Sexing Red Tiger Severum

[Goggy]

Is it possible to sex these guys according to body shape and patterns? I believe I can sex them through facial features?

I really hope they are opposite genders, would like some help.

They are very large and fish 1 is significantly smaller than fish 2. Both fish have grown very little in the last year. because of this, I think they are grown adults

Fish 1


Fish 2 (I believe male)

 

[ryansmith83]

The two in the photos are likely male.

Heros severus is unusual among Heros because the females can also show intricate striations and spotting on their faces the way that males do. Females are also large fish.

Once spawning starts, the female will lose her facial pattern and her face and gills will turn a solid dark emerald color.

In some catch locations of severus, the females tend to have solid faces all the time and are easy to identify. But in my original group from Curare in Venezuela, I could not tell the difference until they spawned. Initially they all looked male.

One slight difference that I noticed is that the females’ facial patterning was often more red in color and would lighten and almost disappear sometimes, while males’ facial patterning was often a dark red/maroon and stays constant; it doesn’t lighten or go away.