Gold datnoid???

[xxblwn408]

Is there such a thing? I went to a lfs and they had small 1/2" dats for 10.99.
they looked like small NGT's or Widebars.
After I took them home and added them into a tank, they do have bars so they are not NGt's. Could they be widebars? I bought 5 of them and got them for 8.00 ea. They had more. Should I go and get them all?

I will try to get pics tonight.

 

[Jesse]

"Gold datnoid" is a term used by wholesalers to describe any datnoid that isn't a silver datnoid, Datnioides quadrifasciatus/polota. Widebars (D. pulcher) and thinbars (D. undecimradiatus) were not described as species until 1998 and 1994, respectively. Until these recent taxonomic revisions, widebars, thinbars, and Indo dats were all classified as D. microlepis, a name that now only applies to Indo dats. Also, NGTs weren't commercially availble in the U.S. until a few years ago. My guess is that your "gold datnoids" are either thinbars or Indos.

 

[xxblwn408]

I have gotten a few thinbars and they do not look the same. The bars are WAY thicker. What is the diffrence between a indo and a wide bar?

 

[phoenixx]

they may be too small but if you can check the tail markings thats usually a good way to id datnoids.

 

[xxblwn408]

I will try to get some good pics later.

 

[Jesse]

I have gotten a few thinbars and they do not look the same. The bars are WAY thicker. What is the diffrence between a indo and a wide bar?

Some Indos have three body bars, some have four, some have three on one side and four on the other. Widebars typically only have three body bars and the middle one has a pronounced backwards sweep and comes to a point at or before the ventral surface. The middle bar on three bar Indos is typically less backward sweeping and does not come to a point before or at the ventral surface. Indos typically have two complete stripes and a bar that either completely or totally crosses the tail. Widebars typically have one complete stripe and a bar that either completely or totally crosses the tail.

 

[Jesse]

Obviously, an Indo dat with 4 body bars is easily distinguishable from a widebar due to the presence of the extra bar. The difficult ones are the Indos with only 3 body bars. Here is an example of a 3-bar Indo dat. Note the two stripes and one bar crossing the tail. In comparison, a widebar would typically, but not always, have only one stripe and one bar crossing the tail. Now looking at the three body bars (the eye bar and tail bars/stripes don't count), note how the middle body bar is not swept backwards like a widebar and doesn't come to a point before or at the ventral (bottom) surface). Also, note how the third body bar isn't "clean" like most widebars, but sort of "blobs" forward at the top and bottom.

 

[xxblwn408]

Have you seen a split bar indo? Because I sat there and caught my own fish and picked all the ones out that had split bars. I am not sure how many bars total.

 

[Jesse]

Have you seen a split bar indo? Because I sat there and caught my own fish and picked all the ones out that had split bars. I am not sure how many bars total.

I have an Indo with 3 bars on one side and 4 on the other. Those are quite common, actually. Split bars are more common among widebars than Indos. Do you have pics?

 

[xxblwn408]

I was going to snap a few lastnight, but as soon as I put them into the tank they hid under a piece of driftwood. They ate some white clouds right out of the bag.
I will post some up later.