RCA 91/3 taken at the 2001 BKA convention
through a rather scratched plastic tank.
Meaning of Name |
After Dr. E.Decorse who originally collected this species with Auguste Chevalier. | |||||||||||
First Description |
Pellegrin J. 1904. Cyprinodontidés nouveaux du Congo et de l'Oubanghi. Bulletin de Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 10 (5), p 223. | |||||||||||
Size |
5 cm | |||||||||||
Meristics |
D = 8-9, A = 13-14, ll =25-28 (Pellegrin 1904)(Scheel examined these preserved fish & found the lateral line scale count to be 28-32 with a mean number of 30). | |||||||||||
Karyotype |
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Sub-Genus |
Aphyosemion | |||||||||||
Group |
elegans | |||||||||||
Synonyms |
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Populations
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RCA 82/3 - This code may be a corruption of RCA 83/2 as I can find no record of the 1982 collection. Jouke Vdz also kindly informed me of an article in Killi Revue (KCF) October 1984 of the 1983 collection by Pierre Moreau.
RCA 91 -
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Type Locality |
Bessou (north of the Oubanghi River)(modern maps do not show this location apart from a Bessou River of southern Central African Republic.). | |||||||||||
Distribution |
The middle Oubanghi River drainage system of southern Central African Republic. Their range is also thought to extend into northern Congo & northern Zaire. The type locality appears to be seperated from the Central Congo drainage by rapids. | |||||||||||
Habitat |
Rainforested areas where they inhabit small streams, brooks & swampy areas. | |||||||||||
Distinguishing Characteristics | ||||||||||||
Colour/Pattern Variability | Low | |||||||||||
History |
Pellegrin based his original description on 5 specimens
collected by Chevalier & Decorse at Bessou (Oubanghi?) which is situated in
the northern area of the Central Congo drainage. He considered them closest to
Aplocheilichthys spilauchen. In 1924 Myers reservedly placed them in Aphyosemion whereas Poll in 1952 put them in Epiplatys. | |||||||||||
Breeding Notes |
M.W.Jones reported in BKA newsletter No. 334, July 1993. The fish were nervous & laid in 'spasms'. Fish bred in pH 6·6, GH 5 at 72°F. Eggs hatched in 14-21 days at a temperature of 72°F. These were all female. Norbert Kuhlman in BKA newsletter No. 334, July
1993 reported that they prefer to lay in bottom mops. Eggs were collected
daily & stored on moist peat. Storing at 24°C the eggs eyed
up rapidly but at different rates. First eggs eyed up in 12 days. He
waited a further 7 days so as to get a bigger uniform hatch but these
early eyed up eggs died. | |||||||||||
Diameter of Egg | ||||||||||||
Remarks |
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