A.ahli Red (as circulated in the USA) Photo: Courtesy of Monty Lehmann
| Meaning of Name |
After Dr.Ernst Ahl a German Ichthyologist based at the Zoological Museum, Berlin. |
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| First Description |
Myers, G.S. 1933. The Genera of Indo-Malayan and African Cyprinodont fishes related to Panchax and Nothobranchius. Copeia, 1933 (4): 183-184. |
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| Size |
6cm |
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| Meristics |
D = 10-12, A = 14-16, D/A = +6, ll = 30-33 (Radda & Purzl 1987) |
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| Karyotype |
Very variable - 20 (31) : 10 (20)(Scheel 1974) |
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| Sub-Genus |
Mesoaphyosemion |
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| Group |
A.calliurum |
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| Synonyms |
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Populations
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Kienke River - This population was well established in the BKA in the early part of 1973. Not sure if this is what is referred to as the 'Kienke' population.
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| Type Locality |
Described from live specimens imported into Germany as part of a commercial import. The exact location of the specimens used to describe the sp. is unknown. Thought to be Nziou, immediately south of Longji (DKG). |
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| Distribution |
Range extends from the Wouri River, western Cameroon south to the Rio Benito drainage of western Equatorial Guinee (formerly Rio Muni). |
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| Habitat |
Found in shallow, stagnant pools & swamps
in forested areas but has also been collected in shaded flowing streams.
This sp. is restricted to the coastal plain.
Biotope close to Kribi where A.ahli,
E.sexfasciatus & Procatopus
nototaenia were found. |
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| Distinguishing Characteristics |
A.ahli is often confused with its close relative A.calliurum. Generally, A.ahli has less colouration on the body. They are quite a variable sp. in terms of colouration between populations. The Kribi population shows vertical red crossbands on the posterior part of the body to a greater degree than populations found more northerly. A more recent sp. which is very similar to A.ahli is A.pascheni which, although described in 1928 has only been available to aquarists in the 1990's. I have not kept them yet but the fish I have seen appear darker with fainter outer margins to the dorsal & upper caudal fins. Anal & pectoral fins appear identical. A.pascheni festivum is a more striking fish all together. |
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| Colour/Pattern Variability | Moderately high. | ||||||
| History |
This sp. was first imported into Germany in 1910. A later import, again to Germany, arrived in 1913. Both shipments were said to have been collected in the Cap Lopez area of Gabon. The 1913 shipment differed to the previous shipment in that males did not develop vertical red bars or spots on the body. This 1913 shipment was distributed under the name of A.calliurum. G.A.Boulenger then of the British Museum (Natural History) meanwhile identified preserved material from this later shipment as A.cameronense. In 1932 a third shipment of this strain arrived in Germany & were described as Panchax (Aphyosemion) calliurus var.coerulea by Meinken, but Myers found the name coerulea to be pre-occupied & re-named them Aphyosemion calliurum ahli Myers 1933. Again, the exact collecting site for this strain remains unknown. The Kribi population was collected by A.C.Radda in 1972 in a well shaded stream flowing from primeval forest. The stream was located 20 km from Kribi along the Kribi - Bipindi road. This stream in fact crossed the road at the collecting point which was .6 - 2 metres wide & 5 - 20cm deep. Water temperature was 23.5'C, pH 5.7, DH 1. Sympatric sp. included A.bivittatum, A.pascheni, Ep.sexfasciatus & Procatopus nototaenia. The Edea population was discovered by Roger Langton in 1971 in a small pool 11 km east of Edea on the road to Yaounde. Sympatric sp. included Ep.sexfasciatus & an orange form of A.bivittatum. This biotope was shallow & covered with twigs, branches & a good deal of decayed vegetation. The BKA imported 2 different populations in the late summer of 1972. One of these populations was collected in the Kienke River, Cameroon. These were later distributed to BKA breeders team members in October 1973. |
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| Breeding Notes |
A.ahli is a typical top spawner, laying eggs in floating plants or spawning mops. I have found this sp. to be quite shy & slow to start spawning in new surroundings. This can be remedied by putting a piece of brown paper over the front of the spawning tank. The water incubation time for this sp. is 2 - 3 weeks. Fry are very small on hatching & do best on infusoria for the first few days. Eggs may be placed on damp peat where incubation can be streched to 30 days. Although books say they eat newly hatched brine shrimp on hatching I prefer to use Infusoria for a few days. San Francisco Bay brine shrimp (which is smaller than Utah shrimp on hatching) can also be used. A breeding report on the Kienke River collection
imported by the BKA in 1972 is found in BKA newsletter No.92, April
1973. The spawning medium was peat fibre. Eggs were laid in the bottom
third of the tank. Water incubated eggs took 14-18 days to hatch. Newly
hatched fry were small but quite robust. Infertile eggs were about 5-10%
of those laid. In BKA newsletter No.130, June 1976 a breeding account by Roger Langton on the Edéa population stated he used well aged water. He found the pair to be prolific. Eggs water incubate for 14-21 days & fry are able to take newly hatched brine shrimp as a first food. |
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| Diameter of Egg | 1.1mm | ||||||
| Remarks |
Although a fairly shy sp. A.ahli is easily maintained & spawned. As with most Aphyosemion sp. they are expert jumpers so a close fitting lid is essential. The Kribi population was regularly seen in UK auctions in the 1990's. Wild fish from commercial collections do appear from time to time. |
