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Re: Crosocheilus species
I finally got a look at the three Crossocheilus specimens featured
in Robert's "The Freshwater Fishes of Western Borneo." They are
C. cobitis, C. oblongus, and an undetermined species. The pictures
aren't great; however, C. sp. undet. outwardly resembles a SAE
both from the description and from the photo. It has the sharply
defined zigzag black lateral line extending into the caudal fin
nearly to the end and a single pair of rostral barbels. I cannot
tell whether the back has the reticulated pattern. The specimen
is 50 cm long and obviously young from the large eyes. The author
does not label it C. siamensis; rather, he suggests that it may
be C. oblongus var. nigriloba. The year of publication was 1989.
I wonder which Crossocheilus species, or regional varieties
thereof, the Indonesian wholesalers are shipping. Does this mean
that there could be a SAE look-a-like or subspecies with its own
particular eating habits derived from local conditions going
under the SAE banner? Maybe there is a difference between a
"foxy lady" and an "algae-eating shark."
By the way, the photograph of the specimen of C. cobitis
described by Robert does not entirely resemble that which
appears in Baensch Atlas II under the same name. Anyone
surprised? To be fair, taxonomic features no doubt take
precedence over appearance when it comes to determining species.
--
Dave Whittaker
ac554 at FreeNet_Carleton.ca