Fish Identification

[PatO]

I have had this guy(girl) in my tank for 2.5 years. I think I am ready to move on from him/her and see if I can find him a new home. He's about 7-8" long and was sold to me as a Vieja synspila but he does not strike me as that. I will not take him to my LFS and thought my local fish club might be a better option but I would like to describe him in the new letter as accurate as possible as they do not include pictures. Thank you.

[Colu]

Nice tank Possible vieja Melanuru

[Fish Folk]

On 1/22/2022 at 5:08 PM, PatO said:

I have had this guy(girl) in my tank for 2.5 years. I think I am ready to move on from him/her and see if I can find him a new home. He's about 7-8" long and was sold to me as a Vieja synspila but he does not strike me as that. I will not take him to my LFS and thought my local fish club might be a better option but I would like to describe him in the new letter as accurate as possible as they do not include pictures. Thank you.

I've never kept Viejas, but always admired them from afar. Here is a chart to consult...

V. Synspilus is a possibility. But maybe it's a V. Maculicauda or a V. Melanurus.

Here are a few photos of other aquarist's V. Melanurus -- as examples of how vastly differentiated these fish can look:

I personally suspect that there may be a fair amount of hybridization, which can affect positive identification as well. 

 

[Fish Folk]

Ok. And I just found this. I guess it goes by a ton of names. The TECHNICAL reality is that V. Melanurus appears to have a host of synonyms -- one of which is Vieja synspila / synspilus / synspillum.

[PatO]

Thanks everyone. The hybridization scenario seems like a likely one in this case. I appreciate the replies and the information.