Great photos as usual!
To answer your question, IMO, since they come from the same watershed as Escons, Chairel, etc. I can't see how anyone would consider them a distinct race. There may be characteristics that breed true as the result of the limited collection of wild breeding stock (resulting in a limited breeding population in captivity) but that is the case no matter the species.
Also, since it doesn't seem there are enough fully grown adults with which to establish a viable type, any summary judgments about this fish are premature.
All that said, based on the similar fish already in the hobby for some time, it almost a guarantee that these fish will be knock-outs as adults, even if there's nothing dramatically new about them.
