with the gold spangles, almost makes
it appear to be an ocellus. The back is
golden to olive colored.
The unpaired fins are full of red and
metallic blue spangles. The pelvic fin is
lemon yellow, with the longest rays a
deep black color. The anal fin and lower
edge of the caudal fin are edged in black.
The anal fin, in addition to red and blue
spangles, has a pinkish to violet hue, which
sometimes carries into the caudal fin as
well. The top of the caudal fin is bright
red, where in more northerly populations
there would be black spotting, and the top
is outlined in bright blue and white. The
dorsal has a red band running along the
top, outlined in bright blue.
Females are a symphony of contrasting
colors. They have a golden to lemon yellow
head, dorsal fin, and caudal fin, with some
yellow in the anal fin as well. Their flanks
are hard to describe. There is an oval
metallic golden spot (hard to see in the
photos) that is just behind the gill cover
and just above the lateral line. This varies
in intensity depending on the mood of
the fish and what she is doing. It seems
to change regularly, especially when she’s
guarding fry. Below this is a section that is
metallic greenish blue to silver to white to
lavender, which also depends on her mood
and what she is doing, and whether or not
she is courting or guarding fry.
The female’s eyes, like her mate’s, are
bright blue. Finally, the pelvic fins are
over an inch they begin to take on adult
coloration, and by the time the males hit 2
inches, they begin spawning. Females may
begin spawning at just over an inch in size.
Spawns from these miniature females are
small, usually averaging around a dozen
or so fry.
to feed. When you look for her, you’ll see
her peeking through the small opening in
the cave.
She remains in her cave for up to 10
days, when she finally emerges with the
now free-swimming fry. Most of my spawns
have produced 30 to 40 fish, though some
breeders report as many as 80. One reported
150 fry, but that seems to be exceptional.
The female is the quintessential guardian
and parent, as she guards and guides
the fry to new feeding areas throughout
the tank. The male is allowed a role in
guarding the fry, though mom is the one
who signals with jerking movements, the
flashing of her ventral fins, and color
changes. This behavior is fascinating, and
if you are attending the upcoming 2008
ACA Convention (see pp. 118–119), I
recommend you catch Ted Judy’s talk on
this unique female behavior—even if it is
scheduled for nine in the morning! Each
movement and color change seems to mean
something different, and the fry watch her
and follow her every movement for the
first week or so. By the time they reach
3/8 inch, they are beginning to become
more independent and wander farther from
mom’s protective gaze. This is when it is
best to remove either the fry or the other
fish in the tank, which will otherwise begin
picking off the fry one by one.
The fry grow quickly, and by the time
they are about 3/4 of an inch long, they
forage on their own in small groups. At just
The female P. taeniatus “Bandéwouri” is the primary caretaker of the pair’s fry, using color changes and movements to signal when danger approaches.
Appearance
P. taeniatus is not a large fish. Really big
males just barely top 3 inches, and really
big females are about a half an inch smaller,
though most don’t seem to top 2 inches.
Both males and females of the Bandéwouri
variant are stunning. The photos don’t even
begin to do them justice, as the yellows are
even more intense, and the whites, blues,
and reds almost glow—an effect that seems
impossible to capture photographically.
This has to be one of the most beautiful
of all of the P. taeniatus variants. Males are
lemon yellow from the lips to the caudal fin
in the entire area under the lateral stripe. In
addition, there is a brown stripe that runs
across the forehead between the eyes, and
another above that starts just above the
eyes and runs back to the middle of the
dorsal fin base. These brown stripes are
sometimes very visible, and at other times
they virtually disappear.
The eyes are bright blue. There is a
cheek spot that at varying times is deep
black or pale gray. It is outlined with gold
spangles in the front, and a cream to white
spot on the lower section that, together
