The difference between Snakeskin and Leopard SS is?

[puntific]

Can someone help me understand what the difference is between these and others that come in both SS and non-SS. Side by side pics might help!

puntific

[DerekFF]

Look through Kenny Cheungs page in our sponsor section and youll see some great examples of LSS and SS fish. The LSS fish tend to have more spots on the body while retaining the SS markings on the gill plates and a few other places. The SS fish have the SS gill markings and usually fairly broken/snakeskin looking markings across the body. Dont have time to post links to actual pics, someone here can do that or you can find them by looking through kennys shipment posts.

[William Palumbo]

A Leopard SS, is what it sounds like...a SS crossed with a Leopard=a Discus with a red spotted snakeskin pattern...Bill

[puntific]

I guess what I am asking for is a specific discription of what makes the fish a SS. What markings are present on a SS that are not on a Leopard? I know that I'm sounding like a total noob and it's clear as day to you. It a bit like you looking at a handful of Go stones on the board and not seeing what Joseki it is..

puntific

[William Palumbo]

LOL...You lost me on the stones and Joseki...anyways, SS's usually have a fine-line, or squiggly pattern of striping. Most SS's have more than 9 bars, usually 11-14, but there are Discus with 9. I guess pics would describe it better...Bill

[hedut]

I think in Walther(sorry if wrong spelling) web he has explanation but I couldn't remember his web:), may be some one could jump in ;)

[hedut]

here http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/discus/strains/index.html more history :)

[Jhhnn]

This article compliments the one hedut offers, and explains the origins and characteristics of snakeskins at some depth.

http://www.brooklynaquariumsociety.org/articles/2002-sept-pg%2029.htm

In general, snakeskins are discus with 14 bars vs the normal 9 bars, and exhibit finer markings and pattern. The original strain of turquoise snakeskins have been crossed with other varieties to create snakeskin patterns in nearly all of the basic types. Leopard snakeskins, albino snakeskins and so forth. Crossing snakeskins with barless blue diamonds yields some barless and near barless snakeskins referred to as blue scorpions. The naming conventions aren't standardized, unfortunately. Penang eruptions are snakeskins, for example, while penang leopards are not. It's the fineline scribbled markings on the head and gillplates that makes snakeskins of all types distinctive and easily recognized, once the hobbyist realizes that's what they're observing...

[puntific]

Thanks! Now we're getting somewhere...

puntific

[jimg]

One reason why I cross a ss with a lss from what I understand it helps keep the spots uniform on the body without spotless areas that occur very often when 2 ls or 2 lss are paired.
in other words if you pair 2 - 9 bar leopards the offspring will have a greater chance of missing a lot of spots in areas on the body. If you cross a 9 bar with a 14 bar you have better chance of having offspring with more evened out spots.
I was told this when looking for pairs and read it somewhere too.
I have only raised 2 batches of this cross and cannot be positive if it's true. but in the 3" juveniles,none had missing spots, other batch is too small to tell.