# Name that Hap



## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

Hoping you can identify this fish, sold as a mated pair under the name "Hap Ovatus"

Have a pretty good idea what it is, according to Koning's book. Just want to verify what y'all think.










This, is the female. She's rather distinct with a yellow stripe running along her dorsal fin.

Below is the male.



























Thanks a bunch


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## Mugen-Malawi (Apr 2, 2004)

Looks like a "Copadichromis Azureus".


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Looks similar to Azureus, at least the male, female seems to be in a dark phase. I think a similar fish used to be sold as Hap Ovatus years ago... pure I dunno.

Also Protomelas spilonatus has been sold as Hap Ovatus, but your fish is not that.

There is an Otopharynx ovatus, but it is not a common fish.

They are using a very old trade name


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## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

We were kinda thinking it was an Otopharynx Ovatus as well, but it doesn't seem like a common fish in the trade. Our thinking was because the female is so dark (she's never lightened up), and the picture in Koning's book looked very similar to our fish. I'll take a couple more pics here quick & post them. We'll see if we cannot make them clearer.

I've stopped purchasing cichlids from that LFS because, even though they usually have a pretty good selection, they often seem less than enthusiastic about finding out their scientific names. 

Cheers!


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## firenzena (Nov 29, 2009)

I also think Azureus.

My alpha female is always in dark colouring with hint of blue in rounded point of scales and egg spots exactly as yours.

Here are two of my young males in differing colourations










They continue to round up as the mature


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## lmhollist (Aug 7, 2009)

Here are a couple more pictures of the "Hap Ovatus" we took this morning. Put him into one of those little species containers because he didn't want to come out for his Glamour Shots so his color isn't the best. What led us to originally call him Otopharynx Ovatus were the three dark blotches that are visible on the female and also on the male when he's very stressed. Konings made a note of the spots in his book when he was describing the species. However, now that I'm looking at these pics of the Azureus, I'm seeing the three spots as well.

Another thing that still bothers me is how dark our female is, she's always been that way since we took her home from the store. She was part two of the reason why we thought it was O. Ovatus instead of Azureus. A female azureus is much lighter, whereas our female can look nearly black at times (supposedly her breeding dress?).

Anyway....


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

I'm not sure how common the true Ovatus is in the hobby. They are probably Copidichromis azureus

The female matches somewhat, Koning's says the adult females can get very dark. But then Azureus females are similar, thou not always that dark.

The male looks more like Azureus. The head shape and mouth, see which one matches the photos best. Azureus males hold their color really well, and have that really nice royal blue like that, and both have some faint yellowish color in the tail area. The pics of real Ovatus look less royal blue and more of a light blue. Azureus do get those nice dark flowing fins like yours.

female Azureus


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## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

Does your female have egg spots? I can't quite tell from the pic.


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## firenzena (Nov 29, 2009)

My Azureus female.
She is head girl and started out looking like the fish that 'noki' has posted above when she was young as that fish also appears to be.

She is 3-4yrs old and has spawned probably 6-8 times and her colouring is as per pic and at times even darker. She is a bit skinny having just spat a few days ago. Also Note egg spots










Here is one of her son's from a few spawns back, unfortunately original male died sometime ago, although his head shape was definitely developing toward the shape of my larger Borleyi










I don't have any experience with 'Ovatus' but I would be tending to ID your fish Geddonight as a mature breeding pair of azureus


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

firenzena said:


> My Azureus female.
> She is head girl and started out looking like the fish that 'noki' has posted above when she was young as that fish also appears to be.
> 
> She is 3-4yrs old and has spawned probably 6-8 times and her colouring is as per pic and at times even darker. She is a bit skinny having just spat a few days ago. Also Note egg spots
> ...


Those are not pure Copidichromis azureus, I'm sorry to say. Probably S. fryeri hybirds.


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## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

:-? If that don't beat all....


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## lmhollist (Aug 7, 2009)

Noki ... what leads you to that conclusion? Just curious as it now seems that every African cichlid we've purchased from what Geddonight and I thought of as a great LFS has somehow turned out wrong for us.

In response to other question about egg spots, yes the female does have a few yellow egg spots on her anal fin. We took a few more pics of her today ... actually managed to get her out of the tank for these... she was NOT happy about that at all ....


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## firenzena (Nov 29, 2009)

Noki, interested in your ID. you seem fairly certain in as much you have stated it as fact rather than opinion.
I don't mind that at all, as would rather be sure of what I have in my tanks.

We don't get enough cichlids come through this way for me to have much of comparison.
What are you using as determining factors for you ID? if it is bodyshape of female?
She isn't the best example these days.Poor girl is fairly knackered.

At what stage would you suspect hybridisation occur as these fish have bred consistent fry in the 2-3 yrs I've bred them. The males all the same colour I would associate with azureus rather than fryeri ( I have kept these also) and none have ever shown real flat shape of fryeri.
I'm sure hybrids probably after time find a consistency in their young( male in 2nd shot would be 8 mths old).
I've read also that Azureus has distribution area of a lot of the sth west of lake with locational variancies.

I note that a recent shipment of Azureus is similar to mine. Same Asian breeder/supplier perhaps.

Which leads back to the initial point of thread. Is it possible that the fish of Geddonight are of the same lineage as mine?


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## firenzena (Nov 29, 2009)

And "Imhollist" fish as well


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

I know fish look similar but this fish is not an Azureus, the mouth/head shape is wrong, and if she is a parent of the male you pictured he can't be an Azureus.










Young fish and females (except when breeding they may look different) should look like these small fish below (not the big fish)


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## garett1020 (Apr 8, 2009)

nice champ noki


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

garett1020 said:


> nice champ noki


naw, I just found the pic online. That Champ is very cool thou.


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## Geddonight (Aug 7, 2009)

Just because I'm a glutton for punishment & picture taking, I've got a few more to add:


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## pastrycook3 (Jul 1, 2007)

i asked for "ovatus" when i was at the local fish farm and the owner got these guys for me. I didnt know there was a cop.ovatus too. This is my male and he is getting some blue at 3inches. I'm still not 100% what he is. Tips of the dorsal fin are yellow. Couldnt get a great pic, maybe this helps?


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