Aphyosemion ecucuense Sonnenberg 2007

A.ecucuense GEMLBJ 03 / 47. Photo courtesy of Werner Eigelshofen.

Meaning of Name

After the Rio Ecucu.
First Description

Sonnenberg R. 2007.

Two new species of Chromaphyosemion (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae) from the coastal plain of Equatorial Guinea.
[Chromaphyosemion ecucuense sp. nov.] [Chromaphyosemion erythron sp. nov.]

Ichthyol. Explor.Freshwaters, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 359-373, 7 figs, 4 tabs, December 2007.
Size

Holotype - Male, 27·8 mm SL.
Meristics

Karyotype
  • Scheel's EC strain - 2n=26 - Scheel 1974
Sub-Genus

Chromaphyosemion
Group

Synonyms
  • Aphyosemion bivittatum (non Lönnberg 1895), Roman 1971
  • Aphyosemion bitaeniatum (non Ahl 1924), Scheel 1990
  • Aphyosemion splendopleure (non Brüning 1929), Huber 2000
  • Aphyosemion aff. splendopleure Huber 2000
  • Chromaphyosemion sp. Rio Muni Pohlmann 2006
  • Chromaphyosemion malumbresi Sonnenberg 2007
  • Aphyosemion (Chromaphyosemion) malumbresi Legros & Zentz 2007

Populations

  • GEMHS 00 / 25 - Ncomedyi
  • GEMHS 00 / 26 - Bata
  • GEMHS 00 / 38 -
  • GEMLBJ 03 / 36 - Nfua River, Bata - Niefang
  • GEMLBJ 03 / 42 - Rio Muni
  • GEMLBJ 03 / 47 - Bata to Niefang near Machinda
  • GEMLCG 07 / 56 -
  • GEMLCG 07 / 57 -

GEMHS 00 / 25 - Ncomedyi. A brown form.
Collected 7th July 2000. N 01º 49,399'; E 010º 06,041'. Altitude 234 metres. Main Drainage system: Mbini (subsystem: Rio Mongó)
A.ecucuense, Epiplatys infrafasciatus, Barbus jae, Barbus species, Neolebias ansorgei.

GEMHS 00 / 26 - Bata. A brown form. Collected 25 kms in the direction of Niefang.
Collected 7th July 2000. N 01º 52,391'; E 009º 55,991'. Altitude 186 metres. Main Drainage system: Rio Movo Ecucu (subsystem: unknown).
A.malumbresi, Epiplatys infrafasciatus

GEMLBJ 03 / 36 - Nfua River on the road between Buta & Niefang near mile post km 36. Elevation 193 metres. Type locality.

GEMLBJ 03 / 42 - Same location as GEML 00 / 15 & GEMLB 02 / 32. Rio Ecucu Basin. Found in a river near Bicomo near the power station. Elevation 50 metres.

GEMLBJ 03 / 42. Photo courtesy of Werner Eigelshofen.

GEMLBJ 03 / 47 - A brown form. Rio Ecucu Basin. Found in a creek crossing the road from east of Bata - Niefang near Machinda. Elevation 180 metres.
Type Locality

GEMLBJ 03 / 36. Located 36 kms east of Bata at km stone 36. Elevation 193 metres.
Distribution

Northwestern Equatorial Guinea within the middle & upper Rio Ecucu drainage.
Habitat

Distinguishing Characteristics This species is part of a small group comprising A.kouamense, A.malumbresi, A.melanogaster & A.erythron that have red dots in all unpaired fins. These rarely join.
A.ecucuense can be seperated from others in this group by an orange to copper body colour which is blue to bluish in A.malumbresi, greenish in A.melanogaster, light blue background with rows of red dots in A.erythron & blue with anteriorly reddish to orange in A.kouamense. In A.ecucuense the anal fin is orange whereas A.puctulatum & A.erythron has an anal fin colouration predominantly green.
Colour/Pattern Variability
History

Holotypes were collected 36 km east of Bata, Rio Ecucu Basin by J.J.Scheel February 1968.
Later collected by Malumbres et al. 7th July 2000 at Ncomedyi ( GEMHS 00 / 25 ).
Collected 19th April 2003 ( GEMLBJ 03 / 36 ) in a creek at Nfua crossing the Bata - Niefang road near kilometer point 36 near the village of Acassi.
Collected 20th April 2003 ( GEMLBJ 03 / 42 ) Near power plant at Bicomo.
Collected 22nd April 2003 ( GEMLBJ 03 / 47 ) in a creek crossing the Bata - Niefang road at kilometre point 26, near Machinda

Breeding Notes

Bill Drake wrote report in BKA newsletter No.530, November 2009. This concerned population GEMC 06 / 7. A pair was set up in ater of pH 6·5, Hardness 2°, filtered for 24-48 hours. Java moss & mops were added. After 14 days about 20 eggs were collected but only 50% hatched out. No more eggs were found after this & the male later died. From the 10 hatched eggs only 8 survived to adulthood which turned out to be 3 males & 5 females. Young + the original old female were spawned. A pair would give about 20 eggs in a week.
It was observed that early morning sunlightwas a stimulus to breeding. Water temperature should be 22-23°C At over 25° or under 21° they stop or only lay a few eggs. Egg laying can stop for 1-2 months. Reducing the temperature to 19-20°C for a couple of weeks & increasing to 22-23° usually starts them spawning again. The fish will stop eating if kept at 18°C for a longer period.
Eggs water incubate for 14-17 days but some can take 21-28 days to hatch. Fry require infusoria & microworm for 3 days then on to newly hatched brine shrimp.
Large fry will predate smaller fry & even eat any eggs found. Growth is slow but regular water changes help growth rate. Young start sexing out at 5-6 months & start to spawn at 9-10 months. First spawns by these young breeders can be 90% infertile. At 12 months this becomes 50% infertile.
Water changes should be done gradually. Tap water can be fatal.
Females can be aggressive & males can get split fins. Groups are better. They can drop eggs without a male to fertilise them.

Diameter of Egg
Remarks

Referenced material for this page from first description kindly supplied by Rainer Sonnenberg.