Mystery Fish

[Christophe de Medeiros]

Hi th H.sp46 looks like an decsribed species known as H.ishmaeli(the picture in the greg article) and don't seem to be the same as the golden unknown hap (H.sp"flavenetis)
Xris

[fishman76092]

I believe it to be A. calliptera/H burtoni x Aul baenschi/Aul sp maleri

The female has the barring from an aulonacara with the face of a 'Hap'.

[Mark Smith]

Hi Fishman

I believe it to most likely be a hybrid too. Do you have some inside info on who "created" this fish that the rest of don't??

Mark

[k98]

look like a hybrid to me

[fishman76092]

Mark, I just eyeballed it and called what I see. The head is surely from an A. calliptera. In recent years, there have been many odd hybrid combos being sold-given that there have been Aulonacara/'Haplochromine' x Mbuna floating around, it would make perfect sense that A. calliptera, which is endemic to Lake Malawi could hybridize with the fish mentioned above without human intervention. When I say human intervention, I speak of the Red Tailed Catfish x Tiger Shovelnose Catfish hybrids. I'm not implying that this is a wild fish, rather someone accidentally bred them and sold them.

[Mark Smith]

Hi Fishman

It certainly has been quite some time since hearing back from you. Has everything been okay with you in the past 10 months?

Whatever and however this fish came about, everyone needs to be aware of its less-than-clear origins.

"it would make perfect sense that A. calliptera, which is endemic to
Lake Malawi could hybridize with the fish mentioned above without
human intervention"

Although theoretically possible, this has never been proven or documented. We will probably never know who or how this fish ever came about. Thankfully, it seems as though it is fading away from the hobby.