Finally....a pair of Spotted Gar

[Sarcosuchus]

I've never heard that and as far as I know there are no physical differences. More than likely they are Floridas though.

They are physical differences. And this one I read on several articles on Spotted Gars, to differentiate it from others, Spotted Gars have scaled throat. The articles on Gar fish can't be bull**** can they? Perhaps...but that's what I read on more than a single article, while Florida Gar's throat is plain skin, Spotted Gar's is still with scales. I am yet to see a Spotted Gar and to check it for myself though. Perhaps those who have it can clear this up.

 

[Sarcosuchus]

Hmm, this picture is said to be a picture of the Spotted Gar. We don't see any ganoid scaled throat do we?

*Speaks in Darth Vader's voice*..Articles, you have failed me..*khhoo*

 

[Polypterus]

Zarics fish are Florida given the body proportions..A spotted would be a bit different at the size listed. There are morphologic differences between Spotted and Florida gars that are clearly observable in different age and size classes of fish. Solomon (E_americanus) and I have personally went over at least 50 preserved and 25 live known specimens of both species and documented them down to the millimeter. No where though have I noticed any thing like you are suggesting Sarcho..Hell we could not even find the famed "bony plate on the isthmus" for that matter..If this plate is there it eluded us, so really it is pointless to use as a ID method for hobby use. What does work however is the body proportions of a given fish at a known length. Unfortunately this is not easy to teach someone and there is no easy trick to it.

 

[zaric]

Zarics fish are Florida given the body proportions..A spotted would be a bit different at the size listed. There are morphologic differences between Spotted and Florida gars that are clearly observable in different age and size classes of fish. Solomon (E_americanus) and I have personally went over at least 50 preserved and 25 live known specimens of both species and documented them down to the millimeter. No where though have I noticed any thing like you are suggesting Sarcho..Hell we could not even find the famed "bony plate on the isthmus" for that matter..If this plate is there it eluded us, so really it is pointless to use as a ID method for hobby use. What does work however is the body proportions of a given fish at a known length. Unfortunately this is not easy to teach someone and there is no easy trick to it.

Haha...... the topic here has become more and more interesting
Btw, thanks Polypterus

 

[Sarcosuchus]

Thanks Polypterus. Sorry Zaric, it looks like those articles are wrong I see...Sometimes I see a Spotted Gar's spots are a typical roundish spots while a Florida's aren't so. The dorsal / top of Florida Gar's body seem to have triple rows of spots while a Spotted Gar's with a double, big typically roundish spots. But all these seem to be individual characteristic than a genuine characteristic of the species. They seem to vary..

Polypterus and E-Americanus or either one of them have said that a Florida GAr's snout appears to be longer than a Spotted Gar's at a younge age, however go the other way around as they mature. Still if I'm not mistaken, they themselves have said it not to be a precise difference...hmm. We need Spotted Gar owners posting pictures, maybe that can do something for us although we know Poly and E-Americanus have done their personal research. But I do feel your Gars are Floridas and they are beautiful.

 

[Polypterus]

We need Spotted Gar owners posting pictures

Big problem is there seems to be no Spotteds in the hobby right now or they are just not noticed or have been hybridized beyond recognition. Really I have not seen a true spotted at an LFS or posted on a fish board in a few years now. There are one or two that sneak past but it is more often than not that even these fish suspected to be spotteds turn out to be Flordias as updates are available from the owners. As odd as it seems these very abundant fish are just not in circulation. There is no real aquaculture facility that deals with them. There are a few in asia but these fish do not reach our shores in North America with any frequency and those being aquacultured here are pretty much only Longnosed, shortnosed and flordias. Alligators are a very ocassional fish as well. Spotteds..... well they are just not even looked at..

 

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