After Jaques Lambert (Belgian) & André Lambert (French).

Radda A.C. & Huber J.H. 1977.

Cyprinodontiden Studien in Gabon III, Zentral und Südost Gabun.

Aquaria 24: 61-64, figures 4-5, map.

4.5 cm

D = 9-10, A = 13-14, D/A = +8-9, ll = 27-29(+1-3) (Radda & Huber 1977)

n = 18, A = 24 (Huber & Scheel 1981)

Aphyosemion

elegans

• Aphyosemion christyi (non Boulenger 1915) Lambert & Géry 1968

• Abeilles
• Booué (north central Gabon)
• Koulamoutou
• Lekoko (eastern Gabon)
• Moanda (54 km northwest of) (southeastern Gabon)
• Okondja
• BBA GAB 90 / 1
• BSWG 97/9
• EBT 96 / 10
• EBT 96 / 11
• G80 / 5
• G80 / 6
• G88 / 7
• G92 / 4
• GAB 90 / 27
• GBG 92 / 6
• GEB 94 / 7
• GHH 97 / 11
• GHP 80 / 5
• PEG 95 / 15
• PEG 96 / 4
• PEG 96 / 5
• PEG 96 / 6
• PEG 96 / 7
• PEG 96 / 11
• TDK 97 / 17

• http://www.nakashima.org/gaphyo_lamberti.htm Japan Gallery

A brook close to the Ogowe River along the road to Achouka, west of Booué.

The middle & upper regions of the Ogowe River drainage system in central & eastern Gabon. This species represents the northwest boundary of the elegans group.

Small forested streams & brooks.
Ed Pürzl reported collected them near the town of Moanda, in a stream one metre wide & 50 - 100 cm deep. The stream had a hard bottom. Also sympatric to this locality were a Plataplochilus sp. & a large number of shrimps with red 'whiskers'.
The native diet of this sp. is terrestrial insects.

Biotope at Abeilles near Lastoursville, Gabon, collecting place of A. lamberti.

Photo: Courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

Reported by J.Lambert & J.Gery in 1967 near Booué, central Gabon. Radda & Huber described the species in 1977 from material collected by Bochtler & Gaspers west of Booué in January 1976. Also collected were paratypes from Lekoko (G76/16), Région des Abeilles, 136 km northwest of Lastoursville (G76/10) & 6 km southwest of Lastoursville.
First introduced into the UK around June 1978.
Collected by Brosset in 1980 near Okondja, east Gabon (locations 233 & 234).

An easy species to breed in typical mop spawning setups. I have water incubated & laid them on wet peat with equal success. Incubation in water takes about 16-21 days whilst those on wet peat should be left a few days longer. I fed the newly hatched fry on infusoria for a couple of days before feeding newly hatched brine shrimp.
Growth rate is a little slow & sexual maturity can take 6 months.
They have been observed to eat wingless fruit flies & aphids in captivity which they appear to be particularly fond of.

This sp. never seems to be very popular (in the BKA at least), & never attracts high prices at auctions. Perhaps there lack of striking colouration & the fact they are slow to growing turns people away.
I have bred a few populations & found them easy enough.