ID my new gar

[mercury904]

As for what I can see it may be a long nosed gar,but for this stage looks can be decieving,I haven't had a gar this small,Can you help me ID my new gar?my LFS aren't so sure too,coz here all gars aren't well labelled except for the alligator gar that is well manifested by its broad snout,thanx!

 

[Polypterus]

First impressions tell me longnosed...How big is it??

 

[mercury904]

First impressions tell me longnosed...How big is it??

4 inched

 

[Polypterus]

Definitely a longnosed in that case...

 

[mercury904]

I wish this one is Lepisosteus osseus,coz the shortnosed gars are very common here

 

[demjor19]

I wish this one is Lepisosteus osseus,coz the shortnosed gars are very common here

it is L. Osseus.

 

[E_americanus]

please keep us updated as the fish continues to grow...it's often difficult to tell for sure at this size, but i would lean towards longnose as well. at the same time, the snout doesn't seem obviously longnose quite yet, and at this size there is a chance it could be a shortnose.

i'm not sure how the seasonal availability of gars works where you are in the philipines, but both small longnoses and shortnoses are currently in season here in the US, so that adds to the questionability.

also compare to photos of a young shortnose i had several years ago:

snout and patterning are similar...again, i think it will become much more obvious what the fish is as it puts on another few inches (richard and i always have fun with this stuff ) --
--solomon

 

[mercury904]

please keep us updated as the fish continues to grow...it's often difficult to tell for sure at this size, but i would lean towards longnose as well. at the same time, the snout doesn't seem obviously longnose quite yet, and at this size there is a chance it could be a shortnose.

i'm not sure how the seasonal availability of gars works where you are in the philipines, but both small longnoses and shortnoses are currently in season here in the US, so that adds to the questionability.

also compare to photos of a young shortnose i had several years ago:

snout and patterning are similar...again, i think it will become much more obvious what the fish is as it puts on another few inches (richard and i always have fun with this stuff ) --
--solomon

so this pic is a young shortnosed gar?

 

[demjor19]

man! i thought he was osseus for sure! this one could go either way i guess. he does look similar to the photo solomon provided though...

 

[Polypterus]

Definitely a longnosed in that case...

I have to retract this...(it is what I get for early morning posting)...I'm not so sure I would again use the word 'definitely'....Give this one an inch of growth and it will be more clear...