# it is altuvie or compressus ???



## Altuvie631 (Jul 7, 2005)

thanks


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## dutchfrompredator (Sep 26, 2004)

i'm no expert, but i say altuvei. he looks just like mine. i think compressus have spots over the lateral line and altuvei have bar-like blotches like yours. i think that's how it goes.


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## Altuvie631 (Jul 7, 2005)

because some guy who said he was a professional said that was an compressus but i bought it as an altuvie so i just wanna comfirm

thanks


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## bmpower007 (Feb 11, 2005)

compressus


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## Altuvie631 (Jul 7, 2005)

ok 2 different awnser so i need to know why its a compressus


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## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

Altuvie631 said:


> ok 2 different awnser so i need to know why its a compressus
> [snapback]1173493[/snapback]​


because the bars extend below he lateral line, makes it most likely compessus









moved to species id forum


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## bmpower007 (Feb 11, 2005)

Here are some pics of the 2


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## Altuvie631 (Jul 7, 2005)

so that mean the seller dosnt know what is doing or what


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## bmpower007 (Feb 11, 2005)

They look very alike maybe he got confused.


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## Altuvie631 (Jul 7, 2005)

yeah probably because when i got im he was a lot smaller now hes 6 inches and i got him at 4 inches


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## Altuvie631 (Jul 7, 2005)

but are they approx of the same valu ???


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## dutchfrompredator (Sep 26, 2004)

i'm still saying altuvei b/c i've had frank and george tell me i have an altuvei and it's identical to yours so there!


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## Altuvie631 (Jul 7, 2005)

thanks mee too now i believe thats an altuvie i did some research online and find some pics and they look like mind so i think thats an altuvie but you know i can be wrong and by the way dutchfrompredator can you post a pic of your ???


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## dutchfrompredator (Sep 26, 2004)

i can't find anything current. if you go to my gallery there's one or two, or better yet, you could search in piranha i.d. and find the thread i started asking what mine was.


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## Altuvie631 (Jul 7, 2005)

thats yours


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## dutchfrompredator (Sep 26, 2004)

whoops, is that last photo the same fish? now i think he looks different than mine. confusion is now setting in.


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## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

Here is some info pasted in from opefe, I will bold some other points of why I think it is compressus.

Compressus info from Opefe


> *Both S. compressus and S. altuvei look similar in body shape and color pattern, but the measurements for each separates them though it is subtle. S. compressus is more concave in profile in the supra-orbital region (back area) and more convex posterior to the supra-occiptial spine (just before the dorsal spine) than S. altuvei. S. compressus has a more robust snout laterally than S. altuvei. The ventral profile of the belly of many specimens of S. compressus ventrally protrudes to a greater extent anteriorly than S. altuvei. All these features are more pronounced in juveniles than adults.* (FINK et al. 2001). Neither S. altuvei or S. compressus are common species. S. altuvei (Venezuela) is restricted to clear waters of the Venezuela Llanos. It is rare in collections and apparently rare in the wild. S. compressus (as noted by Jegu) is apparently restricted to the Rio Madiera and its tributaries. Likewise is considered rare and collected with great effort. (FINK et al. 2001). 5 inch specimen shown above (left). Photo by Jose Romero of his aquarium specimen.


opefe altuvi fish info


> S. altuvei (photo of juvenile at left) was originally described in Evencias (Ramirez 1965) with no photograph other than a drawing of the species. Examples were moved to an aquaculture station in Caracas where many were lost or damaged due to neglect. One paratype of S. altuvei was salvaged by curators of MBUCV. Fink and Machado-Allison were able to obtain samples not only of S. altuvei, but also two other similar species placed as S. compressus (Jégu and Dos Santos) and S. hastatus, a new species (Fink and Machado-Allison 2001). Both S. altuvei and S. compressus are very similar in body shape and coloration, but there are morphometric differences between them. Some large adult S. altuvei have faint dorsoventrally extended spots forming short vertical stripes, but these are shorter and much less numerous than the vertical stripes of S. hastatus which is dissimilar to the other two. In comparison, there are other subtle differences from morphometric counts which help aid in separation. *The dorsal profile , which in S. compressus is more concave in the supraorbital (behind head) region and more convex posterior to the supraoccipital spine (top area in front of dorsal fin) than S. altuvei. The ventral profile of the belly of many specimens of S. compressus ventrally protrudes to a greater extent anteriorly (body wider) than S. altuvei. *All of these features are more pronounced in juveniles than in adults. Juvenile pigmentation patterns also separate Serrasalmus compressus and S. altuvei. *Young S. compressus have larger and denser spots that extend more fully over the ventral body and belly than in S. altuvei, where spotting is sparse below the lateral midline.*


Basically what I bolded, makes me belive your fish is S. compressus, it matches the desciption, the two species look very much alike, probually worth the same amount of $$$.

Most people whom own either fish, are actually disappointed because they bought them as rhoms.



> i'm still saying altuvei b/c i've had frank and george tell me i have an altuvei and it's identical to yours so there!


Now if you purchased your fish from George I would take his word for it, that is easy, altuvie is restricted to a small stretch of water near venezuala, that is it, compressus is more widespread, if you buy from George fear most of the time he knows collection point, and that is the most accurate way to know for sure....

But Im convinced the fish in this thread is compressus, sure they look alike, but I see nothing to make me think altuvie, does not match up, if you look at more then body shape etc...


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## Altuvie631 (Jul 7, 2005)

thanks for the nice info guys and thanks for youresearch mashunter


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## theanimedude (Jun 4, 2005)

the snout definitly looks like a compressus.


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## deezdrama (Jul 9, 2005)

That was a pic of my fish that I believe is an altuvei but that pic was at a wierd angle and doesnt even look like my fish. I definatelly think yours is an altuvei and I think mine is too, they just dont look like compressus's to me.


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## deezdrama (Jul 9, 2005)

you cant really see the bars on his back in these pics but they look like your fish's bars.


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## Fomoris (Mar 13, 2005)

It's a S. compressus for sure


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## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

> That was a pic of my fish that I believe is an altuvei but that pic was at a wierd angle and doesnt even look like my fish. I definatelly think yours is an altuvei and I think mine is too, they just dont look like compressus's to me.





> deezdrama Posted Today, 01:26 AM
> you cant really see the bars on his back in these pics but they look like your fish's bars.


why dont they look like compressus??? From what I can see in the pictures, it clearly matches compressus according to opefe web page. Thats my best guess, from the way the pictures are. The bars alone are pretty clear enough, defenitely more concave.

I went up and down with Frank learning this species way back when, even went as far as to send him video tape, he agreed to view for me of two species side by side.

Usually if Frank doesnt reply to these the pictures arent good enough, or he feels the right answer has been given. I could be wrong, i see he is back from vacation, I would shot him a pm for the best accurate guess


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## deezdrama (Jul 9, 2005)

So you guys think my and Altuvie631's fish are both compress's? The picks of the 4 compressus in the species info section just look ugly and weird looking- they look nothing like my fish to me.

Heres a pic of compressus species- they all look strange to me- even the altuvei pick


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## deezdrama (Jul 9, 2005)

this pic of an altuvei just looks more like our fish to me


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## devil (May 19, 2005)

s. compressus


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## theanimedude (Jun 4, 2005)

the bars, the snout, the compressed body...it's a compressus....its more rare and its beter than an altuvie.....it hink....i just know that the value is higher...?


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## Rikimaru (May 3, 2004)

i go with compressus based on the bars.

cheers


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

theanimedude said:


> its more rare and its beter than an altuvie[snapback]1190796[/snapback]​


I think S. altuvei is more rare than S. compressus, in captivity and probably in the wild as well.
Do you have any idea where that fish comes from? Altuvei inhabits the Llanos (Venezuela), and to the best of my knowledge is found nowhere else.

One more thing that I read tells the two species apart is that with Altuvei the pattern on the flanks extends below the lateral line to a much lesser degree than with S. compressus.

My guess for this fish would be S. compressus.


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