The point is one cannot simply look at a fishes lips, shape of head, depth of body, etc, and determine it's genetics. This becomes rather obvious to anyone that has actually taken the time to read the evidence provided in all of the various DNA studies performed to date. So if one is going to question the purity of a Lake Arenal citrinellus, then they should also be prepared to do the same with every single Amphilophus collected in the great lakes, as there are various species, and various morphological differences between different fish, found within the midas complex.
The answer is not all of the cits collected by Rapps etc over the years have been uniform in mouth structure, and/or body shape. I believe that I have seen every photo posted by Jeff, certainly every photo posted here on MFK, as well as later photos supplied by many of his customers, some of them friends of mine. This is precisely why Jeff has always listed the collection location, with cits all collected in the same body of water. These are large lakes, and local variants can differ in shape, as well as color. Some may even be reclassified at a later date, as a new species. This has happened several times, and as posted in one of the papers that I linked to previously, many of those who have spent years studying these fish believe that there will be several more new species of Amphilophus to come out of the great lakes midas complex.
It is idiotic to argue about how one midas doesn't look midas enough to be a midas, when the reality is even fish considered by the experts to be within the midas complex can have various non midas traits, such as elongated heads, fleshy lips, and a compressed/flat body shape. DNA has proven that these fish are not labiatus. Physical characteristics are often largely dependant on what each variant eats and where it hunts in the wild, which can vary from one location to another. If the midas in Lake Arenal live and hunt in rocky locations, this could prove to be why they differ from other fish that have been collected or imported by Rapps, in non rocky locations, and/or that feed on a different primary food source.
Make sense?
The OP, as well as a few others that have chimed in, are complaining because their midas don't look midas enough. I personally find that ridiculous. What next - I got Burned because my midas doesn't have a massive nuchal hump?
If you demand an exact look to your fish, get a photo before you send your money, and buy a semi mature or mature fish with those exact characteristics that you desire.
