The diagram below elaborated by us consistently represents our bettas classification proposition.
See:
Of course, it is a diagram that will always be up to date. Each name (solid, bicolor and special multicolored) are stable, replicable patterns, which we call lineage. If necessary, visit our article that deals with what are lineage bettas, where you will have complete information about it.
Solid bettas
They have a single color on the body and fins. It's a consensus worldwide. Note that solid bettas with butterfly should not be confused with bicolor bettas. It's important not to mix things up!
Bicolor bettas
They have one color on the body and another on the fins. It's as simple as that!
Unstable multicolored bettas
In certain situations, they are visually very attractive bettas, with harmonic colors that really attract attention. However, throughout their life, they can easily lose this beauty by becoming bettas with no colors completely, with fins that come to be transparent.
Besides, they may have gain colors again with a totally different arrangement of these colors, losing (or not) that visually beautiful arrangement. They're unstable bettas. So, we at Betta Project have named it and realized that there are breeders are already using this designation, which will maybe be consensus in some time.
So, unstable multicolored bettas are not lineages; they are not replicable and do change their colors throughout life at random.
Watch this video about the unstable betta genetics.
Common multicolored bettas
They are bettas that have three or more colors on their bodies and fins.
Special multicolored bettas
Although bettas are being crossed indiscriminately between different species of the same genus, we have these nine strains currently known and disseminated in this classification.
We have done a free e-book that you can download here our website to know the technical details of each lineage, with examples of its variations and even then falling into each classification. Click here and download it!
Bettas with stable phenotype also have great beauty, and the best of this is that they are replicable! Here comes the concept of pedigree or lineage – which are together used. The pedigree is a document that attest it has a pure lineage, witch content the genealogy of the animal.
Bloodline animals must have all characteristics of the pure breed, with no color changing, no format changing and so on. The pedigree complements the animal has all those characteristics. It is a document that shows the lineage witch that animal belongs.
We wish you success with your bettas!
References:
[1] Betta Project internal archive.