types of convicts

[importracer]

In 2001, Robert Allgayer erected the genus Cryptoheros. The fish below make up this new group.

Convicts:
---Hondurian Red Point..said to be more colorful, more peaceful,discovered in 1989
---C.nigrofasciatus..."Common Convict," black/blue/albino types

Convict-like:
---C.septemfasciatus..."Copper Cichlid"
---C.spilurus...
---C.nanoluteus...
---C.sajica...Stunning change of colors when breeding...

 

[Jason_S]

we won't know about the Honduran red point for some time. there is more dna testing and other testing to be done to determine if they area separate secies or not. as of now, Juan Miguel considers them to be a color morph of C. nigrofasciatus but there are seveal other experts who disagree. Rusty Wessel for instance told me he doesn't believe they are the same species. He said if they are a color morph of any species it would be C. nanoluteus in his opinion. we'll have to wait and see for sure. Personally I consider them a separate species because there are so many differences between the honduran red point and the normal convict.

as for blue convicts, there is a naturally occuring blue morph of C. nigrofasciatus but it is not all that common in the hobby. as of now I only know of Jeff Rapps and cjexotics that sell them. this morph comes from the Rio Mongo. there are also "blue convicts" that are produced in fish farms where the honduran red point has been crossed with normal striped convicts. this was done because while the HRP is so very colorful, their spawns are very small compared to that of a normal convict. so the 2 were crossed to produce a fish with at least some of the color of the HRP but the reproductive capabilities of the normal convict.

as for color morphs, there is the normal striped convict, the rio mongo blue convict, Pink (not albino) convicts and then the marbled/calico convict. I am not aware of any other color morphs and I have never seen a true albino convict neither in person nor in a picture.

 

[MarlboroMan]

Very intresting read everybody.