Aphyosemion primigenium Radda & Huber 1977

A.primigenium circulating in the US around 1980. Photo: Courtesy of Lennie MacKowiak

Meaning of Name

Primitive (considered to be the ancestor of the striatum group).
First Description

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

Cyprinodontidae Studien aus Gabun V - Das Tiefland West Gabun und die Mayumbe Berge.

Aquaria 24 : p 138-146, figure 1, map.
Size

4.5 cm
Meristics

D = 12-13, A = 14-15, D/A = +5-6, ll = 29-31+2-3) (Radda & Huber 1977).
Karyotype

n = 11, A = 21 (Scheel 1981.
Sub-Genus

Mesoaphyosemion
Group

striatum
Synonyms

None
Populations

 

  • Banyanga
  • Lébamba G76 / 23 (southwestern Gabon)
  • Makaboa (southwestern Gabon)
  • Ndendé (southwestern Gabon)
  • Tchinbanga
  • G80 / 1
  • G80 / 14
  • GB 23 / 90
  • GBN 88/8
  • GBN 88/10 (Sometimes reffered to as aff.primigenium)
  • GBG 93 / 28
  • GEB 94 / 21
  • GJS 00 / 18 Kanda
  • GJS 00 / 19 Lebamba - Ndendé
  • GJS 00 / 21 Moussambou
  • GJS 00 / 22 Douengui
  • GJS 00 / 26 Bandi A. aff. primigenium
  • PEG 93 / 1
  • PEG 93 / 2
  • PEG 93 / 26

Lébamba, Gabon.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Wild male collected near Banyanga
G 76 / 27.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

A.aff.primigenium GBN 88 / 10
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

GEB 94 / 21
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

A.aff.primigenium GJS 00 / 26 Bandi
Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl

GBN 88 / 10
Photo courtesy of Mike Packwood

G80 / 1
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

G80 / 1

GEB 94 / 21
Photo courtesy of Bill Shenefelt

GJS 00 / 18 Kanda
Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl

GJS 00 / 18 Kanda
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

GJS 00 / 18 Kanda

 

Photo courtesy of Günther Schmaus.

 

Lébamba G76 / 23 - Collected at an altitude of 250 metres.
Type Locality

A brook which feeds the Douano River subsystem (Nyanga), close to Banyanga in the Mayumbe Mountains rainforest (altitude 250m).

Distribution

Southwestern Gabon in the Nyanga & Dole-N'-Gounie River drainages between Mouila & Bdede-Lébamba.
Habitat

Small rainforest brooks.

Biotope of A.primigenium near Ndende, Gabon.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Biotope of A.primigenium at Lébamba, Gabon.
Photo: Courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

Location of GJS 00 / 18. Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl

Location of GJS 00 / 18. Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl

GJS 00 / 19 - Lebamba - Ndendé
Photo courtesy of Mogens Juhl.
Distinguishing Characteristics  
Colour/Pattern Variability Medium
History

It was imported in 1980 but little is known about imports up to 1990 where Friedrich Bitter records in BKA Killi-News No.293 (Feb.1990) a collection. The collection area at this time is only accessible by 2 decent roads; the N1 isfairly wide for a length of around 200 kms, connecting Libreville along the coast with towns to the south.
This road was well known to collectors who collected near towns such as Mouila, Ndende & Mbadi (formally known as Mboungou).
Breeding Notes

Water incubation 10-20 days. Sexual maturity is reached about 5 months.
Diameter of Egg  
Remarks

I found this sp. particularly susceptible to dropsy. Other aquarists keeping this sp. have had similar experiences. This is a sp. which does best in clean aquaria with regular water changes.