When I came to Thailand in March 2018, the most noteworthy betta was the Nemo betta, which I introduced in the previous column.
This Nemo betta is too flashy and has a strong impact, but there was another betta that caught my attention.
Since it is a cross between a wild betta and a wild betta, it is not very flashy, but it is a betta that has traits that will be well received by wild betta lovers.
It is a betta that can be said to be an evolution of the triple cross that I previously introduced in this column, and its tail fin has a splendid spade tail instead of a round tail. Before explaining this fish, there is one thing I would like to explain.
This is the name of Betta, an improved interspecific hybrid variety that has recently become popular in Thailand. In Thailand, these fish are given commercial names such as hybrids and aliens. Personally, I don't like to use the name "hybrid" in the world of aquarium fish, as it seems to give the impression that it is somehow less pure and one rank lower.
Therefore, I started using the word cross, which has the meaning of crossbreeding.
A hybrid between two species is called a double cross, and a hybrid between three species is called a triple cross.
Fish that are a cross between wild and betta fish are collectively called wild cross-type fish. The intention was that this would make it easier to understand the meaning of mating from the words. This was a last resort as it still does not have a proper name in Thailand. Well, a name like this is meaningless unless it becomes popular, so we have no choice but to leave it to market trends.
Well, the introduction has become long, but what I would like to introduce today is an evolved variety that is a cross between Smaragdina guitar, Mahachaiensis, and Styctos. There are several lines of Triple Cross that have been on the market for some time, and there are some differences in color, body shape, etc. Some fish had a slightly elongated center part of their tail fins, probably due to their strong lineage of Mahachaiensis.
It has also been confirmed that some older fish have elongated the central part of their caudal fins. However, despite its small size, I have never seen a fish like the one I saw this time with its tail fin so elongated into a spade shape.
Looking at multiple fish in the same shop, there were quite a few with similar traits, which seemed to be a systematic characteristic rather than a trait unique to just one fish. It's strange, but when it comes to betta fish, whether they're wild or improved varieties, enthusiasts have tended to love and prize spadetail fish.
Recently, wild strains with spade tails have been found in Splendens and Smaragdina, and are very popular. For some reason, I am also attracted to spadetail fish.
Although it does not seem to have been introduced to Japan yet, there is a known strain of the Beta Smaragdina guitar that has a spectacularly elongated tail fin in the shape of a spade. When I get a good model and photograph it, I will introduce it in this column. Looking at the elongation of the tail fin of this Triple Cross, it seems to be closer to the lineage of the guitar, which has an elongated tail fin, than to the lineage of Mahachaiensis. However, this is just my own speculation, and I have not asked the breeder who actually created the breed for information on the crossbreeding. For some reason, I'm having trouble getting accurate information about this cross line, probably because they don't want to teach me how to breed.
There is no doubt that this Spade Tail Triple Cross has some Styctos blood in it. This is clear from the spot pattern on the caudal fin and the spot pattern on the anal fin.
Unless Styctos is bred, the characteristic spot pattern on the anal fin will not appear. However, there seems to be individual differences in the pattern of spots on the tail fin.
There is a big difference in the way the spots fall between the two individuals I chose as models for this photo shoot. One has a spot pattern all over its caudal fin, but the other has only a slight spot at the base of its caudal fin. Generally speaking, the spot pattern on the tail fin is considered to be more beautiful if it covers the entire tail fin, as is the case with round-tailed strains. This time I introduced only blue individuals, but as for the color of the male, there are blue and green, just like the original triple cross.
Like the males, females can also be found in blue and green colors.
It's been about three years since this Triple Cross was first created. It seems that some breeders have fixed the same traits so that they appear, and some breeders have even refined the colors to make them more beautiful.
There may also be breeders who are introducing new blood. I'll do some more research to find out more, but I'm sure there are improvements like this fish. Thailand's betta scenes always have movements that go beyond my imagination, so I can't take my eyes off them.
