Scriptaphyosemion guignardi (Romand 1981)

Mamou, male. Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomez - See website.

Mamou, female. Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomez - See website.

Meaning of Name

After Alain Guignard of Paris who made several collecting trips to Africa.

First Description

Romand Dr.R. 26th June 1981

Description d'une nouveau Roloffia de Guineé: Roloffia guignardi nov. spec.(Pisces, Cyprinodontidae).

Revue Française d'Aquariologie 8 (1): 1-6, figures & map.

Size

5.5 - 6 cm.

Meristics
  • D=12-14, A=15-17, D/A = +3-5, ll=33-36 (Romand)
  • D = 10-14, A = 13-17, ll = 27-36 (+2-3)(Wildekamp)
Karyotype

n = 20, A = 22 (Romand 1981)

Sub-Genus

 

Group

liberiensis

Synonyms
  • Haplochilus senegalensis (non Steindachneri 1870) Pellegrin 1911
  • Haplochilus liberiensis (non Boulenger 1908) Pellegrin 1935
  • Aphyosemion liberiensis (non Boulenger 1908) Daget 1960
  • Aphyosemion roloffi (non Roloff 1936) Daget 1962
  • Roloffia nov.spec. Romand et al. 1979
  • Roloffia guignardi Romand 1981
  • Aphyosemion guignardi (Romand 1982)
  • Roloffia banforensis Seegers 1982
  • Aphyosemion nigrifluvi Romand 1982
  • Roloffia nigrifluvi Bitter 1984
  • Aphyosemion banforense Lazara 1984

Populations

  • Bafing River (Mamou)
  • Banfora (Burkina Faso)
  • Fabess
  • Gaoual (Guineé)
  • Gubi
  • Kaba
  • Kakoni
  • Kampant
  • Kindo
  • Kollé
  • Konkouré
  • Kouaia (Kouraia? An umlout on the 'i' ( ï ) has been seen which should be disregarded.
  • Kowanta (Guineé)
  • Labé (central Guinea)
  • Mali
  • Mamou (Guineé)
  • Safakuré River
  • Sikasso
  • Sogoroya
  • Sougouéta (Guineé)
  • Télimélé
  • GM 97 / 13 - Gubi

GRCH 93/230 Telimele
Photo courtesy of Christian Cauvet.

Sougouéta
Photo courtesy of Roberto Arbolea

GRC 90/197 Kouraîa
Photo courtesy of Christian Cauvet.


Gaoual - Collected by Busch & Wiese in 1993 (SL 93 code).

Labé - Collected by Romand et al in 1981. Another form from this collection was distributed as Labé Area.
This was the type locality. They were caught in a small water course 2-3 metres wide & 0·1 - 1 metre deep. The exact location is 31 km from Labé in the direction of Gaoual.
Also collected on the road from Labé to Gaoual 21 km from Labé in a small stream 1-4metres wide with a maximum depth of ·5 metres depth.

Mali - This name circulated in the early 1980's. It is thought Romand et al collected it in 1981 but I can find no evidence to support this.

Mamou - Collected by Busch & Wiese in 1993 (SL 93 code).

Sougueta - Collected by Busch & Wiese in 1993 (SL 93 code).

Telimé - These were collected from a river in flood 25 km from Pita on the road to Telimé.

Type Locality

31 kms from Labé towards Gaoual, central Guinea. The type location was a small stream 2-3 metres wide & up to 1 metre deep. Other specimens were later collected in two other similar biotopes.

Distribution

Restricted to the Fouta Djalon area, more precisely, the upper slopes of the basin of the Konkoure, Kolente & Labé region in the direction of Telime between Mamou & Kindia near Sougouéta, Guineé. Also found in the upper Gambia River drainage, southeastern Senegal.

Map I put together in 1983 to illustrate an article.

Habitat

Collected at 1000 metres above sea level in a small water course 2-3 metres wide & 0.1 - 1.0 metre deep.

They have been collected in quiet brooks, swamps & small streams with aquatic plants.

Also collected in a river in flood 25 kms from Pita on the road to Telime, & in a stream 1-4 metres wide, maximum depth .5 metre 21 kms from Labé on the road to Gaoual. Water analysis - water temperature 25-30'C, pH 6.6 - 7.0, DH 5. Sympatric sp.; Hemichromis bimaculatus, Tilapia zilli & various barbs including Barbus cadenati & B.guineensis.

Distinguishing Characteristics Body colouration is generally green with red spots. An uninteresting body colour really which is the mark in sorting this sp. out.
Colour/Pattern Variability Medium to high given the number & patterning of spots on the body. The dark green body seen on R.banforense is not consistent with every population.
History

Discovered by Romand, Guignard & Schmitt in 1979 in the Fouta Djalon region of Guineé. Romand described the specimens taken from Labe & Souguéta.

In 1982 Seegers described Roloffia banforensis which were collected 15 km north of Banfora & 85 km south of Bobo Dioulasso. This was in the Comoe River drainage system).

Also in 1982 Romand described Aphyosemion nigrifluvi, collected 18 km from Mamou towards Dalaba & 3 km from the Dalaba - Mamou - Faculty of Agronomy junction, northern Guinea. This was a tributary of the Bafing River.

In the early 1980's they were in BKA auctions as Roloffia banforense. These fish had a dark green colour to the body.

Breeding Notes

An easy species to breed. Eggs laid in mops/peat fibre take 18 - 21 days to water incubate. Parent fish are reportedly not cannibalistic towards eggs & fry. Fry are small. Sexual maturity is attained at around 6 months..

Diameter of Egg  
Remarks

The first 'banforensis' I saw was in a northwest auction in the BKA. These were overall green coloured in the body with little colouration in the unpaired fins. Not a pretty form which sealed their fate in coming years of BKA maintenance.