Synispilum or Melanarus?

[fishman09]

ive heard that synispilum are now melanarus and ive also heard they are two different fish. from what ive seen they have a very similar pattern but have some different colors. let me know what you know or have heard regarding the subject and post pics if youve got them so we can compare. thanks. also what genus are they considered to be veija or paratheraps?

 

[nutty]

http://leecichlids.blogspot.com/2011/11/paratheraps-synspilus-or-not-that-is.html

http://www.cichlidae.com/gallery/species.php?id=235

 

[cavamart]

I've worked with a couple varieties of both Paratheraps Melanurum and Synspilum over the years and I see too many body, feeding and breeding differences to call them the same fish. I'm not here to debate the new naming, just want to provide a couple pictures.
Peten Melanurum


Regular and spotted Synspilum

 

[clekchau]

melenarus always seems noticibly darker to me in all the pictures i've seen

 

[buddha1200]

Have to agree with cavemart,i have had both and i see to many differences to call them the same,as far i am am concerned i will always call them separate.
Hell in a couple more years when someone gets bored they will put them separate again or in another category

 

[Madness]

Agree. When I heard from Juan that the 2 are now one. What. They are so totally different in color. But that doesnt mean that they are not the same fish. We have different color variants of Dovii, Freddies, Zonatums, Devils/Midas, Black belts, Convicts, and the list can go on. So maybe they are the same, just a different color variant.

Dont get me wrong, I agree they are noticeably different, and I personally love the Melanarus more.

 

[jiant2520]

I got this guy from Rapps as a Melenurus, but to me and most everyone else it looks synspillum?? I agree though they look pretty different.

 

[virgil2090]

they seem to have a variety of color/patterns to begin with,which adds to the confusion,my male was sold to me as syns

 

[smitty03281964]

I always felt they looked different not by much. But it was always a consistent difference. The one Anthony posted as soon as I looked at him I thought Melenarus or a crossed fish but not a Synspilum.

 

[jiant2520]

I always felt they looked different not by much. But it was always a consistent difference. The one Anthony posted as soon as I looked at him I thought Melenarus or a crossed fish but not a Synspilum.

When I ordered him from Rapps I thought I was getting the one with lots of orange, like the ones cavamart posted here... I should have asked, but I did not. I like them both, but to me Melenurus had lots more orange and Synspillum did not?? Anyway, your the exception as most everyone else thought mine was Synspillum when I first posted him as Melenurus... everyone was correcting me, lol.