Gastromyzon ID

[olly]

Hi all!

Please help to ID a new gastromyzon. Excuse me please for bad pics. My camera cannot focus properly on this dark fish. Coloration of this gastromyzon is dark grey-greenish with dark reticulation. The fish has hard mechanical injuries and a lot of mucus on the body. Hope we together overcome that.

Thanks for help!

 

 

 

 

 

Size!

[Kajsa12]

Hi Olly,

 

Your fish reminds me of some Gastromyzon I had a few years ago.

Can you see some blue in the caudal fin already?

 

I had a few of these, all with a slightly different pattern. > 5 cm SL

I think these were G. zebrinus. (or G. stellatus)

One of them:

[Plaamoo]

Nice fish Olly. Zebrinus variation was the first thing that cam to my mind also, but just a thought. Maybe Charles will come along with an opinion.

[olly]

Thank you very much Henri and Jim!

Think you are right and this gastro is G.stellatus.

Stereotype of G.stellatus in my mind do not permit me to recognize this gastromyzon as G.stellatus even now when I see the real fish. Perhaps, it is color variation of G.stellatus, or this fish with age-related color changes. Photo version of this fish is closer to G.stellatus. It seems to me I see blue in the tail fin. Hope in the main tank I’ll see all signs properly.
The opinion of Charles would be very interesting.

 

 

@Kajsa12 said:
I had a few of these, all with a slightly different pattern. > 5 cm SL

It is great! Did they reach such considerable size in your tank?

[Kajsa12]

Hi Olly,

 

I bought them around that size, but mostly you only can see Gastromyzon around 3-4 cm SL in the shops overhere.

When they grew older the stripes broke more and more into smaller stripes and spots

Here another one I used to have:

 

According to dr. Tan’s book (the Borneo Suckers) the pelvic ray count for G. stellatus is 17-18.

Is it possible for you to do some counting on your fish. (your image was a bit too small for me to do the counting)

I also like to hear Charles opinion, hope he’s still around here.

[olly]

Hi Henri,

One male of my G.ocellatus raised in a tank from size 3,5 sm TL to 5,0 sm TL. Yes, with age the coloration pattern of gastros changes significantly even if fishes don’t alter their size (or alter it invisibly).

A result of the counting of pelvic rays – 18. G.stellatus ?

Thank you!

[torso]

Sorry, I almost missed the thread.

G. stellatus as far I can judge it. Colour can vary from more greyish to green.

Mucus as consequence of injuries is not rare, normally the specimen won’t survive in the export, at least shouldn’t be shipped (there’s a new exporter at work). I had just once a batch in the import. They didn’t make it. Will try to find the pics. Sometimes they turn up in local shops of a retail chain, always from the same local importer and together with B. kweichowensis also injured.

Cheers Charles

[torso]

Gastromyzon sp. Not identified

 

 

 

 

[olly]

Hi Charles!

Glad to see you! Thank you. I am sure now that it is G.stellatus with unusual coloration pattern really the same as at your pics. Habitual pattern – white “commas” on the dark background. Sometimes white commas may merge into vertical stripes in the back part of the body. However, reticulated pattern is new to me.

Thanks all!

[torso]

Hi Olly

Some older pics from 2009. Adult specimen measuring SL 55 mm/TL 63 mm, sometimes with small reticulated pattern. I made some inverted pics then, because I was not quite shure if stellatus/zebrinus

 

 

 

 

 To show the difference

 

 

 Tan shows a drawing – G. stellatus at 19.7 mm – with small vertical blotches. Pattern in G. zebrinus can vary with vertical wormlike/straight stripes/oblong blotches.

Cheers Charles

[olly]

Hi Charles,

Excuse me, please. Hard week was.

Fine pics, Charles and Henri. Earlier I would say that all of these gastromyzons at pics are Gastromyzon stellatus except those in the post 8 and my one. Gastromyzon in spite of his wounds eats. I should find a friend or a group of G.stellatus for him.

To show the difference

Are these differences of gastros with similar color pattern?  It is likely to be individual or sexual differences.

Adult specimen measuring SL 55 mm/TL 63 mm,  
 

Really gigantic gastros. I’ve never seen available gastromyzons of such size. In our trade the size of gastros is from 2 to 4 sm TL. Very seldom single specimens – 5 – 5,5 sm TL.

Tan shows a drawing – G. stellatus at 19.7 mm – with small vertical blotches.

From the same shipment – colorless (even on the dark background) gastromyzon, size 3 sm TL with weak reticulated pattern. It became interesting in which species this gastro will turn into.         G.ridens (rounded head shape) or similar reticulated form of G.stellatus?

 

 

 

Or all our reticulated gastromyzons in this topic are G.ridens?  http://www.aquariumphoto.dk/index.php/component/joomgallery/fishes/cyprinids-cypriniformes/loaches/gastromyzon-ridens-5

What do you think?

Together with these reticulated gastronmyzons in the same store tank there were G.zebrinus with clear color pattern.

[Kajsa12]

Hi Olly,

]Or all our reticulated gastromyzons in this topic are G.ridens?

 

I ‘ve thought the same about my last picture in this thread, but I’m really not sure.

Do you have The Borneo Suckers by H.H. Tan?

It’s a pity there’s no description of pigmentation in life of G. ridens.

 

I also remember a thread from Odyssey on LOL a few years ago.

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18020

[olly]

Hi Henri,

Unfortunately, I don’t have a book of H.H.Tan.

I failed to find the description of G.ridens in the net.

Thank you very much for the thread from Odyssey on LOL. Very bright and contrast his gastromyzon with unusual pattern. And initially he looked more G.stellatus than later.

[Kajsa12]

Hi Olly,

 

I can help you with the G. ridens description.

I tried to send you a PM several times, but that doesn’t seem to work. (Host error)

 

If you’re interested, you can try to PM me your e-mail address.

[Author]

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