Aphyosemion primigenium Radda & Huber 1977

A.primigenium. Photo courtesy of Peter Venstermans

Meaning of Name

Primitive (considered to be the ancestor of the striatum group).
First Description

Radda A.C. & Huber J.H. 1977.

Cyprinodontidae Studien aus Gabun V - Das Tiefland West Gabun und die Mayumbe Berge.

Aquaria 24 : p 138-146, figure 1, map.

Also published in a BKA seperatum in English.
Size

4.5 cm
Meristics

D = 12-13, A = 14-15, D/A = +5-6, ll = 29-31+2-3) (Radda & Huber 1977).
Karyotype

n = 11, A = 21 (Scheel 1981.
Sub-Genus

Mesoaphyosemion
Group

striatum
Synonyms

None
Populations
  • Makaboa (southwestern Gabon)
  • Ndendé (southwestern Gabon)
  • G 80 / 1
  • G 80 / 14
  • GB 23 / 90
  • GBN 88 / 6
  • GBN 88 / 8
  • GBN 88 / 10 (Sometimes reffered to as aff.primigenium)
  • GBG 93 / 28
  • GEB 94 / 21 - 4 km west of Bandi
  • GHP 85 - 2 unknown collection points
  • GJS 00 / 17 -
  • GJS 00 / 18 - Kanda
  • GJS 00 / 19 - Lebamba - Ndendé
  • GJS 00 / 21 - Moussambou
  • GJS 00 / 22 - Douengui
  • GJS 00 / 26 - Bandi - .aff.primigenium
  • GJP 80 / 1
  • JH 76 / 23 - 20 km N Lebamba
  • JH 76 / 24 - 1 km W Lebamba to N´dendé
  • JH 76 / 25 - near Makabana to Tchibanga
  • JH 76 / 27 - near Banyanga
  • JH 79 / 202 - 3 km N N´dendé
  • JH 79 / 203 - 12 km NE Tchibnga
  • PEG 93 / 1 - Baraka, 70 km south of Lambarene
  • PEG 93 / 2
  • PEG 93 / 26

Lébamba, Gabon.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Photo courtesy of Günther Schmaus.

 

A.primigenium circulating in the US around 1980. Could this be G 76/27 ?
Photo: Courtesy of Lennie MacKowiak

G 76 - Collected by Radda, Pürzl & Huber, Gabon 1976. Collected at locations 23, 24, 25 & 27.
Lébamba G76 / 23 - Collected at an altitude of 250 metres.
Location 27 was the type locality.

Wild male collected near Banyanga
G 76 / 27. This was the type locality.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

   

G 80 / 1 -

G80 / 1

G80 / 1
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

 

GBN 88 / 6 - Small stream crossing the road, 20 kms southwest of Mbadi towards Moabi. Bamboo forested area of average height. Deepest part was 1 metre. A 10 metre length was blocked off for fishing. Fish collected were Plataplochilus chalcopyrus, Epiplatys singa, E.huberi, Ctenopoma nanum, Chromidotilapia sp., Hemichromis elongatus, Barbus sp. Five blotches, B.cf.holotaenia, B.cf.guirali & Aphyosemion primigenium.
 The A.primigenium was found at the water edges under overhanging vegetation. Found in sunny areas with a water temperature of 27°C.

GBN 88/6
Photo courtesy of Mike Packwood

 

 

GBN 88 / 7 - Likely to be located between location GBN 88 / 6 & Moabi. Bitter comments that this collection was 'intense red'.

GBN 88 / 8 - Stream east of Moabi.

GBN 88 / 8
Photo courtesy of Mike Packwood

    

GBN 88 / 10 - Stream, 100·5 kms from the Mbadi crossroads in the direction of Tchibanga. Between the villages of Mourindi & Boukalou.
This collection differs from other A.primigenium due to the 2 red lines running horizontally through the body. Also, this location is some way from others collected on this trip. It is perhaps better to call these A.aff.primigenium for the time being.

GBN 88 / 10
Photo courtesy of Mike Packwood

GBN 88 / 10
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

  

GBN 88 / 16 - Stream 30·5 kms from Tchibanga in the direction of Ndendé. Bitter reports these similar to those collected at Lebama.

GEB 94 / 21 - Stream, located a few kms west of Bandi towards Mouila. Intense yellow colouration in unpaired fins. Eberl commented that this was a prolific population based on observations by Thomas Blum who had wild fish to breed with.

GEB 94 / 21
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

GEB 94 / 21
Photo courtesy of Bill Shenefelt

  

GJP 80 / 1 -

GJS 00 / 18 - Kanda - A large fish collected at an altitude of 240 metres. Small stream. A.primigenium were large & numerous.

GJS 00 / 18 Kanda
Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl

GJS 00 / 18 Kanda

GJS 00 / 18 Kanda
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

GJS 00 / 26 - Bandi - Stream called the Modyambi in the middle of the village, crossing the road. This was a place the women wash there clothes. Fish collecting was done on the opposite side of the road. Water temperature 22°C, pH 6·2, conductivity 43 µs. Elevation 200 metres.

A.aff.primigenium GJS 00 / 26 Bandi
Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl

   

Lébamba - A city close to the Ngounie River, Gabon.

 
Type Locality

A brook which feeds the Douano River subsystem (Nyanga), close to Banyanga in the Mayumbe Mountains rainforest (altitude 250m). JH 76 / 27.
Distribution

Southwestern Gabon in the Nyanga & Dole-N'-Gounie River drainages between Mouila & Bdede-Lébamba.
Habitat

Small rainforest brooks. I have readings taken at a biotope but don't know which one. Water temperature 19·5 - 24·3°C, conductivity 22-96 µ, 0·25 - 2·35°DH. Syntopic species include E.multifasciatus, E.ansorgii, Plataplocheilus sp., Ctenopoma sp., Barbus holotaenia, Barbus sp., Hemichromis fasciatus & Nannocharax sp.

Biotope of A.primigenium near Ndende, Gabon.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Biotope of A.primigenium at Lébamba, Gabon.
Photo: Courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

Location of GJS 00 / 18. Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl

Location of GJS 00 / 18. Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl

GJS 00 / 19 - Lebamba - Ndendé
Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl.
Distinguishing Characteristics  
Colour/Pattern Variability Medium
History

It was imported in 1980 but little is known about imports up to 1990 where Friedrich Bitter records in BKA Killi-News No.293 (Feb.1990) a collection. The collection area at this time is only accessible by 2 decent roads; the N1 isfairly wide for a length of around 200 kms, connecting Libreville along the coast with towns to the south.
This road was well known to collectors who collected near towns such as Mouila, Ndende & Mbadi (formally known as Mboungou).
Breeding Notes

I have kept various populations over the years - G 80/1, GBN 88/8, GBN 88/10. I had harder water at DH 10 & they spawned OK in this. Always managed to raise some fry on.

Jaroslav Kadlec in BKA No.357, June 1995 writes a breeding report - Water used for breeding was harder than normal at 8DH, carbonate hardness up to 5. Water temperature 22-25°C. Incubation of eggs in water took 14-30 days depending on temperature. Cooler water prolongs hatching. Newly hatched fry are 4·2 - 4·3 mm in length & are transparent & tea coloured. Newly hatched brine shrimp was taken as a first food.
Growth is relatively slow. After 2 weeks they measure 6-7 mm in length & at 1 month 1 cm. Sexing out starts at 4 months with full colouration at 7-9 months.

Mr.K.Szafranek in DKG Journal 22 (3), May 1990 reported storing eggs in moist peat for 21 days.

Steve Davidson in BKA newsletter No.417, June 2000 reported having a lot of eggs fungus in water incubation & had very few fungus when stored on damp peat. Eggs are misted with water now & again. Incubation was 18 days using this method. Fry were able to take newly hatched brine shrimp. Growth rate was slow but steady.

Wolfgang Eberl reported results from Thomas Blum in BKA newsletter No.497, February 2007. He starts with GBN 88 / 8 - bred in 3 ways. First method used spawning mops. Water was pH 6·5, hardness 10° German, temperature 22°C. Salt was added at 1 teaspoon per 10 litres. Over 3 days eggs from 2 pairs yielded 44, 18 & 24 eggs. Eggs removed & water stored with some Cilex anti fungal treatment. First fry hatched after 16 days & the last after 22 days. Hatching rate was 80%. Fry mortalities due to not being able to escape the egg shell.
The second method was to let the fish spawn over peat fibre for two days. The peat was removed & dried. Wetting after 30 days produced 30 fry.
The third method was the natural way of setting fish up in aplanted tank & removing them when the first fry appeared. Using this method & one trio about 50 young fish were raised but grew at varying rates due to the period between laying.
Raising the fry was no problem & newly hatched brine shrimp was given as a first food. Growth rate is quite fast with young able to breed after 6 months. At 8 months the fish are adult.
Johann Gruber in the same newsletter reports breeding GBN 88 / 10 in a tank with water of 10°German hardness, temperature 19-23°C. Three pairs were added with 4 mops, peat & Alder cones. Over a 5 day period 30 eggs were taken out & put on wet peat at a temperature of 23°C. After 3 weeks the peat was wet & all eggs hatched. Sex ratio was 1:1.
Diameter of Egg  
Remarks

I found this sp. particularly susceptible to dropsy. Other aquarists keeping this sp. have had similar experiences. This is a sp. which does best in clean aquaria with regular water changes.