Aphyosemion volcanum Radda & Wildekamp 1977

Yoké C 03 / 37
Photo courtesy of Christian Radtke

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
  • A.aff.poliaki ABC 05 / 8
Populations
  • Bakossi
  • Bakundu Forest Reserve
  • Banza
  • Bogongo (near Lobe)
  • Bombé
  • Buae (western Cameroon)
  • Chutes de Ekom
  • Eboni
  • Ekondo Nene
  • Ekondo Titi
  • Kaké
  • Kaké II - ABC 06 / 111
  • Kumba (western Cameroon)
  • Loum
  • Lykoko
  • Mambanda - CCM 50
  • Mandanda
  • Mbongé
  • Meanja
  • Mémé
  • Mijea
  • Mile Four - JVC 05
  • Moliwe
  • Muyuka
  • Penda Mboko
  • Sole
  • Two Wata
  • Yoké - C 03 / 37
  • ABC 05 / 5 - 7·5 km East of Tiko
  • ABC 05 / 6 - North of Moliwe
  • ABC 05 / 8 - Mile 11
  • GPE 90 / 3
  • HAH 98 / 303 - Mile 29

ABC 05 / 8 - Mile 11 - Collected 21st January 2005. Coordonnées N 04 15 14 0 E 09 22 25 1 Altitude 130 m
Just out of the village of Mile 29, small Creek crossing the road. Little current, less than 1 m deep.
Température de surface (air?) 28°C, pH 7.0, 144 µs, 116 mV

     

Chutes d'Ekom - Also known as HLM 99 / 1.


Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann

Female. Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann

Photo courtesy of Rudolf Pohlmann

GPE 90 / 3 - Distributed in Holland as GPE 90.

     

Mambanda - Possibly also known as Mabanda.

William's wild fish (same bag)
Photo courtesy of William King

Another male from same bag 10 months after import

 

An import from Cameroon December 2022 into the UK.
We found this fish to be very colour variable depending on lighting conditions.
Other collections at Mambanda - CMM 50, CX 90 / 22 (1km north of Mambanda).

Meanja -

Meanja - a photo I took early '80's

   

Mijea -

Mijea. Photo courtesy of Pat Rimmer

   

Mile 4 - JVC 05 - Collected 22/11/2005 - 4km from Limbe to Douala. (Moliwe).

     

Mile 29 - HAH 98 / 303 - Collected 12th June 1998.
Although the population Mile 29 has the appearence of poliaki, after DNA results by Agnèse it belongs to volcanum

Mile 29, on the road from Kumba to Buea, about 5 km south of the Muyuka police checkpoint. The stream flows from east to west with the eastern portion (fished) almost waist deep, partly covered with leaves, on the edges submerged grasses and overhanging vegetation. Adjoining marshy area. In general very plant rich area, exposed to sun, and not much like a 'typical' killifish habitat. Dark colored, sandy bottom. Clean, clear water.
Coordinates: 04°15'14" N 09°22'24" E, Elevation: 120 m, pH 6.8 TDS 130 µSi 0.19. (From information supplied by Rudolf Pohlmann).

     

Muyuka -

An import from Cameroon December 2022 into the UK. The bag contained Procatopus, A.ahli & E.infrafasciatus.

Muyuka shortly after import

 

 

Other collections at Muyuka (Police Station) C 89 / 15

Penda Mboko -

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

K6 Penda Mboko
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

Penda Mboko
Photo courtesy of Christian Radtke

Yoké -

Yoké C 03 / 37
Photo courtesy of Christian Radtke

Yoké Females
Photo courtesy of Christian Radtke

 


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

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