Professional Documents
Culture Documents
What Is A Lionchu
What Is A Lionchu
By Peter J Ponzio
This article first appeared in The Goldfish Report, the magazine of the
Goldfish Society of America. What is a Lionchu? That�s a good question. A
Lionchu is a cross between a Ranchu and Lionhead. While not yet recognized
as a new variety by the GFSA or the American Goldfish Association (AGA),
these fish are being produced in greater numbers, in good to excellent
quantity specimens, and are appearing in numerous goldfish shows across the
United States and Internationally. Before we get into the specifics of what
these fish look like, it is probably helpful to review the existing Lionhead and
Ranchu varieties, adopted by the GFSA and the AGA to understand the
differences and similarities of the parent stock. The Lionhead originated in
China, and was the first hooded, dorsal-less fish developed.
The Lionhead was introduced to Japan from China in the 17th or 18th
century. The Japanese were quite taken with the fish, and began to introduce
a series of selective breeding programs to enhance the fish. The Japanese
introduced a more rounded back profile, a modification of the tail as it joined
the caudal peduncle, and diminished the size of the head growth, or �wen.�
Please see the line illustration from Merlin Cunliffe to view the basic breed
characteristics of the Ranchu.
As you can see from this illustration, the Ranchu is modified from the original
Lionhead variety in a number of ways. The Ranchu is generally shorter than
the Lionhead, with lengths of eight to ten inches being common. The body is
actually thicker than that of the Lionhead, and has a more rounded
appearance. The back is definitely rounded, and the tail joins the caudal
peduncle at an angle of greater than forty-five degrees. The caudal peduncle
and back are generally broader than that of the Lionhead, so that the fish
appears to have a very broad back, indeed. The head growth is definitely
smaller than that of the Lionhead, but should cover all three areas of the
head: top, cheeks, gill plates. The Ranchu occurs in all three scale varieties
that appear in goldfish, and in virtually all colors known for goldfish.
The outline of the fish should appear to form a rectangle when viewed from
above. Note also that the head, and wen, form a rectangular appearance
when viewed from above. If the head does not form this rectangular shape,
the fish is considered to be less than perfect. The Ranchu is considered the
epitome of goldfish breeding in Japan, with fine examples costing in the
hundreds or thousands of dollars. Japanese Ranchu Societies are common in
Japan, and are generally reserved for members only � non-members may
attend meetings and shows by invitation only.
Shown above are two of my fish, both of which exhibit traditional Ranchu characteristics.
The GFSA and AGA have not officially recognized the Lionchu as a separate
breed, but with more fish being shown in shows, will probably consider a
special designation before long. Shown below are some recent examples of
Lionchus, which have been entered in fish shows.
+1