Aphyosemion musafirii J.R.van der Zee & R.Sonnenberg 2011

A.musafirii AVD 01
Photo courtesy of Karsten Keibel

Meaning of Name

Named after Dr.Jean Musafiri coordinator for the national tuberculosis and leprosy control programme in the “Province Orientale occidentale”, the huge forest area around Kisangani.
The name Musafiri means “traveller” in Swahili.
First Description

Jouke R. Van der Zee & Rainer Sonnenberg 2011

Bonn zoological Bulletin Volume 60 Issue 1 pp. 73–87 Bonn, May 2011.

Aphyosemion musafirii (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae), a new species from the Tshopo Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with some notes on the Aphyosemion of the Congo Basin.
Size

36·7mm SL male (holotype). Female (paratypes) 33·5mm SL.
Meristics D=7-9, A= 13-15, D/A=+7-10, ll=29-31.
Karyotype

Sub-Genus

Aphyosemion
Group

Closely related to A.castaneum, A.polli, A.lamberti, A.rectogoense, and A.congicum.
Synonyms  
Populations
  • AVD 01
  • AVD 02
  • AVD 07 / 1
  • Romée River, 50 km West of Kisangani

 

Holotype
Photo courtesy of Jouke van der Zee

 

  
  • AVD 01 - Collected 67 km on the road from Kisangani to Ubundu, Democratic Republic of Congo by A.Van Deun, 22nd October 2007.
  • AVD 02 - Collected 7 km north of Ubundu, Democratic Republic of Congo, by A.Van Deun, 22nd October.2007.
Type Locality

Described from specimens collected 67 km on the Kisangani-Ubundu road near Ubundu (Ruiki River, Congo Basin, Tshopo Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Distribution

Tributaries of the Ruiki and Romée Rivers which are small tributaries on the left bank of the Congo River between Kisangani & Ubundu..
Habitat

The area of distribution is 450 m above sea level.
Distinguishing Characteristics

Broad red outer margin in the dorsal fin. Differs from its closest relative A.castaneum by the absense of a red band in the central part of the anal fin.
A.musafirii have less spots in the caudal fin than A.christyi.
Colour/Pattern Variability Can be variable (at least with those shown in the descriptive paper). The red outer margins in the unpaired fins can vary in thickness (this can be wide in the dorsal fin). Anal fin also can be variable in the amount of red spots.
History

In 2007, A. Van Deun (Leuven, Belgium) collected a species of Aphyosemion with the same colour pattern as the three previous collections from the Romée and Ruiki Rivers, at two localities just north of Ubundu on the left bank of the Congo River.
The species was described on the basis of colouration in live males & an analysis of DNA.
Breeding Notes

Diameter of Egg
Remarks