# Sold as Otopharynx lithobates, but need to confirm ID please



## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

The fish pictured below were sold as Otopharynx lithobates, last May. I see that they look like it, but at the same time they don't look like Otopharynx lithobates, if you understand me... Could they be another variant instead of Zimbawe Rock? or perhaps a totally different species? Maybe I need to wait until they grow full size? They were really small when I bought them and have grown a lot in the last 9 months. I will post pitcures of them little first, the day I brought them, and then their current size from two weeks ago and last night.

As you can see, the blue one grew much faster and colored up very nicely. On the other hand, the grayish one also grew pretty fast but at a slower rate than the blue one, I'm not sure if it's a female or it's just taking longer to color up.



































































































































































Thanks in advance.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

The bottom pics looks kind of like a sulfur head hap...Protomelas spilonotus...


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

13razorbackfan said:


> The bottom pics looks kind of like a sulfur head hap...Protomelas spilonotus...


+1

The head is far to rounded for Otopharynx lithobates, both look much more like Protomelas to me.


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Thanks! I looked at some pics of Protomelas spilonotus and some of them really look like my fish. As far as the silver one I guess she's a female? Although it reflects a bright green/sky blue on his or her face sometimes, as you can see on picture #5.


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## irresponsiblefishkeeper (Mar 2, 2012)

i believe these are hybrids of some sort, i have a breeding pair that looks identical to these. spilonotus generally do not develop the yellow blaze on there head until they are several inches long and also have a taller less streamlined body shape. i believe these are a hybrid between a red empress and a lithobates.
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## Anthraxx8500 (Feb 11, 2011)

indeed perhaps not hybrids but very unlikely to be a true lithobate. GL iding it. either way looks like a pretty fish.


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Thanks. I'm a little disappointed to find out that they are really not what I thought they were, and now I'm not even sure what they are. They are still pretty, though...


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