Oh no, this
is an interesting thread. The variances of shape and appearance between populations of roughly similar appearing fish has been dealt with before on LOL....well partially.
http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/bo ... short.html
This wasn't on long, lanky Clowns. It is logical to assume that geographically separated life forms of a given species develop separate DNA sequences creating localized differences. The base DNA remains the same, but genetic variances lead to different proportions or whatever.
A classic example is Rift Lake Cichlids. The rock-dwelling cichlids are so dependant on rocky outcrops within the sea-like huge lakes that they will not venture away from their outcrop. This leads to geographically separated population differences even though the "barrier" between the fish is only a perceived one. Therefore, within the hobby, these fish are generally referred to as Latin Name (Bay or island within Lake, i.e. location).
Same with certain species of L-number
Loricarids...you may get
Panaque sp. (or cf) nigrolineatus (Rio Tocantins). Now it is, I guess a fault of the fish collecting trade that they as a business are somewhat less anal about Clown Loaches than us here. This creates a situation where there is no requirement within the hobby for specific location data on the fish we keep. We could create that demand, but........well whatever.
In the past, this forum has had many intellectual discussions on such subjects as Clown Loach noise production and the possibility of local "dialects" which might mean one group might not accept an individual from another area. Differences in populations of
modestas which in my own case I have seen yellow finned ones totally ignored by red finned ones. There is
as has been pointed out before a wealth of past experience within the LOL community. Just because you don't see it in this thread, doesn't mean that there aren't intellects out there.
I agree that long-term studies on any subject are better than jumping to conclusions. Experience on this forum has allowed a group of us to build up a wealth of knowledge on differentiating between honest inquizitiveness and inflamitory twisting of a thread to create an effect.
We are all absolutely able to identify DNA sequencing that points to one or more sub-species of
Ichthyoforum trollidensis. Most examples of this species aren't actually 'dense' at all.....nor particularly 'deep' either. They just relate to others in an unnaceptable fashion.
People come here for help and advice, not confrontation. That is the one twist of the Troll DNA that is unmistakable. Refusal to take other's knowledge and meld it with your own is a somewhat illogical act when you should be trying to improve your fish's lot. If that's genuinely what you're here for?
The best threads on LOL over the years have been the ones that morph into a deep discussion on a subject. The worst are those that get hijacked and used as a tool to create dissent. There can be no discussion without opposing views. How one deals with the opposition and finds some middle ground or a sensible conclusion is what marks an intellectual discussion in my opinion.
I'm not sure about "Intelligent Design" being of any relevance here, but it has about as much certainty as Gravity. Yesterday I tested gravity. Fell 12 feet and sprained my ankle.....I have a bump on my head. It hurt. This much I know is true......yet even gravity has those who would question it's true nature.....
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39512
Holy sh*t!
Mike, just be nice, or go play with the traffic on the freeway.
Martin.