[quote]
“With my spec Ampah I have observed 4 different distinct colorations with males.
1. Dominant, dark with some color
2. Normal stripes imitating female coloration
3. a very drab coloration all over not even distinct stripes and not dark, the current loser
4. full bright Mating colors accompanied with dancing and courting a female”
/quote]
Very well observed, Ted. Normally, we can distinguish these four different states of colouration in male licorice gouramies:
1. standard type one = individual without a breeding territory and cave of its own); this is your 2.: the mostly depicted state with lacking colours.
2. standard type two = individual possessing a breeding territory and cave of its own; this is your 4.: the mostly depicted state in full colours.
3. affected by positive emotions = individual aroused by aggression against rivalling male but feeling dominant; this is your 1. You don’t see much colouring in your spec. Ampah because they don’t show much colours at all (“the black and white licorice gouramy”). Very typical is the blackish colouring f.i. in aggressive P. filamentosus.
4. affected by negative emotions = individual aroused by fear because of danger or feeling weak; this is your 3.
There are not many good photos of Parosphromenus. If, they most depict states 1 or 2. The “normal” picture that allows to distinguish between the species is state 2. But there are some photos depicting states 3 and 4, too, however mostly mixed within the others. For instance take the booklet edited by D. Armitage, page 7, top photo of alfredi (A. Brown) shows state 4. This fish is frightened, had no time to become accustomed to the situation of a new tank. There are more photos of this kind to be seen in the booklet.
Or take page 11, the lowest photo of anjunganensis. You don’t see two males but only one mirrored. The fish itself seemed to see a potential rival male and shows enhanced colouring, the stripes are reduced (state 3). The speciality of this species is that the body does not become darkish in that mood.