Lionchu
5411461
211330019
2008-05-09T20:29:22Z
Loukinho
461336
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!Lionchu goldfish
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|<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:LionchuPhotoRafflesGold.jpg|250px]] -->
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!Country of origin
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|[[Thailand]]
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!Type
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|Fantailed
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!Breed standards
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|[http://www.goldfishpages.com/Articles/What%20is%20a%20Lionchu.pdf GFP]
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|}
The '''Lionchu''' or '''lionhead-ranchu'''<ref name="Vermillion">[http://geocities.com/greenngoldsg/diary/mfg2006/lionchu.html My Fancy Goldfish Competition 2006, Lionchu Classes A (10 cm to 15 cm) and B (more than 15 cm), Vermillion Goldfish Society (Singapore)]</ref> is a fancy [[goldfish]] that has resulted from crossbreeding [[Lionhead (goldfish)|lionheads]] and [[ranchu|ranchus]].<ref name="Ponzio">[http://www.goldfishpages.com/Articles/What%20is%20a%20Lionchu.pdf "What is a Lionchu?" by Peter Ponzio, an article from the Goldfish Pages Website (Goldfish Society of America), date retrieved: 26 May 2007]</ref><ref name="GFSA">[http://www.goldfishpages.com/Articles/GFSA%20Ask%20the%20Judges,%20Ranchus.pdf "GFSA - Ask the Judges", an article about the Lionchu by Larry Christensen, Peter Ponzio, Scott Taylor, Tony Reynolds and John Parker, from the Goldfish Pages Website (Goldfish Society of America), date retrieved: 27 May 2007]</ref>
==Description==
The [[West]]ern criteria for lionchus combine the traditional characteristic side-view profiles of the '''ranchu''' and the '''lionhead'''.<ref>[http://www.fish-tank-guide.com/goldfish/goldfishvarieties.html “The Diversity of Goldfish Varieties” an article from the Fish Tank Guide Website, a Lionchu description, date retrieved: 22 May 2007]</ref> The ranchu's deep body, broad and curved back, and tail placement has been merged with the large headgrowth of the lionhead. Lionchus do not have dorsal fins.<ref name="Ponzio"/><ref name="GFSA"/>
==Origins and evolution==
Although at first, the lionchus were considered merely as [[mongrel]]s,<ref name="GFSA"/> being [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]] of the lionheads and ranchus, the lionhead actually have an ancestor from [[Japan]] in the 1800s; it is then known as
the '''[[Ranchu|shishigashira ranchu]]''' or '''lion-headed ranchu'''. The shishigashira ranchu is a [[ranchu]]-like goldfish with small amounts of headgrowth and some having small knobs and bumps on the back (a suggestion that the absence of the dorsal fin had not yet been stabilized at the time).<ref>"Fancy Goldfish: A Complete Guide to Care and Collecting" by Dr. Erik L. Johnson, D.V.M. and Richard E. Hess, Weatherhill, Shambala Publications, Inc., 2006. - ISBN 0-8348-0448-4</ref> But the modern-day lionchu is considered to have originated from [[Thailand]],<ref name="GFSA"/> and was popularized by a group of goldfish hobbyists in [[Singapore]] through [http://www.rafflesgold.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3790 RafflesGold.com], an [[internet]]-based goldfish [[forum]] site. The lionchu was officially recognized as a unique class of fancy goldfish during the [http://www.rafflesgold.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3634 "My Fancy Goldfish Competition 2006"], which was held in Singapore from May 26-28, 2006.<ref name="Vermillion"/>
==References==
<references/>
==Other sources==
*[http://www.rafflesgold.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t1126.html Lionchu Photographs from the Raffles Gold Forum Website]
==See also==
{{main|Goldfish}}
*[[Lionhead (goldfish)|Lionhead]]
*[[Ranchu]]
==External links==
*[http://geocities.com/greenngoldsg/index.html The Vermillion Goldfish Club (Singapore)]
{{Goldfish breeds}}
{{Cypriniformes-stub}}