Roger's stock from Alan Cavill. Photo courtesy of Roger Gladwell

Roger's stock from Tom Soper. Photo courtesy of Roger Gladwell

Roger made an article up for this population after some research....

Notes on The Fundulopanchax from Butatong RIM2001by Roger Gladwell 55-5

A few years ago Richard Markham contacted me in regards to some of gardneri type fish he had caught while working in Nigeria and was maintaining at home, but would possibly need to pass on due to career commitments and sent me some photo's of two, one caught in the highlands Ikom-Basua area and one in lower location around Calabar area. If asked would I be prepared to take some on, my reply was a resounding YES!!. However nothing further was heard, later I learnt he had made alternative arrangements and what was left, was passed on to the south west group.

I was eventually able to obtain some specimens from Alan Cavill and some further specimens from Tom Soper, for comparison, which nothing like the specimens in the photo's and a new location tag Butatong, which Richard had not mentioned at all in the e-mails. Where in the blazes is Butatong I thought, because though Ikom, and Basua are on my maps Butatong certainly was not. Well it had to be somewhere in the area as he had been working his way up the road towards Obudu cattle ranch, so it had to be between Basua and the ranch which I had now established is a hotel resort established by Scottish ex- pats.
By entering Butatong, Nigeria on Google I found out that Butatong is the area HQ for the northern part of the Cross River National Park (Okwango division). It has Rangers and guides and is part of the Gorilla research dept. Its open for bird watching, jungle trekking and really serious research and its supposingly in walking distance (a few kilometres) from the ranch. OK, you can also go by vehicle for the less energetic, and guess what ! It's still is not on my map.
The area is drained by the Oyi, Bemi and Okon rivers which in turn drain into the Cross River system, and is mainly dense rain forest. Just for reference the southern part of the park, the Oban Hills is contiguous with Korup NP in Cameroon and to the north-east of Butatong village is Obudu, which seems to be flanked by tributaries that flow into the Cross to its south and also into the Benue- Niger to its north

The fish appeared to be standard yellow nigerianum form, but to me seemed that they were poor colour versions of the original fish, (only a feeling mind you) which might be the case, as time progressed and I bred a number of generations the amount of red dots and blotches began to increase in some specimens, the odd one or two putting their siblings in the shade, this of course could partly be due to selection, and a great deal of in breeding, over total natural progression. But there is a increase in the size of red spots and pronounced blue line running along the bottom finnage, rather than a hint of one which is present in the others.

Breeding seems to be standard in top to bottom mops, hatched in water 12-20 days, though not hugely profilic at times. Parents tend not to predate a great deal if any on young spawned in the tank.
On peat 4-6 weeks have to date produced reasonable hatches, however suspect, could be lengthened to obtain more co-ordinated hatching. I have found in my case that slightly peaty water at DH 5, pH 6.8-7.0 gets them breeding.
COMMENT
If this fish is a nigerianum then it's a rebel (along with Akamkpa) as it's a long way from the Jos (the original nigerianum area ) and its chose a Cross trib unlike the others, mainly choosing a Niger Tributary to swim up.