I noticed a couple posts looking for sexing of auranti and couldn't find the post I had explaining it last time so I thought I'd repost it .
it's come up often over the years and sexing them in pics is very difficult so at some point I decided to snap a few pic's and explain it here in detail so in the future I can just link people back to this post. Here it is I hope it's helpful!
There are several "tells" for aurantimaculata that can be used to help sex other species in the Aurantimaculata/Gachua/Stewertii complex as well. Color and pattern differences will vary based on locality/species but the differences in shapes described below will be similar across this complex.
First a pair, Male Bottom, Female on top.
Body shape and build :
One trait that is difficult to show in the picture is over all size. Males tend to be shorter bodied with a slim build, while females tend to have longer and bulkier build. Although this alone is not an acurate way of sexing a snakehead because age,diet and care can all effect the growth and build of a fish. Depending on if they are in proper health, overweight or underweight etc. it'll obviously change how they look!
Head Shape
Although present , Head/skull shape this is another difference that's often difficult to spot. Much like body shape overweight/underweight can change or mask these differences.
Males will have a larger head compared to the body with a more arrow shaped skull and a slightly steeper forehead. The base of the skull is wider then the body itself really emphasizing where the name "snakehead" comes from.
Females will have a head that is more proportionate to the body with a with a more rounded shaped skull and a forehead that is less steep creating a slightly blunter nose. The base of the skull is roughly the same girth as the body itself.
Shown here from the side you can see it is a very subtle difference:
Male
Female
Seen from above the difference is more apparent :
And from above:
Male
{PIC TO BE ADDED ASAP, sorry working on a getting clear one without getting bitten in the face !}
Female
{PIC TO BE ADDED ASAP, sorry working on a getting clear one without getting bitten in the face !}
Dorsal Fin
Dorsal fin shape is the one of the more reliable and easier ways of determining gender visually.
Males will have a wider blue band along the top of its dorsal fin with reduced dark striping. They also have a more Arched shaped dorsal fin that tapers down toward the neck and is noticeably longer as you move toward the center of the body. The fin is wider/taller in ratio to the body and extends past the caudal peduncle to overlap the caudal fin.(fancy talk for the tail)
Females have only very narrow blue trim on the top of the dorsal fin and heavier amount of dark striping.They have less of an arch in the fin keeping a consistent length from front to back. The fin is slightly shorter when compared to the width of the body and ends above caudal peduncle and does not overlap caudal fin.
Front of Dorsal fin :
Male
Female
Center of Dorsal Fin :
Male
Female
Rear of dorsal fin :
Male
Female
Full dorsal fin:
Male
Female
it's come up often over the years and sexing them in pics is very difficult so at some point I decided to snap a few pic's and explain it here in detail so in the future I can just link people back to this post. Here it is I hope it's helpful!
There are several "tells" for aurantimaculata that can be used to help sex other species in the Aurantimaculata/Gachua/Stewertii complex as well. Color and pattern differences will vary based on locality/species but the differences in shapes described below will be similar across this complex.
First a pair, Male Bottom, Female on top.
Body shape and build :
One trait that is difficult to show in the picture is over all size. Males tend to be shorter bodied with a slim build, while females tend to have longer and bulkier build. Although this alone is not an acurate way of sexing a snakehead because age,diet and care can all effect the growth and build of a fish. Depending on if they are in proper health, overweight or underweight etc. it'll obviously change how they look!
Head Shape
Although present , Head/skull shape this is another difference that's often difficult to spot. Much like body shape overweight/underweight can change or mask these differences.
Males will have a larger head compared to the body with a more arrow shaped skull and a slightly steeper forehead. The base of the skull is wider then the body itself really emphasizing where the name "snakehead" comes from.
Females will have a head that is more proportionate to the body with a with a more rounded shaped skull and a forehead that is less steep creating a slightly blunter nose. The base of the skull is roughly the same girth as the body itself.
Shown here from the side you can see it is a very subtle difference:
Male
Female
Seen from above the difference is more apparent :
And from above:
Male
{PIC TO BE ADDED ASAP, sorry working on a getting clear one without getting bitten in the face !}
Female
{PIC TO BE ADDED ASAP, sorry working on a getting clear one without getting bitten in the face !}
Dorsal Fin
Dorsal fin shape is the one of the more reliable and easier ways of determining gender visually.
Males will have a wider blue band along the top of its dorsal fin with reduced dark striping. They also have a more Arched shaped dorsal fin that tapers down toward the neck and is noticeably longer as you move toward the center of the body. The fin is wider/taller in ratio to the body and extends past the caudal peduncle to overlap the caudal fin.(fancy talk for the tail)
Females have only very narrow blue trim on the top of the dorsal fin and heavier amount of dark striping.They have less of an arch in the fin keeping a consistent length from front to back. The fin is slightly shorter when compared to the width of the body and ends above caudal peduncle and does not overlap caudal fin.
Front of Dorsal fin :
Male
Female
Center of Dorsal Fin :
Male
Female
Rear of dorsal fin :
Male
Female
Full dorsal fin:
Male
Female
