Whats the difference between a Lionchu and a Ranchu?

[goldenswimmers]

I've been researching some different types of goldfish recently and just thought I'd just share some information Ive found to help understand some varieties.

So in a nutshell,

we have the Ranchu goldfish which has such features as a nicely curved,thick back lacking a dorsal fin.The headgrowth is moderate but must feature on all parts of the head(face,cheeks and top of head).This variety was refined by the Japanese.

then we have the Lionhead which originated in China and was the forerunner to the Ranchu.The Lionhead goldfish lacks a dorsal fin,has a straight back(no curve or a minimal sign of curvature)and has heavy headgrowth.

And so that leaves the newly created(as far as goldfish varieties go!) Lionchu.

I think the name explains a lot but it is basically the body shape of a Ranchu(nicely curved back,thicker,etc) with the strong headgrowth featured on the Chinese Lionhead.These fish originate from Thailand and have emerged on the scene quite recently(within the last decade or so)and will soon be(if not already)an accepted "show standard" goldfish variety.

[Ged]

Great explanation of the three. I take it that line breeding for the desired characteristics with the potential for an outcross back to variety has fixed the traits.

[Ged]

Where does the Buffalo Ranchu fit into the picture?

[goldenswimmers]

Ok well it seems the differences between the Buffalo ranchu and the Lionchu are in the head growth "style"..

A Lionchu has overall headgrowth that pretty much covers the head like a cabbage...

And with the Buffalo there is a gap(no or minimal headgrowth) between the "crown" (top of the head) and the cheek headgrowth...so the growth looks like "handlebars" or "mutton chops"