Aphyosemion splendopleure (Brünning 1929)

A.splendopleure Ekondo Titi. Wild male.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Meaning of Name

Refers to the shining sides of the body.

First Description

Brünning C. 1929.
Der grüne Leuchtaugenfisch und der afrikanische Glanzkärpfling.
Wochenschrift für Aquarien und Terrarienkunde 26 (23): p 356, figure.

Meinken's re-description.-

Meinken H.1930.
Zwei neue Fundulopanchax-Arten aus Kamerun.
Wochen. Aquar. Terr. Kunde 27, 2 : 17-20 (p 17).

Size

5.5 cm

Meristics
  • D = 11, A = 13, ll = 26-27 (Meinken re-description 1930)
  • D = 10-13, A = 12-15, D/A = +1-2, ll = 25-28 (Radda & Pürzl 1987)
Karyotype

n = 17-19, A = 19-27 (Gyldenholm & Scheel 1971; Scheel 1974) variable between populations.

Sub-Genus

Chromaphyosemion

Group

 

Synonyms
  • Fundulus bivittatus (non Lönnberg 1895) Boulenger 1915 (in part)
  • Fundulopanchax splendopleuris Brünning 1929
  • Aphyosemion splendopleuris Myers 1933
  • Aphyosemion bivittatus (non Lönnberg 1895) Fowler 1936
  • Aphyosemion multicolor (non Brünning 1929) Tusche 1952
  • Aphyosemion bivittatum (non Lönnberg 1895) Thys van den Audenaerde 1967
  • Aphyosemion splendopleure Scheel 1968
  • Aphyosemion bitaeniatum (non Ahl 1924) Scheel 1974
  • Aphyosemion (Chromaphyosemion) splendopleure Huber 1980

 

Populations

See also tables in the right hand box which seperates those populations into cf and sp.aff

  • Bakosi (Possible corruption, Bakossi)
  • Bakundu
  • Bamukong - Ombe River
  • Bata (Equatorial Guinea)
  • Bogongo (Possible corruption ,Bobongo)
  • Bombe CXC 23
  • Bolbitis
  • Bonabe
  • Bonabéri
  • Bonépoupa
  • Campo HJRK 92 / 17
  • Dizangué I C89 / 33
  • Dizangué II
  • Douala
  • Ebonji (Sometimes corrupted Eboni)
  • Edéa
  • Edéa - Yaounde km 10
  • Ekondo Titi
  • Elogbatindi
  • Fifinda
  • Kopongo 1 C89 / 35
  • Kopongo 1 C89 / 36
  • Koukoué
  • Kumba GPE90 / 3
  • Libreville (northwestern Gabon)
  • Likako CSK 95 / 23
  • Likoko (sometimes written as Lykoko which is a corruption) SE 21 / 99
  • Lobe
  • Lolabé
  • Mambanda
  • Mangoulé
  • Mbimbé
  • Méme River (western Cameroon)
  • Mbonge (Sometimes corrupted Mbongue)
  • Mboumboula River
  • Mbumbulu
  • Moliwe GPE90 / 5
  • Monea
  • Mouanko
  • Muyuka C94
  • Muyuka CXC 24
  • Muyuka Police Station C89 / 15
  • Nalia (Corrupted to Naila)
  • Njombeo
  • Nkapa
  • Nyangadjo (southwestern Cameroon)
  • Oron
  • Owé
  • Penda Mboko K6
  • Sole CCMP 85 / 3
  • Tiko (western Cameroon)
  • Touwata
  • Yato
  • Yoké
  • C89/35
  • CGE 91 / 18
  • CGS 83
  • CSK 95/24 (aff.splendopleure)
  • DDR Strain (Stamm)

Meme River. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Mambanda. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

Molive. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl

Tiko

Ekondo Titi

Oron. Wild male. Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

Mbonge

Likako CSK 95 / 23
Photo courtesy of David Baker

Bamukong - Ombe River. Wild fish.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

K6 Penda Mboko
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

Penda Mboko 2001 taken at the 2004 SKS convention in Copenhaven.

Ekondo Titi
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Ekondo Titi
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Ekondo Titi
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Ekondo Titi
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

 

Mbonge
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Nkapa - Wild male imported into the AKA.
Photo courtesy of Tony Terceira

Kopongo
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

 

Muyuka Police Station - C89 / 15
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Muyuka Police Station - C89 / 15
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Muyuka Police Station - C89 / 15. Female.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Likoko - collected in 1999. These are F1.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Likoko - Wild fish.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Likoko & Owé- Wild fish.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Likoko - SE 21 / 99
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Owé- Wild female.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Owé- Wild fish.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Owé- Wild fish.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Owé- Wild female.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Likoko - SE 21 / 99
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Mbonge CDC Camp collected in 2000.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Mbonge CDC Camp collected in 2000.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Likoko - SE 21 / 99
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Mbonge CDC Camp collected in 2000.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Mbonge CDC Camp female collected in 2000.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Mbonge CDC Camp female collected in 2000.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Dizangue - C89 / 33.
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Dizangue - C89 / 33. Female
Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann.

Cap Esterias
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

Kopongo
Photo courtesy of Günther Schmaus.

CCMP 85 / 3 Sole
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

Muyuka C89 / 15
Photo courtesy of Günther Schmaus.

Muyuka Police Station C89-15
Photo courtesy of Joseph S.

Muyuka Police Station C89-15 female
Photo courtesy of Joseph S.

 

K codes. Penda Mboko (location K6) is perhaps the most distributed. K5 has also been written up. The 'K' stands for Kamp (or camp). Collected by German aquarists in 2001.
Penda Mboko is situated southeast of Muyuka.
Six camps are situated on the National CDC rubber plantation.

A.sp.aff.splendopleure Kopongo 1. http://home8.swipnet.se/%7Ew-86183/kopongo1.htm Alf & Anitas site.

Likoko - Sometimes distributed under the corrupted name of Lykoko.

spp 01
Moliwe GPE 90 / 5
spp 02
CMM 52 Y ( Molive )
spp 03
Tiko
spp 04
Bamukong Ombe - Y River system 1999
spp 05
Bombe CXC Y 23
spp 06
CMM 50
spp 07
Kumba GPE 90 / 3
spp 08
Ngola HAH 98 YY

Collection codes for A. cf. splendopleure

cf. spp 01
Ohne
cf. spp 02
Bolbitis
cf. spp 03
Titelbild
cf. spp 04
DDR Strain
cf. spp 05
Ekondo Titi
cf. spp 06
Mambanda
cf. spp 07
Mbonge
cf. spp 08
Muyuka Police Station C 89 / 15
cf. spp 09
Lykoko 1999
cf. spp 010
Owe 1999
cf. spp 011
Mbonge CDC Camp 4 / 2000

Collection Codes for A. sp. aff. splendopleure

sp. aff. spp 01
Dizangue 1 C 89 / 33
sp. aff. spp 02
Mangoule 1999
sp. aff. spp 03
Kopongo 1 C 89 / 35
sp. aff. spp 04
Kopongo 11 C 89 / 36
sp. aff. spp 05
CMM 7 Y (Kopongo type)
sp. aff. spp 06
CMM 8 (Dizangue type)

 

Type Locality

The original description by Brünning did not give a type locality. Meinken, in his re-description of 1930 gives the type locality as Tiko, western Cameroon.

Distribution

Extends from the extreme southeastern area of Nigeria through western & southwestern Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea to northwestern Gabon.

North of the Sanaga River A.riggenbachi replaces this species. To the south they are replaced by A.loennbergii.

Fish collected in the Koupongo area are regarded by Amiet 1987 to be highly coloured in the anal fin which is opaque orange with lateral bands 'fleeting & not very dark'.

Habitat

Coastal rainforest brooks & small streams where they can be found in quiet areas on soils derived from Tertiary & Quarternary sedimentary deposits.

Scheel (ROTOW 1) describes the Tiko location as 'rather hard, alkaline water'.

Distinguishing Characteristics The anal fin has no spots. However those populations from northern Gabon do exhibit spots but Amiet 1987 considered there affinities uncertain.
Colour/Pattern Variability High
History

Brünning based his original description on a colour description & figure. In 1930 Meinken re-described the species from one male & one female (from Griem's 1929 collection) in the magazine 'Wochenshrift' which were reportedly collected at Tiko by Griem.

In the '30's they were distributed under the A.bivittatum name

They were distributed in Germany & the USA in the early 1950's as Aphyosemion multicolor but they were considered to have survived World War II & were regarded as the most commonly found killie after the war. Scheel considered Tiko (collected in the 1930's) to be still present, although rare, in aquaria in 1968.

Scheel collected the sp. from Tiko in 1966 & 1974. Radda (in 1971) collected them near Tiko.

Breeding Notes

Regarded as a fairly difficult species to breed. Eggs can be sensitive. Water incubation takes around 10-12 days. Growth rate is quite rapid although sexual maturity is reportedly not attained until they reach 6-7 months of age.

Diameter of Egg 1.3 mm.
Remarks

Males have been known to fight amongst each other to the point where fin damage occurs.