# mystery geo id



## shiva (Oct 18, 2008)

Was told it was surinamensis. It isnt. Any suggestions?

here are the pics


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Even with the pic it is hard, most geo's of the suin group look similiar. But the pic helps narrow it down. As would knowing where it imported from, but that might be too hard to find out of course. You are right that it's not likely to surinamensis, due to the restricted range in a country where it is illegal to collect aquarium fish, as well as illegal to export.


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## al03_b0ii (Oct 27, 2008)

red humped earth eater?
http://fish.mongabay.com/species/Geopha ... hneri.html


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Yes Geophagus not steindachneri maybe surinamensis or one of that crowd.

I can see the dark spot surinamensis seems to have. :thumb:

Time to learn something, why do you (shiva) think is it not surinamensis?


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

24Tropheus said:


> Yes Geophagus not steindachneri maybe surinamensis or one of that crowd.
> 
> I can see the dark spot surinamensis seems to have. :thumb:
> 
> Time to learn something, why do you (shiva) think is it not surinamensis?


probably because surinamensis are dam near impossible to find, and you pay big bucks to get one.

looks identical to a Geophagus abalios to me, though altifrons is also a possibility.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

I just popped into my LFS here (heater stat leaked last night during water change last night, so I decided to get a replacement and a few spares after calculating the risk I was taking) Any how they had for sale (well labeled as such) at quite reasonable prices for this LFS (normally to pricey for me to consider buying fish there) both WC and Euro bred of both altifrons Rio something or other and surinamensis. If they swapped the labels I would be none the wiser but they did look a bit different. The suinamensis looked less well colored for their size and were slightly more expensive. :lol: If pressed I would say their "surinamensis" looked more like the fish photoed than their "altifrons" .

Wish I had taken a camera now.  
Not sure maybe mislabeling is common?

Sorry if that does not help but thought it worth mentioning.


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## shiva (Oct 18, 2008)

thanks for the replies guys. as far as i know there is no such fish(surinamensis) but rather the "surinamensis" is a group of similar looking fish. and every pic i have seen of so called surinamensis do no thave the stripped tail that mine has. i did pay big bucks for him though, because my lfs over charges for most fish.i am becoming more convinced that it is an abalios, because i have never seen an altifrons with a stripped tail. well i have a few more pics if there are any other suggestions out there.


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## dave2020 (Jun 17, 2006)

Hi Shiva,

These are identical to my colony of geos which I believe to be abalios, even though I bought them as altifrons 'aripuana I'. Here in Australia there is some conjecture as to which species we actually have in the country, but due to the limited importing here it is almost accepted that the fish sold under this incorrect name are in fact abalios.

From my limited geo knowledge, the stripes on the tail appear to be a big indicator that they are not altifrons.

Out of interest, how much are these guys worth over there in the states?

Thanks,
Dave


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Oh, there is a real surinamensis ... it is just restricted to a country where it is both illegal to collect and export fish. Some people have made illegal collecting runs though, but from what I have gathered/read it was mostly german hobbiests that made such runs. So they are just rare on that side of the pond, and ultra uber rare on this side.


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