The 101st Mahachai Samurai

Male Mahachai Samurai fighting. They seem to be highly aggressive, and you can see them fighting not only with other males but also with other females. When fighting, the metallic shine of Mahachai's unique coloring becomes even more beautiful.

Time flies and 2024 is almost over. Looking back at the betta scene in Thailand this year, there were some small changes, but the only big news was the Chatuchak fire.
Whenever I visit Thailand for my regular reporting in the spring and fall, the first thing I do is go to a wild-themed store and ask if there are any new faces, and it seems I'm not the only one who feels this way.
According to the owner of a wild plant shop, he is often asked by clients if there are any new varieties, so he is conducting various crossbreedings to meet their expectations.
The results of their efforts are on display in the shops, but there are very few fish that become hit products and are loved by many enthusiasts for many years.
Most of them are experimentally bred and are only sold for a short period of time. I try to buy and photograph new species whenever possible, but sometimes there are fish that I feel will never become popular.
There are many fish that have been photographed but then ended up in storage.

A normal colored male Mahachai Samurai. Although not as obvious as the original species, the distinctive Mahachai feature of a slightly elongated central tail fin can be seen. The sides of this individual's body are completely black, but most individuals have scales of the same color as the fins scattered here and there.

A green male Mahachai Samurai. The anal fin is slightly large and elongated, and the shape of the tail fin also shows the characteristics of Mahachai. The green scales scattered irregularly on the sides of the body are also beautiful.

Most of the fish introduced in this column are varieties that are sure to be popular with everyone. In order to bring these fish into the spotlight, I would like to do a feature on fish that have once been shelved.
There aren't many hit products among wild bettas like this, but for the first time in a while I came across a fish that made me think "Wow!"
Immediately after the first release in September, I was disappointed to find that only males were available for sale, but when I visited Thailand again at the end of October, I found that pairs were available for sale. The new face was the Mahachai Samurai.

A silver male Mahachai Samurai. This individual also has Mahachai features in its tail fin, not alien. Personally, I feel that the black body with a shiny silver head gives it a similar look to the original Samurai.

A green male Mahachai Samurai. This individual is still young and the characteristics of Mahachai are not yet apparent in the tail fin. However, the side of the body is dotted with irregularly shining green scales, reminiscent of a variety called Avatar. Pure black is good, but this kind of improvement seems interesting.

To Japanese people, the name "Samurai" may seem a little too simple, but it is widely used in the Thai betta fish industry, perhaps because it gives the impression of being a high-end, high-quality fish.
The name Samurai is used rather loosely, but it was originally used for fish with dark bodies and metallic silver scales around the head. In that sense, I understand the naming of the Alien Samurai, which I introduced previously, and the Mahachai Samurai, which I will introduce this time, but I am reluctant to see it used so casually for the Plakat Black Dragon.
If such names are used carelessly in Thailand, Japanese traders and brokers who do not understand the characteristics of the varieties they have been forced to buy will use the same names in Japan, so it is often the case that one can find oneself smiling wryly when seeing the names used at auctions and on the Internet.
I will introduce the samurai at another time if the opportunity arises, but let's move on to the main subject of this article, the Mahachai Samurai.

A male copper Mahachai Samurai. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the copper body color has a beautiful sparkle depending on how the light hits it. This individual has shiny metallic scales scattered only on its head and shoulders, and its body color is close to that of a real samurai.

A green male Mahachai Samurai with a spotted tail fin seen immediately after release. The final Mahachai Samurai was created by removing the spotted tail fin from this individual.

Anyone who sees it will immediately realize that this is an evolved version of the Alien Samurai.
It was apparently created by crossing a male Alien Samurai with a female Mahachai, but the original Alien was a cross between a Mahachai, a Stiktos, and a Smaragdina guitar.

Although the Alien is an interspecific hybrid, it is well-known for its high rate of fixation of its characteristics. When interspecific hybrids are created, they are usually not fertile, and even if they are fertile, reversions and changes occur over the generations. This does not happen with the Alien, which has been completed as a completely fixed variety. Although the Alien has a mysteriously high rate of fixation, it has already become completely established in the Thai betta world, and various derivative varieties have been created. Many of these have been crossed with Splendens species such as Plakat and Half Moon.

A female copper Mahachai Samurai. Like the male, the samurai pattern on the side and head is prominent. The color of the body changes depending on the condition. Unlike the male, the female still has the spot pattern on the tail fin.

A green female Mahachai Samurai. The samurai features of the male are quite complete, but the changes in the black shades of the body are more pronounced than in the male. In this individual, the horizontal stripes of the nuptial color are faintly visible on the rear of the male.

It seems that no one had ever thought of breeding Mahachai before. Moreover, the idea of using Alien Samurai for breeding was brilliant. Apparently, the fish were selected and bred to be closer to Mahachai's tail fin by removing the spot pattern on the tail fin, which is a characteristic of Alien. At the time of the first release in September, there were still Mahachai Samurai with the Alien pattern on their tail fins, and I remember asking how they were different from Alien Samurai. When I visited again at the end of October, there were a fair number of them lined up in the shop, and all of them had lost the Alien pattern on their tail fins and were closer to Mahachai's tail fins. As for colors, in addition to colors similar to normal Mahachai, there are also colors similar to Alien varieties such as green, copper, and silver.

A silver female Mahachai Samurai. The dark black on the sides of the body makes this a beautiful specimen that well represents the characteristics of a samurai. Male Mahachai Samurai are highly combative and always have a beautiful body color, but females' body color changes greatly depending on the condition.

As for the colors, in addition to the colors similar to the normal Mahachai, there are also colors similar to the Alien variety, such as green, copper, and silver. They are sold in pairs with a female of the same species, not a matched female, but as you can see from the photo, the female still has the alien pattern on her tail fin. Once the alien pattern on the tail fin fades like the male, this Mahachai Samurai will be complete. It will be exciting to see in what direction this alien derivative will evolve in the future.

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