W
warren
Guest
Heh, no this is not a smackdown match between the two species. I just have a close-up of the head/upper body areas of a larva of each. Unfortunately, the size difference is great enough (the copei is about 1.5X the size of the tenebrosus) that some of the features are not as noticeable. Also, I have had my micro lens and extension rings for less than 2 weeks and am still learning how to get good results.
First the tenebrosus:
The gills are somewhat longer than in copei, but this specimen is not a posterchild for this! lol Notice that the head is somewhat "streamlined" with the body. Also, the lighter markings on the body tend to run together almost forming streaks. The eyes are a little lower down than on the copei as well.
Now the copei.
This is actually a much better angle to see the biggest difference between the two species. There is a very noticeable "waist" between the head and body. The head is more squared off and the eyes are higher up on the head. The filament to stalk ratio for the gills is also somewhat smaller than for the tenebrosus. Finally, the light markings are more discrete patches than in the tenebrosus.
First the tenebrosus:
The gills are somewhat longer than in copei, but this specimen is not a posterchild for this! lol Notice that the head is somewhat "streamlined" with the body. Also, the lighter markings on the body tend to run together almost forming streaks. The eyes are a little lower down than on the copei as well.
Now the copei.
This is actually a much better angle to see the biggest difference between the two species. There is a very noticeable "waist" between the head and body. The head is more squared off and the eyes are higher up on the head. The filament to stalk ratio for the gills is also somewhat smaller than for the tenebrosus. Finally, the light markings are more discrete patches than in the tenebrosus.