Scriptaphyosemion fredrodi (Vandersmissen, Etzel & Berkenkamp 1980)

For photos see...
http://www.nakashima.org/groloffia_fredrodi.htm

Meaning of Name

After Fred Wright & Rod Roberts, the original collectors - Fred & Rod.

First Description

Vandersmissen J.P., Etzel V. & Berkenkamp H.O. 1980.

Description de Roloffia fredrodi spec. nov., un nouveau Cyprinodontidae de Sierra Leone (Pisces, Cyprinodontidae).

AKFB-Publ. 8 (6): p.1-20, 1980.

Size

5 cm in males.

Meristics

D=13, A=16.

Karyotype

n=21.

Sub-Genus

 

Group

 

Synonyms
  • Roloffia fredrodi Vandersmissen, Etzel & Berkenkamp 1980
  • Aphyosemion fredrodi Scheel 1981

Populations

  • Goboru - SL 76 / 20
  • Matanga SL 89 (possible corruption Matango Stream)
  • Serabu Village - SL 76 / 23

Female. Unknown exact origin but either SL 76 / 23 or 24 Serabu, Sierra Leone.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

  • Goboru - Originally distributed as fredrodi. Collected By Fred Wright & Rod Roberts in 1980. Water conditions were - water temperature 24°C, pH 6·5, DH 2. E.barmoiensis were also found at this location.
  • Serabu - Water conditions were - water temperature 27°C, pH 6·3, DH 1·5. Ps.annulatus & E.njalensis were also found at this location.
  • Matanga SL89 - Possible corrupted name - Matango Stream (BKA KilliNews N0.321, June 1992). Collected by Eckhard Busch & Steffan Hellner in September 1989.
Type Locality

2 miles from Goboru on the Pujehun - Bo road in the district of Pujehun. 7° 25' N , 11° 42' W. This biotope was a small pool, in an area of other small pools which were rapidly drying out. These pools were connected to form a brook during the wet season. The largest measured 5' at the widest point & 6" deep. Sedge grasses shaded the pool.
The base of the pool was soil with a layer of rotting vegetation. S.fredrodi was found near the banks hiding in the roots of the sedges.

Distribution

Thought to be limited to the type locality. I can find no other collecting data on this species but future collecting trips may find them elsewhere.

Habitat

Thought to be sympatric with E.barmoiensis. All these pools were stagnant and very turbid, pH 6·5, DH 2, water temperature 76° F, air temperature 88° F.

Distinguishing Characteristics  
Colour/Pattern Variability Low.
History

Collected at the above type locality at 13.30 hours on the 5th February 1976 by J.Parker, Rod Roberts, Fred Wright, Trude Radda & Jim Wapenaar.

Breeding Notes

An account can be found in BKA KilliNews No.321, June 1992 by Anthony Pinto. Water hardness 1-5 DH with a pH 6. It was found that water with a more alkaline pH produced an imbalance of females. Males were found to be aggressive towards each other.
A natural method was used with a trio in a well planted tank. Fry are 1mm on hatching & take infusoria as a first food. Newly hatched brine shrimp can be fed a couple of days later. Older, larger fry will eat smaller fry so these should be moved into new quarters.
It was found these fish were prolific especially when fed mosquito larvae.
Eggs when collected hatch in 12 - 15 days. Temperature will afect these times. Young are slow growing with sexing out starting at 3 - 4 months. Sexual maturity comes in 7 - 8 months. It was found sex ratio was in the order of 4 females to each male.

Diameter of Egg  
Remarks