Fundulopanchax mirabilis mirabilis (Radda 1970)
Meaning of Name |
Splendid or miraculous. |
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First Description |
Radda A.C. 1970 (Aphyosemion mirabile). Vorläufige zweier neuer Unterarten neuen Art der Gattung Aphyosemion Myers aus Westkamerun. Aquaria 4: p 58-61, figure. |
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Size |
6 cm |
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Meristics |
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Karyotype |
n = 18-19, A = 30 (Radda 1974) |
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Sub-Genus |
Paraphyosemion |
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Group |
gardneri |
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Synonyms |
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Populations
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Type Locality |
Near the village of Mbio on the road from Mamfe to Kumba, western Cameroon. They were caught in a small brook. |
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Distribution |
Restricted to the upper Cross River drainage system, western Cameroon. |
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Habitat |
Swampy areas of small rainforest streams some of which may be seasonal. |
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Distinguishing Characteristics | Mbio
can be distinguished from Takwai by outer marginal bands to the caudal
fin. Takwai lacks any outer marginal banding to this fin & shows only
a feint marking in the outer margins of the dorsal fin. Takwai is somewhat unique in having a completely spotted caudal without any outer marginal bands. |
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Colour/Pattern Variability |
Low Yellow & blue phenotypes exist in this subspecies. |
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History |
Originally collected by Dr.A.C.Radda from the type locality. A description appeared in BKA newsletter No.79, March 1972. Later collected by G. Chiambeng, 12th January 2001 in Korup National Park, Cameroon. |
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Breeding Notes |
I found this subspecies fairly easy to breed,
laying eggs on bottom mops mainly. Eggs were taken out & placed
in a seperate container. Water incubation takes around 21 days depending
on temperature but can go to 35 days in cooler conditions. I placed
eggs on wet peat which incubated for around 4 weeks. B.Moore in BKA newsletter No.207, November 1982
gave a report as breeding them in a 12" square tank filled with
rainwater with a teaspoonful of salt per gallon. Water temperature 72-74°F.
Lighting was subdued & cork was floated in the tank. No substrate
was put on the tank floor. A single brown floating mop was used for
breeding. Eggs were laid at all levels on this mop. |
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Diameter of Egg | |||
Remarks |
A nice site on these subsp. can be found at http://www.aquaristik-online.de/aquaristikaktuell/97-5/mirabile.htm |