This is an annual autumn visit to Thailand.
The next day after arriving in Bangkok, I decided to visit the Sunday market called Chatuchak.
There are many betta specialty shops at this Sunday market, but the turnover seems to be quite frequent, with each store moving or opening a new one every time I come.
This time, a store specializing in hybrid betta fish had opened.
Lately, we have been seeing a variety of hybrids based on Mahachaiensis, and the fact that a specialty store has finally opened means that hybrids are being accepted and in demand in Thailand's betta scene. It must be a thing.
Until now, we had never been able to see so many hybrids in one store, so it was a spectacular sight for betta lovers.
At the same time, I couldn't help but sigh at the price.

It is true that they are all wonderful specimens, but their prices are comparable to or even higher than those of very high-level plastic cuts.
That price is for the male only. When I asked if they had females, they said they cost the same as males.
Prices in Thailand are about 1/3 to 1/5 of those in Japan. When converted to Japanese yen, the price range is XNUMX to XNUMX yen for a pair.
Thailand has become quite wealthy to be able to spend that much money on fishing as a hobby.

Well, this store not only sells hybrids, but also wild varieties and improved varieties.
The wild ones are also very carefully selected special specimens, and they are all wonderful.
The ones I was most interested in were the improved varieties of Invelis, the Blue Invelis, whose body and each fin shines blue, and the Green Invelis, which has a green patch on the sides of its body.
When I asked about it, I was told that these were not hybrids, but were created based on Inveris from Nakhon Si Thammarat.
I had just taken a photo of an inbellis that was collected in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and it has a stunning color that does not even resemble the original species.
Indeed, it is said that individuals with a strong blue body color can be found on rare occasions in the wilds of Inveris, and a friend of mine also found a blue individual among the Inveris from Krabi, and received information that it is currently being bred. There is.
As for Green Inbelis, I had the impression that it was similar to Inbelis from Langkawi Island.

It would be possible to create a similar Inbelis by selecting the shiny Inbelis from Langkawi Island.
I was amazed at how beautiful Blue Inveris was, but I managed to refrain from buying it on impulse.
I was going out to the field the following week, so I thought it would be a good idea to die while I was away.
If it came back and it was still for sale, I was thinking of buying it for the model in the photo shoot.
Fortunately, when I returned to Bangkok 10 days later, Blue Inbellis was still unsold.
It seems that fish at this price don't sell very often. Naturally, it is a purchase. Since the fish was already ready, I was able to easily photograph it the next day.
The sight of Blue peeking through the viewfinder was exquisite.
For color comparison, I used Green Inveris as the counterpart to Finspreading.
The photo is the one we are introducing here.

If you think about it, improved varieties such as blue, copper, and green have been produced in Smaragdina and Mahachai, but you rarely see improved varieties in Inveris.
Why is this difference? Are the colors and traits that stable? Is it just that the history of breeding is short?
However, if you look at many Inbelis from the same locality, you will notice that there are considerable individual differences in the coloring of the sides of the body and the red color on the caudal and anal fins.
If we patiently select them, it will be possible to create even new types of Inveris.

Come to think of it, in 2016, I found and photographed an interesting Inveris in Chatuchak. It is similar in size and bulky to the Plakat, and its body color and fin coloring are exactly Inbelis, but its tail fin has a half-moon shape. I inquired about it at the shop where I bought it, but the identity was unknown and only males were available. It was easy to imagine that she was definitely not a pure Inverith, but had some Plakat bloodline in her. Otherwise, this half moon's tail fin would not be possible. These days, most of the Thai plakat have half-moon tail fins. However, other than the shape and size of the tail fin, this Inveris had almost the same coloring as Invelis. Characteristics such as the red crescent pattern on the caudal fin, the red pattern on the tip of the anal fin, and the coloring of the gill cover are exactly the same as the Inveris. I have visited the store where I bought it many times since then, but it has not been in stock since then, and it is a mysterious Inveris for which there is no information. I call this fish Halfmoon Inbellis, and I think there is a market for it if its identity is clear and it is sold in pairs.What do you think?

In this column, I have already introduced wild bettas such as Smaragdina, Splendens, and Mahachaiensis, but this is my first time seeing Inveris. Over the past few years, there have been many different types of Inveris available in Thailand by production area, and stock photos are also increasing, so I'll introduce them to you once I'm satisfied with them. Please wait for a while.