Anybody here?

Moderator Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 548

Is there anybody still here?

It seems that this forum has kind of died and been overtaken by other forum elsewhere?

If anyone is still here, I am looking for photos of Limia for an article, if anyone has some, can they PM me.

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:46 am

I still check in here periodically. It is a shame that so little is going on here as this was, in my opinion, the premier site for serious discussions of Goodeids and related fish.

I have a few photos of Limia but am limited as to what I can email due to the slow connection I enjoy. Small files and rather low resolution photos is the rule.

Allen

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:31 am

I come here at least daily but the date at the top of the list of new posts had not changed in a month before your post. I can try to get some pictures of P. melanogaster and P. perugia. Those are the only ones that I have in my tanks and I only have fry pictures of the perugia right now. Will need to wait a few days because I am moving tanks around right now and the Limia are in tanks on the floor temporarily.

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:13 am

I still check here periodically. I don't know why. Habit I guess.

I did a domain search for Limia.com and found that the name was already taken but it doesn't resolve to anything related to fish. Where do all the people interested in Limia hang out online?

Joel

Moderator Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 548

Hey Joel,

No idea where the people who are interested in Limia hang out, we could start our own website!!!!

My investigations have taken me via a few ichthyologists and I was told today that Limia fuscomaculata, miragoaensis, garnieri and immaculata are not valid species; it is certainly news to me!!! I have asked for some more guidance on how they have come to not be valid, but have not had a reply yet.

I seem to recall someone did an excellent article on Limia melanonotata / perugiae; but I cannot find it - does anyone have any ideas?

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:57 pm

Hey Duncan,

The four species you listed above appear to still be valid according to fishbase.org (I realize that doesn't mean much, but it is something).

I do not recall running across the article you mention. I believe I would have remembered it because many people have questioned whether melanonotata and perugiae are actually different species. I have heard a lot of people express their opinion over the years, but have never seen a valid study.

It appears to me that the relationship between the academics and hobbyists interested in Limia is even worse than the relationship between those interested in Goodieds. I have heard stories of some nasty rivalries that occurred before I became interested in Limia. Perhaps that is one reason why some of the academics seem to have some of the more uncommon species yet they don't find their way into even the serious hobbyists hands very often. At least that is my impression of the situation here in the US.

If you run across any information that you are not constrained from sharing, I would appreciate hearing about it. I'm sure that Allen and a couple of others would as well.

Best regards,

Joel

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:50 pm

I have been reading lately that Limia have been reclassified, as a group, to Poecilia. I don't really know which one is right but the source that told me that is usually quite reliable. I go on the ALA site most often if I want to discuss livebearers, in general. Limia are, of course, livebearers. I also visit the BLA site but it is not much more busy than this forum is. I also spend time each day on the tropical fish forum in the livebearer area, but they are far from a specialist site.

Moderator Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 548

Hey Oldman!!

I don't know about it being reclassified to Poecilia. Of course it was originally Poecilia and has been in and out of the Poecilia genus often over the last few years.

I guess it all depends on who or what you are talking to as to who is right or wrong - I know that many Limias were originally described many years ago from very few specimen and some have never been seen since.

The BLA site is a slow burn at the moment, I am sure it will build over time but it has only been going for a month or so.

Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:19 am

I don't get too excited about name changes. If a fish is interesting under one name, it is just as interesting under another.

As to Limia fuscomaculata, miragoaensis, garnieri and immaculata are they not valid species because of inadequate description or publication or because they are synonymous with other species?

I keep both melanonotata and perugiae and will continue to keep them separate. Who knows, the next expert will split them and I will have two species instead of one.

I am not aware of others in this country who keep very many Limia species except Joel and I. I have never understood why. They are a cool fish.

I was in the lab of Dr. Alex Cruz at the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder a couple of years ago and he maintains a number of species. Unfortunately, nothing that I did not have at the time. Greg Sage has recently started to maintain that lab. I will talk to him this evening and see what is going on there.

Allen

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:07 am

I can agree with you that my Limia are very nice fish AWW. I have no idea why so few of us seem to keep them in this country. I still have far more different kinds of goodeid than I do of Limias though. My melanogasters and perugia are all that I presently have but I would not hesitate to try others if the opportunity presented itself.

Moderator Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 548

Well, I have just picked up 10x Limia zonata again at the BLA auction in October so I am trying to breed them such that I can bring them over next April.

I also have another 6 or 7 species including melanogaster with collection data, grossidens, tridens, melanogaster AS, sp tiger.

Over the last year or so, I have grown more interested in the Poeciliids rather than the Goodeids.

I have managed to get around 100 fry from a Brachyraphis olomina yesterday!!!

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:30 am

I currently have caymanensis, perugiae, melanogaster, melanonotata, sp. Tiger, sulphurophila and tridens. Some with collection data, some without.

Duncan, if you are coming to Detroit, I think I will start my begging for Allotoca zacapuensis right now. If Gary Randall is still breeding these, I would love to buy or trade for a group of six or eight.

Joel

Moderator Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 548

Hey Joel,

It is booked in my diary already. I think I will try and get to the ALA convention every two years now.

I will speak to Gary re zacapuensis, I have a pair at the moment. I will be glad to bring some over if he has them, I know he wants goslinei and I would be keen to get my hands on sulphurophila again...

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 9:36 am

Hey Duncan,

I have lots of Allotoca goslinei and tons of Limia sulphurophila. I would be extremely happy if you would accept some.

Joel

Moderator Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 548

Well we still have 6 months or so, but lets try and work out a really useful trade between us. It would be good to organise something where we can get the species we have established on each side of the Atlantic passed between us.

Some Limia sulphurophila and goslinei would be very much appreciated and I am sure we will be able to organise some zonata (sexed this time!!!) and zacapuensis in exchange - which would be a good start.

Maybe you should let me have your wanted lists and I can get busy with seeing who has them. We can then do the same. Obviously alot can happen in 6 months, but we can see how we get on.

At least we can still use this (once) fantastic forum for something worthwhile.