Aphyosemion volcanum Radda & Wildekamp 1977

Wild fish from commercial shipment ex Cameroon.Imported late '90's to England.

Meaning of Name

From the area they inhabit, Mount Cameroon ( volcanic ).
First Description

Radda A.C. & Wildekamp R.H. 1977.

Die Aphyosemion bivittatum superspezies.

DKG Journal 9 (9): p 138-141, figures 4 & 6.
Size

5 cm
Meristics
  • D = 12, A = 13, D/A = +2, ll = 25-26 (+2-3) (Radda & Wildekamp 1977)
  • D = 11-14, A = 13-16, ll = 25-28 (Radda & Pürzl 1987)
  • D=12-13, A=13, D/A=+1 - +2, ll=26-29 ( Kaké population)
Karyotype
  • n = 19, A = 20 - (Scheel 1974)
  • n = 18 (20) - (Scheel 1990)
Sub-Genus

Chromaphyosemion
Group

 
Synonyms
  • Aphyosemion bivittatum (non Lönn berg 1895) Scheel 1968
Populations
  • Bakossi
  • Bakundu Forest Reserve
  • Banza
  • Bogongo (near Lobe)
  • Bombé
  • Buae (western Cameroon)
  • Eboni
  • Ekondo Titi
  • Kaké
  • Kaké II - ABC 06 / 111
  • Kumba (western Cameroon)
  • Loum
  • Lykoko
  • Mambanda - CCM 50
  • Mandanda
  • Mbongé
  • Meanja
  • Mémé
  • Mijea
  • Miles Four - JVC 05
  • Moliwe
  • Muyuka
  • Yoké
  • GPE 90 / 3

Meanja

Kumba. Male from first import into the USA around 1974-75.
Photo courtesy of Tony Terceira

Mijea. Photo courtesy of Pat Rimmer

 

Monea. Imported into the BKA in the '70's. BKA photo.

 

http://www.nakashima.org/ga_vol_ba.htm JapanGallery

  • Loum - http://www.nakashima.org/ga_vol_lo.htm Japan Gallery
  • Monea - Legros could not locate this collection point in his 1989 trip & considers it could be Muea (pronounced Mouia).
  • GPE 90 / 3 - Distributed in Holland as GPE 90.
Type Locality

The Kaké River, close to the village of Kaké which is near Kumba. The original description gave Kumba as the type locality
Distribution

Mount Cameroon, in the Kaké River system & the northern area of Fernando Poo (currently named Bioko) in the Rio Consul drainage (this island population may or may not belong to A.volcanum).

The eastward frontier appears to be the Mungo River. In the west it is Ekondo Titi. Here A.bivittatum takes over. Collecting sites are found on level volcanic rock & sedimentary substrate (Bakundu).
Habitat

Rainforest brooks & streams, mainly on volcanic soils. They prefer swampy areas.
Distinguishing Characteristics Resembles A.splendopleure & can be difficult to seperate in some populations, notably the population from Kumba. A.volcanum is a more robust species showing more colour on the body.
Colour/Pattern Variability  
History

 
Breeding Notes

Regarded as a more difficult member of the subgenus. Males can be aggressive & plenty of cover should be provided for the female (s). Parents can be predatory towards young so it's better to take the eggs out frequently & hatch in a seperate container. Water incubation takes 12-14 days. Sexual maturity is attained around 6-7 months.

Oliver Legros reports in BKA newsletter No.329, February 1993 that sex ratio is biased towards males. His Kumba - Kaké fish were lost due to this.
Egg incubation in water around 2 weeks. The black banding appears around 6 weeks with sexing out at about 2 months. Young fish will start spawning around 5 months but young adults will produce a lot of infertile eggs.
Diameter of Egg  
Remarks