P deissneri?

Hi Paul.
🙂 i hate to be like this :). But its really impossible to say from this video. You need to get him in a full flashing position – at least for mé to tell.
I am not sure, I have before been too quick to give an opinion :), but I used to have a male of The Real deissneri and he could look like this. But its not very far from some of The other species such as p. Sentang, p, ‘blue Line’ and maybe others. One of the characteristics which for me would be certain would be how the line in The caudal fin is, is it a broad band or more like drops of white ? And is The tail really pointed with this small spike or does it just look so when its a little folded as it is in the video. It should be there also when he is flashing 🙂
You might have a look at the video which I have posted here in https://www.parosphromenus-project.org/en/forum/15-Scene/1161-Køge-Aquarium-messe-2012–Aquarium-fair-Copenhagen.html

In The middle of this film, although its dark and maybe not so good, but there you can see my male deissneri – maybe it can help some

I would also say as Peter (and I am not as much specialist as he) but still, that it looks really like spec. sentang.

I will post a few images of mine, – they look really very much like yours

You will find a page dedicated to P.spec. sentang under the menu ‘Other forms’ – however, we have not yet filled it out with text. But you can find a few images there. We are gathering as much information as we can about not only this, but all those other spec. forms that you can see in the menu ‘other forms’
All I can say, is that it is one of the yet not completely described species, – and this would be the reason why it is called spec. There are quite a number of different forms which have not been described yet,- and this is one of them.
I am not sure where it is mainly found, but I am sure Peter can tell you more about this.

As the movies of Paul are regarded you can say nothing. They are too bad. You even cannot tell about the structure of the caudal fin which seems to be rounded but maybe a bit elongated, too. Real deissneri have nearly rhombishly formed cauadal with a clear black filament. And you cannot tell about the structure of the turquoise bands in the unpaired fins by that movies.

In order to identify licorice gouramis with turquoise bands in these fins by photos (that is to say bintan or realtives of bintan or deissneri) you need to have very big, very clear photos. And even then it is not possible in any case.

The only reason why I write this here in this clear words and logitude is a v e r y n e w information: last week with 99% certainty the real deissneri have been found in an import by a big German wholesaler, for the firt time. This is quite unusual. The fish have been called deissneri by the Asian exporter (from Singapore) but this is the usual naming, and so the German importer thought “O well, deissneri are never deissneri, so I shall call them “deissneri” or bintan.” But then somebody who knows (Martin Hallmann) visited the import station and identified the fish as the real deissneri! Immediately after Martin told me and since then we try to organize a German network of breeders in order to secure these fish and to get them bred. Therefore we have now, since the beginning of this current week, the possibility of real deissneri appearing in pet shops everywhere in Europe since the big wholesaler distributes his fish nearly to every country in Europe.

To prevent disorder and chaos but to use that chance of getting that much sought after species, you should obey some simple rules:

1. Have a very close look to fish in the aquarium trade called deissneri or bintan.
2. Ask for the date when they have been arrived. If before November 15th then they are probably not deissneri.
3. If the source of the fish is Glaser/Rodgau (Germany) or the exporter is a Singapore company then you could be lucky.
4. The structure of the body should be slightly elongated. The fish are rather big compared with other species.
5. The colours of the males have not been very clear last week. But they should be in the meantime in a darker surrounding. Then the typical dotted appearance of the bands in the unpaired fins, especially composed of little separated streaks in the caudal, should be to be seen.
6. The caudal especially in the males is not rounded but slightly rhombish and bears are clear short black filament.

A word to the “other forms”:
– There are more than the 18 species presently described scientifically. Note, that Kottelat and Ng in their recent publication from 2005 (!) needed years to describe species that have been known many years before as distinct from others. The whole procedure often needs much time.
– We have prepared a long list of such other forms that have become known since the seventies of last century. Unfortunately we have not been able to write all necessary texts explaining that forms up to now. But only a few of them are actually important. We shall put in short descriptions of these forms only at first, and that will happen in the next weeks.
– It is necessary to have such forms in mind since most of the traded Paros are caught on Sumatra and belong to those other forms. Mind that some Paro experts often have fish they caught themselves or close friends from well-known places (or offspring of them bred by friends), that means: with a clear location and naming. But most others have only fish from the trade. And these fish are often factually other forms, although they are called (by the trade-people) a species name the one way or the other in order to get them sold. Most of those forms are very similar to each other. But you need to keep them separate as long as you don’t know exactly.
– One of the most traded “other form” is spec. Sentang (or sometimes wrongly called “sintangensis”). Another is “blue line” (this trade-name tells us: “I do not kwnow what it is but the fish has blue markings”. This is no clarification whatsoever). Most of the traded “deissneri” belong to those other forms. It is quite a new experience that the true deissneri might be among them.
– Most of that “other forms” (but not all) are probably bintan or close relatives to bintan. But as long as we don’t know exactly we have to keep them separate in any case and, if ever possible, use their preliminary “other-forms-name”!

It is sad to hear about real deissneri but very good to hear that they are a form of filamentosus, and completely unknown til now. Imagine that they could have been lost without us ever knowing about them..and probably others.
We can only hope that the real deissneri is yet to return to the rescue mission we are on.
I have the time but of course not the money or would go to Bangka and find them!! what a dream.