juliethegr8t
Addicted and in Therapy
The Veiltail -
Mustard Gas Veiltail Male
Multicolor Veiltail Female
Veiltails usually have a single ray extending all the way from the body, without any ray branching (though once is fairly common). The membranes are all connected, and the fins affected are the dorsal, anal, and caudal (tail). Only males show this characteristic, and their fins can be up to four times the length of a short-finned betta. Veiltails are the most common type available, and are the kind usually found in petstores. The tail fin droops and is non-symmetrical, meaning it cannot be evenly divided with a horizontally drawn line through the middle.
The Plakat -
Black Plakat Male
Orange Plakat Female
Plakats are the natural form of Betta splendens, the type occuring in the wild. The short fins allow for the fish to get around quickly, without any excess finnage weighing them down. Any other tail type is a man-made mutation. In the Plakat male, the anal fin is markedly extended and pointed, when compared with females. The tail is symmetrical, and the rays branch at least once.
The Crowntail -
Blue/Red Crowntail Male
Multicolor Crowntail Female
In Crowntail bettas, the fin rays protrude beyond the membranes of the caudal, anal, and dorsal fins, creating a "fringed" look. The length of the membranes varies, which can also create the following tail type (Combtail). In Crowntails, the rays branch at least once, creating twice the amount of rays as many veiltails. Some Crowntails have the trait of yet another ray branching, which is known as "Double Ray".
The Combtail -
Multicolor Combtail Male (photo courtesy Arashi)
Combtail bettas have also have fin rays extending past the membranes, though to a much smaller extent. There do is not enough of a length difference between the membranes and rays to classify as "Crowntail". The male is this photo is a also a Veiltail.
The Doubletail -
Red Doubletail Male
Red Doubletail Female
Doubletails have an increased number of fin rays, with that amount being variable depending on the fish's tail type. The fish actually has two tails, each with an equal amount of rays. The dorsal fin is also twice the size of single tail bettas, due to the increased amount of rays. Ideally, the Doubletail should have an full split down the middle of the tail lobes, and the lobes should be identical in size.
The Halfmoon -
Red/Green Halfmoon Male
In the Halfmoon tail type, when fully flared, the caudal should be a full 180-degree half-circle. This is due to an increased amount of ray branching. If the tail is larger than 180 degrees, it is known as "Over Halfmoon". These tails are symmetrical and very heavy.
The Delta or Super Delta -
Gold Delta Male
Red Super Delta Female (non-flaring) - note the ray branching
Delta and Super Delta tails are those which do not meet the 180-degree requirement of a Halfmoon. They fall short of this, but still have enough ray branching to create a tail which looks much like a fan when opened. It should be much wider at the end than at the base, and be symmetical. Super Deltas are those which have a wider angle to their tail, such as around 130 degrees.
Mustard Gas Veiltail Male
Multicolor Veiltail Female
Veiltails usually have a single ray extending all the way from the body, without any ray branching (though once is fairly common). The membranes are all connected, and the fins affected are the dorsal, anal, and caudal (tail). Only males show this characteristic, and their fins can be up to four times the length of a short-finned betta. Veiltails are the most common type available, and are the kind usually found in petstores. The tail fin droops and is non-symmetrical, meaning it cannot be evenly divided with a horizontally drawn line through the middle.
The Plakat -
Black Plakat Male
Orange Plakat Female
Plakats are the natural form of Betta splendens, the type occuring in the wild. The short fins allow for the fish to get around quickly, without any excess finnage weighing them down. Any other tail type is a man-made mutation. In the Plakat male, the anal fin is markedly extended and pointed, when compared with females. The tail is symmetrical, and the rays branch at least once.
The Crowntail -
Blue/Red Crowntail Male
Multicolor Crowntail Female
In Crowntail bettas, the fin rays protrude beyond the membranes of the caudal, anal, and dorsal fins, creating a "fringed" look. The length of the membranes varies, which can also create the following tail type (Combtail). In Crowntails, the rays branch at least once, creating twice the amount of rays as many veiltails. Some Crowntails have the trait of yet another ray branching, which is known as "Double Ray".
The Combtail -
Multicolor Combtail Male (photo courtesy Arashi)
Combtail bettas have also have fin rays extending past the membranes, though to a much smaller extent. There do is not enough of a length difference between the membranes and rays to classify as "Crowntail". The male is this photo is a also a Veiltail.
The Doubletail -
Red Doubletail Male
Red Doubletail Female
Doubletails have an increased number of fin rays, with that amount being variable depending on the fish's tail type. The fish actually has two tails, each with an equal amount of rays. The dorsal fin is also twice the size of single tail bettas, due to the increased amount of rays. Ideally, the Doubletail should have an full split down the middle of the tail lobes, and the lobes should be identical in size.
The Halfmoon -
Red/Green Halfmoon Male
In the Halfmoon tail type, when fully flared, the caudal should be a full 180-degree half-circle. This is due to an increased amount of ray branching. If the tail is larger than 180 degrees, it is known as "Over Halfmoon". These tails are symmetrical and very heavy.
The Delta or Super Delta -
Gold Delta Male
Red Super Delta Female (non-flaring) - note the ray branching
Delta and Super Delta tails are those which do not meet the 180-degree requirement of a Halfmoon. They fall short of this, but still have enough ray branching to create a tail which looks much like a fan when opened. It should be much wider at the end than at the base, and be symmetical. Super Deltas are those which have a wider angle to their tail, such as around 130 degrees.
I hope it is helpful, and if the mods think it could be useful in the future, perhaps it could be pinned. 
Also, if you guys think the addition of female photos might be helpful, I might do that. I've got pics of most of them, and if I don't, I'll ask. 
