Basua

Codes

RIM 2001

History

Collected by Richard Markham in 2001 (an agricultural research-and-development worker) in a water hole near Basua on the Ikom to Obudu road in Nigeria.
This collection was named RIM (Richard & Isabelle Markham).

Habitat

A small stream which was permanent all year round located a few km from Basua (towards Obudu) on the Ikom to Obudu road close to the Cameroon border. This was a back road & should not be confused with the main road which passes through Ogoja.
Basua is situated on the Nigerian side of the border with Cameroon northwest of Mamfe.
This area is reportedly 'mid altitude' rainforest & is situated approx. 50 km (as the crow flies) from Mamfe.
The plains fish form near this area are reportedly similar to the Ugep population form.

See map here http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z6AA53146

Images

Basua circulating in the USA 2003.
Photo courtesy of Dan Katz.

Basua circulating in the USA 2003.
This specimen & the photo to the left are 3 & a half months old.
Photo courtesy of Dan Katz.

Basua. Photo courtesy of Orlando Gonzalez.

Old Basua pair
Photo courtesy of Roger Gladwell

Basua Female
Photo courtesy of Michael Pidwirny

Basua. Photo taken March 2023.
Photo courtesy of Roger Gladwell

Ikom. Photo courtesy of Richard Markham. See Ikom

Traits

This photo from an unknown person in the USA showing a blue phase was sent to Roger Gladwell. Not a complete photo but you can see this population is capable of another colour phase.

Variability

Reported to be 'very variable'.
In some gardneri populations their is a common spot or line which can be used as an identifier. With Basua this seems to be in the caudal fin where the red submarginal bands are quite thick. Also in the upper area another red line is present which extends through the length of the fin.

Notes

I have tentatively placed this population under mamfense due to its geographic locality & heavy patterning typical of the subspecies. The caudal fin also carries this heavy marking,