From Ken Davis, fully colored up. Very happy with them. Very charismatic fish, both individuals of the pair dance a lot, female is very personable. Love their behaviors, they like rearranging the tank a lot. Fun to watch a 1.5" fish pushing a leaf around that's 4 times her size or violently shaking to dig out a little nest. Male does his part too and is about twice her size. Not as colorful. I know this locale was known as HRPs for awhile, and while I can see that, I'd consider coining the term Honduran orange points for them. The male has blue fins but does not have the typical/customary iridescent blue body scales. The red hues on his fins appear more of an orange color as well. With this locale I've noticed their fins are very angular, their tails have a more rectangular and jagged shape as opposed to the traditional danli/almendros HRP's smooth rounded finnage. Their mating dances are very tight and fast as opposed to the more slow/smooth/loose mating dances I've seen in aquarium strain convicts or other (taller bodied) amatitlania species. Per usual for Honduran nigrofasciata locales that I've noticed, they have long, (heightwise) short, essentially streamlined bodies, and short dorsal spines. Interestingly, the female is getting what looks like a small nuchal hump. I have also noticed, unlike other locales that I've seen, especially contrasting Costa Rican locales, their gill membranes are very exaggerated, they almost look like bettas when they flare. The orange patch on the female also takes on more of the dotted pattern that appears over the stripes as opposed to the typical blotchy orange that appears under the stripes that you see in tank strain convicts or danli HRP's. Very reminiscent of the dotted gold patches on females of a.n.siquia locales around the nicoya peninsula, in spite of Rio mongo being significantly further north and on the opposite coast.
Also forgot to mention, like the nicoya peninsula siquia locales, the female also has a territorial color phase where her body will darken to the color of her stripes making her appear almost black or completely grey, only leaving the colorful patches, which also intensify. My favorite color phase to see. Really nice to see with the teals and oranges as opposed to yellows and blues. I only see this color phase when introducing another female of the same or a similar species to the tank or when the hierarchy of the tank has been thrown off and new territories are being formed. The picture worthy courting coloration you know most female convicts by (which mine is in right now, as seen in the picture above) usually follows this.
Here's a good example of what I mean, but on a lagarto (costa rica) female:
Wow those are good looking fish. Have been looking for something to breed in a 40 breeder and have considered the HRP's. That is a nice variety. Would like some info about your source if that's OK.
Finally got eggs yesterday:
And finally today, the female is showing her breeding dress and I have to say, this has to be the most gorgeous breeding dress I've seen of any true convict yet
