Heniochus diphreutes or acuminatus?

[haninja]

<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Calling the great panda… ID please.</span>

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[xyzpdq0121]

Wow that is a tough call. It has traits of both. It appears to have the nose of a H. acuminatus as well as the banner of one. The eye marketings and breast plate also looks like a H. acuminatus to me. The back band looks like that of the H. diphreutes but the middle band is the key. On the H. diphreutes it should end at the corner of the anal fin, the one that you have appears to end slightly ahead of it. The trait it seems to share is that of the rear black band marking in the H. diphreutes it normally end at the rear point of the anal fin (like yours does) but in the H. acuminatus it ends slightly above the rear anal fin. Still, my vote is H. acuminatus. The tell tale sign will be when it gets full grown. H. acuminatus gets a few inches larger then H. diphreutes.

Unfortunately, I think you got H. acuminatus which can be a bit destructive to a reef tank.

 

[haninja]

<span style="color: black;">For the life of me I can't tell the difference between him and

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Ok, I am going to reserve the right to change my opinion... (I reserve the right to do that) Take a look at the following pictures. I tried to id it earlier without seeing the two side by side.

Heniochus acuminatus </em>

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Heniochus diphreutes </em>

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In the id books I have it says "The schooling Banner-fish (H. diphreutes) has a more rounded breast, less protruding snout, and <u>the middle black band ends at the corner of the anal fin.</u>" Well that is different then every picture that I see. I am wondering if Scott Michael's book Marine Fish is wrong here. Or if http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/www.fishbase.org">fishbase.org</a> is wrong with their pictures.

I am going out on a limb here and sticking with H. acuminatus.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Sorry for the late post, Hanin. I just found this one. That is a Diphruetes IMO. Telltale anal fine, very rounded breast. Meristically, I could tell too if I had a good look. But, I would guess diphruetes. Which is the reef safer of the two.

 

[kwl1763]

I tend to agree with Jeremy because of the mid stripe and the anal fin but it's a tough call.

 

[haninja]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: black;">Thanks all. I got two more confirmation from RC folks that it is diphreutes. One interesting way of identifying, I was told, was to count the “spines” behind the flag (top fin): 7 = acuminatus 8 = diphreutes.</span>
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[jmaneyapanda]

haninja;190139 wrote: <span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: black;">Thanks all. I got two more confirmation from RC folks that it is diphreutes. One interesting way of identifying, I was told, was to count the “spines” behind the flag (top fin): 7 = acuminatus 8 = diphreutes.</span></span>

Thats the "meristics" I was speaking of.

 

[haninja]

jmaneyapanda;190143 wrote: Thats the "meristics" I was speaking of.

So why didn't you say so :lol2: