colour of the type specimens were brown (but this could be down to preservation), and was supposed to have two bars near the pecs. Probably the easiest way to tell is to count the anal fin rays. The picture of the ones with the stripe that you posted earlier in the thread have the right amount for maassi but I can't see the anal fin properley on the one without the dorsal ridge stripe. Can you count the anal fin rays on that fish or post a picture of the fin?

:)
Image
Lord Foul The Despiser, Lord of the Flies, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Satan, Iblis, Samael, The Dark Lord, The Abhorred, Azazel, Anubis, Pluto, Hades, etc
Top
Blue
Posts: 498
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:04 am

Post by Blue » Fri Sep 21, 2007 3:08 am

Of all the rotten luck! I've never seen these beauties in person despite having live in the Philippines.:evil: :cry:
Passion for loaches + Passion for snails = Irony
Top
piggy4
Posts: 1017
Joined: Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:25 pm
Location: manchester

Post by piggy4 » Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:00 am

Hi Laura , i remember keeping V.Eupipterus in a small group , but never witnessed any fighting , but somtimes the tank layout can have a bearing on this ! i.e territories to fight over ? BUT cant see them being aggresive to the point of not being able to share a tank , if i were getting these i'd aim for a group .
Top
User avatar
Emma Turner
Posts: 8901
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:07 pm
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:
Contact Emma Turner

Post by Emma Turner » Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:02 pm

Just thought I'd post an update on the V. maassi. All are doing well and seem to be behaving very sociably for now. Here are a few pictures I took - the first 3 were taken in the photo tank and the rest are in the stock tank itself:

Image

Image

Image

This first one feels like it needs a caption! (feel free to suggest :wink: )
Image

Most of these aren't as sharp as I'd have liked, but a large number of them were gathered together at the back of the tank underneath a shady bit of bogwood which made focusing impossible. So I had to focus on something else that was in more light and at the same approx distance away from camera as the V. maassi, move the camera across and hope for the best!

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

And for The Dark One, here are a few pics of one of the specimens that are not showing such prominent dorsal markings. This one, which didn't seem to mind being photographed and came right to the front to check me out actually seemed a lot shorter in body length (despite the same girth as the stripy V. maassi):

Image

Image

Anal fin:
Image

Image

Different species or a sexual difference :?:

Hope you enjoyed looking through them,

Emma
Image
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Image
Top
User avatar
The.Dark.One
Posts: 340
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:56 pm
Location: Castleford, England

Post by The.Dark.One » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:56 am

Hi Emma

Lovely photo's as usual!

From the images of the ones without the stripe they look like they have 9 or 10 anal fin rays which ties in with cinnamomea and not maassi. I would say with some conviction that the 'stripeless' ones are cinnamomea.

Nice find!!!!! :)
Image
Lord Foul The Despiser, Lord of the Flies, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Satan, Iblis, Samael, The Dark Lord, The Abhorred, Azazel, Anubis, Pluto, Hades, etc
Top
User avatar
Emma Turner
Posts: 8901
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:07 pm
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:
Contact Emma Turner

Post by Emma Turner » Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:45 am

Excellent, thank you, that confirms what I thought this morning when I put this comparison pic together:

Image

8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

Emma
Image
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Image
Top
piggy4
Posts: 1017
Joined: Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:25 pm
Location: manchester

Post by piggy4 » Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:11 am

Stunning pics Emma , and great detective work from the Darkone !
Top
User avatar
The.Dark.One
Posts: 340
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:56 pm
Location: Castleford, England

Post by The.Dark.One » Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:53 pm

piggy4 wrote:Stunning pics Emma , and great detective work from the Darkone !
Thanks piggy

Emma, the maassi also appear to have more dorsal fin rays than the cinnamomea, which also ties in with Kottelat's description.
Image
Lord Foul The Despiser, Lord of the Flies, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Satan, Iblis, Samael, The Dark Lord, The Abhorred, Azazel, Anubis, Pluto, Hades, etc
Top
User avatar
Emma Turner
Posts: 8901
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:07 pm
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:
Contact Emma Turner

Post by Emma Turner » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:02 pm

That actually makes perfect sense, what with the V. cinnamomea having a shorter total body length. 8)

Emma
Image
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Image
Top
User avatar
The.Dark.One
Posts: 340
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:56 pm
Location: Castleford, England

Post by The.Dark.One » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:13 pm

Yeah, they're quite obvioulsy shorter in body proportionately. This is another nice new find to go on the species index. Did you decide whether to put that Pangio filinaris on? If so could you please try and put my (human) name on the image(s)?

Thanks
Image
Lord Foul The Despiser, Lord of the Flies, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Satan, Iblis, Samael, The Dark Lord, The Abhorred, Azazel, Anubis, Pluto, Hades, etc
Top
User avatar
Emma Turner
Posts: 8901
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:07 pm
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:
Contact Emma Turner

Post by Emma Turner » Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:12 pm

Yes, I (or one of the other mods) need to get both profiles up on the site as soon as possible. Do you want to add your name onto your pics and then send them to one of the mods, or would you like one of us to add that in for you? I am annoyed that I can't remember your human surname (I did know it - honest!).

Emma
Image
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Image
Top
User avatar
The.Dark.One
Posts: 340
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:56 pm
Location: Castleford, England

Post by The.Dark.One » Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:22 pm

Emma Turner wrote:Yes, I (or one of the other mods) need to get both profiles up on the site as soon as possible. Do you want to add your name onto your pics and then send them to one of the mods, or would you like one of us to add that in for you? I am annoyed that I can't remember your human surname (I did know it - honest!).

Emma
Could you please add the name please? My imaging software is very old and I've forgot how to do it. My human pseudonym is Steven Grant. (Hasn't quite got the same ring as my other names below has it??)
Image
Lord Foul The Despiser, Lord of the Flies, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Satan, Iblis, Samael, The Dark Lord, The Abhorred, Azazel, Anubis, Pluto, Hades, etc
Top
User avatar
Emma Turner
Posts: 8901
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:07 pm
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:
Contact Emma Turner

Post by Emma Turner » Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:54 am

No problemo, Mr Grant. :P
Image
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Image
Top
User avatar
Emma Turner
Posts: 8901
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:07 pm
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:
Contact Emma Turner

Post by Emma Turner » Sat Sep 29, 2007 2:30 am

I managed to get a few more pics of the other Vaillantella species yesterday:

Image

Image

Image

Before I start work on the new species profile, are we all 100% sure that these are definitely V. cinnamomea and not V. euepiptera, given that all known Vaillantella species are found in Borneo? I've read and re-read Dr Kottelat's descriptions and am wondering if we need close ups of the caudal fin and maybe better shots of the anal fin? There seem to be a lot of areas that correspond to his description of V. euepiptera.... I probably just haven't had enough sleep!

Emma
Image
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Image
Top
User avatar
Graeme Robson
Posts: 9096
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 4:34 am
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:
Contact Graeme Robson

Post by Graeme Robson » Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:52 pm

What a wonderful sight!!! 8)

Drool.....
Image
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Loach Forum”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 137 guests