Aphyosemion celiae celiae Scheel 1971

Badouma. Photo Courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Meaning of Name

After Miss Celia Epie of Meanja, West Cameroon. She is the eldest daughter of John Epie, manager of the Meanja Rubber Estate.

First Description

Scheel J.J. 1971.

Aphyosemion franzwerneri & Aphyosemion celiae, two new Rivulins from Cameroon.

Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine 19 (5): p52-61.

Size

5 cm. Wild males are reported to reach 7.5 cm.

Meristics
  • D = 11, A = 15, ll = 30-31 (Scheel 1971).
  • D = 11-12, A = 14-16, D/A = 1/7, ll = 29-32 (Radda & Pürzl 1987).
Karyotype

n = 10, A = 20. (Scheel 1971, 1974)

Sub-Genus

Mesoaphyosemion

Group

calliurum

Synonyms
  • Aphyosemion cinnamomeum K1 (BKA assigned code 1970)
  • Aphyosemion cinnamomeum K2. (BKA assigned code 1970) Berkenkamp 1971
  • Aphyosemion celiae celiae Lazara 1984
Populations
  • Badouma (southwestern Cameroon)
  • Bertoua
  • Ebonji
  • Ekomtolo (Has an outer marginal band in the unpaired fins comprising mainly pale blue although some yellow can be seen.
  • Kumba
  • Mambanda (western Cameroon) GPE 90/17
  • Modiva River
  • Nlohé
  • Téké CXC 21
  • Téké HLM 99 / 6
  • CCMP 84 / 28 (Mambanba)
  • CCMPT 84 / 25
  • CCMPT 84 / 28
  • CCP 82 / 5 - Collected along the road from Loum near Kumba in a brook which drained into the River Moungo. Water temperature 25.2'C
  • CLMM 95 - 5 km from Mungo river to Kumba
  • HLM 99 / 4
  • HLM 99 / 6
  • K1
  • K2
  • Location 26

A.aff.celiae

  • Bekili (western Cameroon)

Badouma.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

Téké CXC 21
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

A.celiae in the BKA 2002 convention.
Photo courtesy of Roger Gladwell

CCMPT 84 / 2
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

 

CCMPT 84 / 25
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

Téké HLM 99 / 6
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

Mambanda (top) & south of Badouma (bottom). Drawings by Frank Cochrane 1991.

Form circulated in the BKA
Photo courtesy of Pat Rimmer

 

Badouma - Collected in 1973 in the Modiba River (Baduma water) 4 km to the south of Baduma on the road to Kumba.

Type Locality

Small brook close to John Epie's house, Mambanda which is close to Kumba, western Cameroon.

Distribution

Central Mungo drainage system south from Badouma, south west Cameroon. Scheel measured a pH 6.8 - 7.0, TH (Hardness) 7. Blair recorded (January 1969) pH 6.6 - 7.0, TH 0 - 6, air temperature (?) 24 - 26'C.

Habitat

Rainforest brooks & streams near Kumba, western Cameroon, also secondary savannah.
Scheel recorded these parameters in January (see history section):-

Source: 24°C pH 6·2, DH 0
Brook: 26°C pH 6·2, DH 0
Mayefe River: 25°C pH 7·6, DH <1

In March 2 brooks measured north of Mambanda 24°C pH 6·8, - 7, DH 4.

Sympatric sp. include Epiplatys sexfasciatus & Procatopus similis (Mambanda).

Distinguishing Characteristics

Caudal fin which has an outer marginal crescent all round of yellow with a dark brown sub marginal band sometimes seperated with a band of white.A.celiae winifredae has a wider yellow crescent.

The only sp. A.celiae can be confused with is Fundulopanchax cinnamomeum which is a good deal heavier in the body.

The K1 & K2 forms imported in 1971 were found to produce more colourful offspring reportedly in 3 variants.

Variant 1.
Body colour almost entirely dark metallic green on which lighter green mettalic colour were present, very few dark spots present. The caudal fin had the usual patterning but the yellow in this & the dorsal & anal was more intense than the wild fish. The yellow inner margins in these fins were wider & the red was of a brighter hue than the wild fish
Variant 2.
An almost entire pinkish body colour carrying some purplish to dark red spots. Caudal fin had the usual patterning but the colouration of the crescent was orange which was also seen in the dorsal & anal fins.. The pelvic & pectorals were bright orange.
Variant 3.
A purplish body colour with dark metallic green spots overlaid. The yellow colouration was also much brighter in the unpaired fins than the wild fish.
Colour/Pattern Variability Fairly low. See above.
History

Clausen & Scheel collected in Cameroon in 1968 & found a fish resembling 'cinnamomeum. These were found in an area south of the then known range of 'cinnamomeum 4 miles north of Kumba.
Scheel returned to this area in January 1969 & collected similar fish just north of the Kumba / Mamfe / Loum road junction at a place called Mambanda. These were collected in a stream near the house of John Epie. The stream was reported as starting at this point.
Scheel described the fish as A.celiae in 1971 in honour of John Epie's daughter, Celia.

J.J.Scheel described this sp. in the TFH magazine of January 1971. Prior to this date the BKA imported them from a wild shipment sent from Cameroon by David Blair. These were then named 'K1' & 'K2'.

The following 4 photo's were taken in Cameroon in 1973.

John Epie (father of Celia), A.Radda & J.Scheel. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

A family from Cameroon. A.Radda, John Epie, & J.Scheel. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

A.Radda, J.Scheel & Peter Winter. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

A.Radda , P.Winter & J.Scheel. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl.
Breeding Notes

A fairly easy species to breed. Tanks should be shaded. Eggs are laid in top & bottom mops & take 17-22 days of water incubation. Growth is fairly quick with maturity taking around 5 months.

Peat fibre can also be used as a spawning medium which can be taken out with the eggs & semi-dry incubated for 3-4 weeks.

When they first appeared in the BKA during 1971 it was noted that they spawned in a set up with half an inch of peat on the base, water temperature 73°F, DH 2, pH 6·7. Eggs were laid in floating or partially submerged mops. Eggs were numerous & they could be left in the adults tank. Water incubation period was 12-14 days (also given as 13-15 days in newsletter No.64). It was reported that the sp. lays resting eggs in the ratio of 3 to 1. Fry were large on hatching but growth was slow with colouration not showing through until they reached about one and a half inches. Frequent water changes were advised as the fry seemed susceptible to a build up of bacteria (probably nitrites were the cause of the problem).

A report in BKA Newsletter No. 312, Sept. 1991 by Frank Cochrane suggests the best way to breed this sp. is to leave them alone in a well planted tank. Adults do not seem to molest the young if fed well. Adding newly hatched brine shrimp to the tank can be taken by the adults & young.
On hatching the fry tend to stay near the surface of the peat bottom. Fry can be spooned off when they get to the surface in a week or two. If you take the eggs off & incubate in a seperate tum you can expect hatching to take place in 21 days+. Fry left in the parents tank seem to grow on faster.
This is not a fast growing sp. It can take 6 months to reach sexual maturity.

Jim Gasior in BKA Newsletter No.382 July 1997 bred them in water of pH 7·6, DH 10. It was found that times between 50% water changes of longer than 2 weeks resulted in poor fish colour & reduced egg production. Slow growth rate with sexing out at 4-5 months.

Diameter of Egg 1.3mm.
Remarks

This sp. is an expert jumper & will escape from the smallest of cracks in the cover glass.
Jim Gasior noted that the species was common in the US in 1972-73 but by the early 1980's proved difficult to find.