A. Compressiceps, or A. Calvus?

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SKAustin

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 6, 2006
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So i introduce my A. Compressiceps, to which i recieve the following reply:

Ash said:
hmm yah I have trouble on that I am pretty sure its calvus not comp. but I see so much on the internet calling that fish an Altolamprologus Calvus and Altolamprologus Compressiceps that I wonder if they are the same thing. When I go to lfs and look in books they always call it a Altolamprologs Calvus or just Calvus. Anyone wanna clarify that for me b/c I am retarded?
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Which now leaves question in my mind as the two are so very similar. At this time, I still believe this to be A. Compressiceps as it was purchased as such from a reputable LFS who employs a woman who also works for a Tanganyikan Cichlid Breeder. I have 2 A. Compressiceps and 4 A. Calvus, and though the appearances are strikingly similar, their behaviors are considerably different. But for the record, I wanted to get some opinions of others here at MFK.

A. Compressiceps, or A. Calvus?
 
yah I dont know to much about them i just kinda looked it up and they looked the same to me which is why I was wondering o__o
 
yah lol i didnt even noitce it was moved. well hopefull someone will help us out =)
 
Ive posted the same question on a few other forums as well, but i think the biggest restriction to a concise answer will be the fact that this is just a juvenile. Most of the physical characteristics that seperate the two cannot be seen yet. Who knows, maybe we'll have to wait a year before we know for sure.
 
looks like a compressiceps to me. Looks like it might be a yellow. it will take some time before it's decent size. damn things grow too slow. doesn't stop it from being one of my all time favorite fish though.
 
I have established one of the few discerning factors between A. Calvus and A. Compressiceps (not sure why i didnt know this one before). A Compressiceps has scales on its forehead whereas A. Calvus has only 9 rows of scales preceeding its dorsal fin. It is Visible, though difficult to see in the photo that the Fish in question does in fact have scales on it's forehead. They begin at the first stripe and appear to be about 15-18 rows of scales preceeding the Dorsal Fin.

scales.jpg
 
There are three different sp. of Altolamprologus, A. calvus, A. compressiceps, and A. fasciatus. A. calvus and A. compressiceps are similar in appearence but they aren't to hard to distinguish from each other. A. compressiceps tends to be more deep bodied than the A. clavus. Also they tend to have more of an arched forehead than A. calvus. Most A. compressiceps tend not to have the spotting on the side of the body where A. calvus does.
The fish you have is a calvus for sure. Which kind can be harder to establish cause they will lighten or darken depending on the surroundings in which they are kept. If I had to guess which type you would have I would say a yellow calvus.

Here is a profile and pics of a yellow calvus and the second is of an A. compressiceps.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1579
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1581
 
Honda12 said:
The fish you have is a calvus for sure.
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Still not convinced. Especially after looking at the links. I have two yellow calvus. This is not one of them. Again, the Scales on the forehead lead me to believe that this is a Comp, as does the slope of his forehead in comparison with the Calvus (sadly, that is not visible in the photo). Again remember that this is a juvenile specimen. As for the spots, My other one had spots, but they have since faded and are no longer visible.
 
I don't know I have kept all three sp. before and have kept a lot of different varients. IMO it still think it is a calvus, but I still maybe wrong. Just my 2 cents on it. You have a lot of good reasons but body shape and everything IMO just leans towards a calvus. Guess the only real way to find out it just to let it grow.
 
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