Seems like there is always a lot of confusion on these species:
Nannostomus trifasciatus (three line pencilfish)
Nannostomus erthrurus (black three line pencilfish)
Nannostomus marginatus (dwarf pencilfish)
Nannostomus sp. (dwarf golden pencilfish)
I was looking at Tropical Fish Collection Vol 2, trifasciatus can have red marking on body, like the pic you posted. These variation in the red marketings are due to collection from different regions in South America.
The black three line pencilfish does not have red marking on the body at all.
N. marginatus is often passed of as the three line pencilfish in the local LFS, but can be easily identified by the lack of red markings on the tail and a thin red strip on it's body. The dwarf golden pencilfish has similar markings with marginatus, except the gold coloration is pronounced.
In addition to the above, there is a lot of interbreeding amongst the species that result is even more confusing physical features.
![](http://benny.clubsnap.org/gallery/albums/album08/aac.jpg)
This is suppose to be a 3 line pencil, but the body shape is that of the marginatus, with the characteristic red marking that's attached the black stripe, unlike the trifasciatus, which is separated. In addition, trifasciatus/erythrurus does not have a thin black line/trim on the dorsal fin, although they have the red markings on the tail.
Confusing...
Cheers
I have dwarf cichlids in my tanks! Do you?
Bookmarks