Aphyosemion louessense (Pellegrin 1931)

A.louessense FCCO 2013 / 11 Wild Fish
Photo courtesy of Christian Cauvet

Meaning of Name

After the Louessé River from whence they come from.
First Description

Pellegrin J. 1931.

Poissons de la Louessé (Kouilou) recueillis par M.A.Baudon, description d'une variété nouvelle.'

Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France 56: p 221.
Size

6 cm
Meristics
  • D = 11, A = 14, ll = 31 (Pellegrin 1931)
  • D = 12-14, A = 15-16, ll = 31-32 (Radda & Pürzl 1987)
Karyotype

n = 20, A = 37 (Scheel 1981)
Sub-Genus

Mesoaphyosemion
Group

ogoense
Synonyms
  • Haplochilus lujae var.louessensis Pellegrin 1931
  • Aphyosemion louessense Daget & Stauch 1968
  • Aphyosemion louessense pop.paucipunctatum Huber & Radda 1979 (nomen nudum)
  • Aphyosemion louessense pop.variatum Huber & Radda 1979 (nomen nudum)
  • Aphyosemion sp.Malinga Huber 1980
Populations
  • Gandji
  • Kingouma (southern Congo) (known in 2 colour forms, light & dark)
  • Lekoli Magogo (south of Komono, southern Congo)
  • Malinga (southern Gabon)
  • Niari-Kouilla Junction (Congo)
  • Obilly
  • Sibiti
  • Tongo (southern Congo)
  • Yanga (southern Congo)
  • CMBB 89 / 3 Gandji
  • FCCO 2013 / 6 - Mikamba - spec.aff.louessense
  • FCCO 2013 / 9 - Moudamba - spec.aff.louessense
  • FCCO 2013 / 10 - Gnimi - spec.aff.louessense
  • FCCO 2013 / 11 - Mbaka
  • JH 212 Malinga (May be a distinct new sp)
  • NSC 4
  • RPC 24
  • RPC 31
  • RPC 32
  • RPC 33 Kingouama
  • RPC 91 / 13 Obilly
  • JH 78 / 169

A.aff.louessense FCCO 2013 / 6 - Mikamba Wild Fish
Photo courtesy of Christian Cauvet

A.aff.louessense FCCO 2013 / 9 - Moudamba Wild Fish
Photo courtesy of Christian Cauvet

A.aff.louessense FCCO 2013 / 10 - Gnimi Wild Fish
Photo courtesy of Christian Cauvet

Gandji CMBB 89 / 3
Photo courtesy of Mike Packwood

 

A.louessense 'Pürzl's strain' circulating in the AKA for a time.
Photo: Courtesy of Lennie MacKowiak.

A.louessense RPC 78 / 24 circulating in the US around 1980. Photo: Courtesy of Lennie MacKowiak

A.louessense RPC 78 / 31 circulating in the US around 1980.
Photo: Courtesy of Lennie MacKowiak

A.louessense RPC 78 / 32 circulating in the US around 1980.
Photo: Courtesy of Lennie MacKowiak

Circulating in the BKA 2000 as
A.louessense 33 / 10.

RPC 78 / 168
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

JH 78 / 169
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

 

JH 212 - Also known as GJH 212 & various 212 Malinga namings. Collected by Dr.J.H.Huber in 1979 a few kms northwest of Malinga. Huber reported that wild females had a 'heavily spotted body' & males have 'red transverse lines which run together & are more irregular than thysi'. Karyotype on this population n = 20, A = 38 (at the time this information was prepared an insufficient number of specimens had been examined & this was cosidered a tentative finding).
This fish may be an undescribed species & should be referred to as A.spec.idem GJH 212.

Malinga. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Malinga female. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Malinga
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

Malinga
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

JH 212 Malinga (I photographed 1982)

JH 212 Malinga old male.
This was the same fish as shown on left. Note fin extensions.

RPC 78 / 33 - Wild fish had strong yellow bands in the caudal fin. Huber & Radda gave this location the name of A.cf.louessense 'viarum'.

A.louessense RPC 78 / 33 Kingouama. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

A.louessense RPC 78 / 33 male distributed in the BKA. Photo courtesy of Pat Rimmer

A.louessense RPC 78 / 33 female distributed in the BKA. Photo courtesy of Pat Rimmer

A.louessense RPC 78 / 33 distributed in the BKA.
Photo courtesy of Pat Rimmer

RPC 78 / 33 male
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

RPC 78 / 33 female
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

A.louessense RPC 78 / 33 circulating in the US around 1980.
Photo: Courtesy of Lennie MacKowiak

Collected by Bitter & Grell in 1993 at location GBG 93/20. This collection did not live long in captivity but a photo exists by Grell in COFE 2012, DKG Supplement 12/2014.
This was again collected by Eberl & Fellmann in 2012 on the COFE 2012 expedition. Locations COFE 2012/3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8.
It is considered by some that this location may represent a distinct new species. They are (2014) still found in the hobby as GJH 212 & possibly COFE 2012 locations. For the same of correct naming they should be referred to as A.spec. idem GJH 212.
RPC 78 / 24 - Wild fish were quite small & were reported to look like miniature Fp.amieti. Regarded at the time to be the most colourful of the louessense from this collection.
RPC 78 / 31 - Regarded at the time as being similar to the 24 location but they proved to be more sensitive to water conditions & regular water changes were essential. Huber & Radda gave this location the name A.cf.louessense.
RPC 78 / 32 - Wild fish were reportedly spawned in rainwater & tapwater at 13 DH equally well. This was the odd ball in the louessense collected in this trip being less marked, with a more compressed body. The fins too differed. Best maintained in a tank with a dark base to show best colouration. Huber & Radda gave this location the name of A.cf.louessense 'paucipunctatum'.

Type Locality

Louessé River.
Distribution

The inland plateau of southern Congo, in the Bouenza, Kouilou (formerly Louessé), Lefali & upper Nyanga River drainage systems. Also, in southern Gabon, in the Nyanga River drainage.
Habitat

Small rainforest or forested savannah streams & pools. They are usually found in the shallowest of areas.
Distinguishing Characteristics  
Colour/Pattern Variability Fairly high. Variability of pattern/colour is common within a single population. The Kingouma population is known as a light & a dark form, both are strikingly different.
History

Pellegrin decribed the species in 1931 from a single specimen collected in the Louesse River which is a tributary of the Kouilou River, former French Congo.

Imported to the UK & distributed by BKA Species Import Committee July/August 1979. This population was RPC 31. RPC 24 was distributed in September 1979.
Breeding Notes

Some populations are easier to breed than others. What breeds well for one breeder may not do as well for another. Eggs can be collected regularly & hatched in a seperate container where they will take 15-20 days to hatch. Sexual maturity is attained at about 6 months.

The RPC 24 population is considered best bred by leaving the eggs untouched on the mop.

Stan Langdon reported on the RPC 78 / 33 population in BKA newsletter No.211, March 1983. He bred them in 70% rainwater, 20% boiled tapwater & 10% water from an established tank. Java moss & Ceratopteris were included along with a brown mop. The fish were fed white worm & flake. He considered them non prolific but consistent in breeding.
Water changes appear to halt spawning. Stan takes fry out of the parents tank & raises them in seperate tanks. Anyone seeing Stan's fish on the auction bench will see this method works for him.

Jaroslav Kadlec in BKA Newsletter No.390, March 1998 considered best temperature range from 18 - 23°C. Water of pH 5·8 - 6·5, less than 2 DH. Eggs deposited on peat fibre, plants or mops take 15 - 30 days to hatch. Fry are 4 - 4·1mm on hatching & take newly hatched brine shrimp. Growth is slow taking 3-4 weeks to get to 1cm. Sexing out starts at 3-4 months.
Jaroslav found a bias towards females where 43 fry sexed out at 4 males & 39 females. This was the Malinga population.
Diameter of Egg  
Remarks