just got a new tiger, can any bro help ID
- Thread starter skareb
- Start date
Tanzaniae and vittatus are EXTREMELY closely related. In fact, they are so similar that it was only in 1986 that modern science realized that H. tanzaniae was a separate species. The primary difference between these species is range, overall maximum size, behavior and the number of scales between the lateral line and the pelvic fin insertion.
In general, tanzaniae will grow quite a bit larger (though there are exceptions), tanzaniae is an apex predator while vittatus is a mesopredator in most of its range, and while vittatus is found all over sub-equatorial Africa, tanzaniae is found exclusively in eastward flowing rivers in Tanzania, particularly the Rufiji river watershed. Indeed, this is immediately to the north of the northernmost vittatus population. It is fair to think of these fish as being sister species. Think of H. tanzaniae as an H. vittatus doing it's best to be an H. goliath.
All of that being said, I only see two scales between the lateral line and the pelvic fin insertion, which makes this a vittatus.
In general, tanzaniae will grow quite a bit larger (though there are exceptions), tanzaniae is an apex predator while vittatus is a mesopredator in most of its range, and while vittatus is found all over sub-equatorial Africa, tanzaniae is found exclusively in eastward flowing rivers in Tanzania, particularly the Rufiji river watershed. Indeed, this is immediately to the north of the northernmost vittatus population. It is fair to think of these fish as being sister species. Think of H. tanzaniae as an H. vittatus doing it's best to be an H. goliath.
All of that being said, I only see two scales between the lateral line and the pelvic fin insertion, which makes this a vittatus.