Quote:
Originally Posted by
MikeM 
Nice looking male. The "window" appears to me to be simply the pattern, and not a weakness in the Hi plate. I've not figured out the Goromo group. The very best Ai Goromo IMO have the Asagi genes express themselves through picotee-type edging on the scales within the Hi plate. These are very rare. Typically the shading becomes smudged and covers the scale in a muddled sort of way. With Budo Goromo and Sumi Goromo, the dark pigment overwhelms and actually makes it easier, it seems to me, to find a good example of the type. With Ai Goromo, it is all about reaching a balance between the Hi and Sumi on individual scales... a terribly difficult thing genetically, and beyond my ability to try to predict the future. There is a special quality about Ai Goromo that I find appealing. A subtle spice for the pond, compared to say a Yamabuki. I expect this one will become "muddled" as time goes by (easy to say, since virtually all do!), but will retain the basic character that makes Ai Goromo worth having. BTW, it seems to me that the best examples I've seen in person are male. Perhaps the equivalent females are too quickly purchased in Japan/Taiwan?