A.raddai
collected at the junction of the Edea-Eseka-Yaounde roads, Gabon.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl
Meaning of Name |
After Dr.A.C.Radda |
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First Description |
Scheel J.J 1975. Another new species of Aphyosemion from the Cameroons Journal of the American Killifish Association (9): p 259-263, map. |
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Size |
4.5 cm |
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Meristics |
D = 10-13, A = 14-17, ll = 31-34 (Scheel 1975) |
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Karyotype |
n = 16, A = 22 (Scheel 1975) |
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Sub-Genus |
Mesoaphyosemion |
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Group |
cameronense |
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Synonyms |
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Populations
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AM-JU - Scheel & Clausen collected a fish in 1966 which was identical with 'meinkeni'. Live fish were brought back & this code was applied. Sympatric sp. included Epiplatys esekanus. Boumnyebel - Gresens & Armbruster collected A.raddai in February/March 2009 near this village. Photo in DKG newsletter 42 (1). C 89 / 28 Mode/Matomb - 7km north of Boumnyébel. Collected by Eberl et al 14th July 1989. The biotope was a standing pool about 20 metres long & slightly less wide. The base was thick mud & decaying leaves & water depth was 30cms. Marsh gas (Hydrogon sulphide) bubbled up to the surface. This gave the area a bad egg smell. In 2 hours 3 adult pairs were collected. A small stream ran from the pool where half grown A.raddai were collected in large numbers. In this area the base was gravel with wood blocking the stream. A few males & 15 females were taken from this biotope. CFE 02 / 10 - A few hundred metres from location KEK 98 / 23. EMS 90 / 1 - Lepku'um, 10km south of Eséka EMS 90 / 9 - Log Bako´o, 6km east of Pouma HAH 98 (Possibly Eseka Road) - http://www.inkmaker.net/Fish/cameroonPIX/pages/RADDAI2.htm St.Louis Area Killifish Association KEK 98 / 5 -
Manguingués - EMS 90 / 1 - Stream Lepku'um, 10 km south of Eséka. Manyaï - Gresens &
Armbruster collected A.raddai
in February/March 2009 near this village. Photo in DKG newsletter
42 (1). Medouneu -
Modé - C 89 / 28 - Frontier Collections - These may or may not be raddai or obscurum - Bondjock, KEK 98 / 23, ABL 08 / 268 (a few kms west of Makak). Seperated by a thin black outer margin in unpaired fins.
KEK 98 / 23 - Aphyosemion spec followed by the location name is perhaps a more correct naming of these fish.
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Type Locality |
A brook to the south of the Eseka-Edea-Yaoundé road junction of west-central Cameroon near Boumnyébel. Collected by A.C.Radda. |
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Distribution |
The slopes of the southern Cameroon Plateau in
an area between the Sanaga & Nyong Rivers. It is considered (Eberl in BKA newsletter No. 553, March/April 2013) that fish collected in the area of KEK 98 / 23 & ABL 08 / 268 may represent a different undescribed species. This area is on the frontier of raddai & obscurum. These fish have a thin black outer margin in unpaired fins. |
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Habitat |
Rainforest brooks where they inhabit quieter areas of fast flow. |
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Distinguishing Characteristics | I
found the caudal fin & caudal peduncle was generally quite dark in
the fish I have kept previously. Also three distinctive horizontal rows
of red spots forming lines run from behind the gill cover to the caudal
peduncle. Seperated from it's close geographical neighbour (A.obscurum) in the anal fin. raddai has 2 red horizontal lines in the anal fin. obscurum generally has a red submarginal band with red spots between this & the body. Eberl reported A.raddai to have an 'infra-buccal band (around the mouth)'. BKA newsletter No.553, March/April 2013. |
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Colour/Pattern Variability | Low | |||||||||||||||||
History |
In 1930 a batch of fish were received by Platy-Tischrunde
of Hamburg. In a bag containing Aphyosemion
cameronense an unknown form was found, a pair of which were
sent to Dr.Norman of the British Museum (Natural History), London. In 1932 Meinken created the name Panchax (Aphyosemion) pictus for some fish being kept in Germany at the time. These were imported by Platy-Tischrunde of Hamburg in 1930. Meinken sent 2 preserved individuals to Norman at the British Museum Myers, in his revision of 1933, found the name pictus to be preoccupied with Panchax pictum & redescribed them Aphyosemion meinkeni Myers 1933. Collected by Scheel & Clausen in 1966. In 1973 Radda collected them on the Edea-Eseka-Yaounde road junction. He had doubts these were A.meinkeni (the name of the sp. at this time) & sent material he collected to Scheel who considered they were a new sp. & named them Aphyosemion raddai. Some fish had already been distributed in Germany at this time under the meinkeni name & this caused some confusion. 1990 - Eberl & others tried to find this
location but the road was replaced by a newly asphalted surface in 1987/88.
This now called the Axe Lourd. The old road was difficult to negotiate
& may have reverted back to jungle. Discovered again between Boumnyébel
& Matomb along the Route Ancienne & later Axe Lourd. |
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Breeding Notes |
Regarded as fairly difficult. I have raised a few fish up. Breeding was accomplished in cooler tanks set up on the bottom row of the fish house. Eggs although few were collected off top & bottom mops. Water incubation is around 14 days although Sterba in Freshwater Fishes reports 12 at the earliest.. Regarded as being quite fast growing although mine seemed a little slow. Sexual maturity is regarded as taking around 6 months. John Buytaert wrote an article in the Belgian
association newsletter which was reprinted in the BKA newsletter No.157,
September 1978 where he considered the females to be avid egg eaters
& only one female should be used for breeding. |
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Diameter of Egg | 1.3mm | |||||||||||||||||
Remarks |
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