E.inf.zenkeri

Meaning of Name

After Zenker who owned a large plantation at Bipindi, Cameroon.

First Description

Ahl, E. 1928

Beiträge zur Systematik der afrikanischen Zahnkarpfen. Zoologischer Anzeiger 79 (3-4): 113 - 123
Contributions to systematics of the African tooth carps. Zoo-logical indicator 79 (3-4): 113 - 123

Size

8 cm ( males).

Meristics

Karyotype

Sub-Genus

Group

sexfasciatus

Synonyms

Panchax zenkeri Ahl 1928
Epiplatys zenkeri Myers 1933
Epiplatys sexfasciatus baroi Berkenkamp 1975
Aplocheilus zenkeri Scheel 1990
Aplocheilus sexfasciatus baroi Scheel 1990
Epiplatys infrafasciatus baroi Etzel 1995
Epiplatys baroi Neumann 200

Population

Akok (baroi)
Bidjuouka I - KEK 98 / 13 & BLLMC 05 / 25
Bidou
Campo (baroi)
Déhané - (aff.zenkeri)
Ebomé km 20 - JVC 05
Kribi (southern Cameroon) (baroi) - CI 2005
Makondou (baroi)
Makondo - Pongo - BLLMC 05 / 30
Makouré - CBL 01 / 18 - BLLMC 05 / 26
Nkolbonda - BLLMC 05 / 29
Song Ndong - C 91 (baroi)
ADK 09 / 297 - Route Déhané (aff.zenkeri)
JVC 05
KEK 98 / 9 - Akok
KEK 98 / 10 - Mintane
KEK 98 / 13 - Bidjouka I

Bidjouka I - Collected in 1998 by Kämpf, Eberl & Kliesch - KEK 98 / 13. Collection site was a stream called the Toumatanga. Situated 12 kms from Bipindi. This is in the Lekoundje drainage. South of this site lies the village of Bipindi II.

Bidou -

Bidou. Photo courtesy of Allen Boatman.

Bidou. This specimen was imported & distributed from a wild import to the USA, 2002.
Photo courtesy of Allen Boatman.

Bidou. Photo courtesy of Allen Boatman.

Bissiang - This could be a different spelling as a village called Bisyang appears on maps which is close to Bidou I on the Kribi-Lolodorf road between Bidou I & Kribi. From a commercial import around 1998/9. Roger Gladwell gives a report on fish I gave him around this time in BKA newsletter No.431, August 2001. Spawnings in water of pH 6·9 - 7·1, 2-6 DH. Regular water changes are enjoyed by the fish. Eggs are clear & bright & laid near the surface in mops. Incubation in water was 12-16 days. First food was newly hatched brine shrimp. He found more fry would hatch if left in the parents tank but could be eaten by the parents. After a period of spawning it is best to remove the parents & let the fry grow on in this natural method.

Bissiang male.
Photo cortesy of Roger Gladwell

Bissiang female.
Photo cortesy of Roger Gladwell

Bissiang taken at the 2003 BKA convention.

Bissiang female taken 2003 from descendents of the above fish..

Déhané - Situated about halfway between Kribi & Edea on the N7 road, between the road & the Nyong River. This location is north of the main area of distribution for this subsp. & I call it here E.infrafasciatus aff.zenkeri.
A commercial import was distributed around 2000 by Alan Green & myself. Also collected by Jean-François Agnèse et al & coded -
ADK 09 / 297 - Route Déhané.

Wild Orange form caught at Dehane.
Found in a commercial import around 2000.

KEK 98 / 6 - Sometimes seen as 'Baroi Kek'. This is a corruption. The population should be called KEK 98 / 6. The baroi refers to a species name. At one time baroi & rathkei were known as seperate sub species but the names were sometimes added when they were placed in infrafasciatus.
This population reportedly lays few eggs. They can lay 10 eggs then nothing for a long period. Many of these eggs reported fungussed. Sex ratio was 60/40 in favour of males.

Makondou - Originally distributed as E.sexfasciatus. First records suggest they came from the KCF & were distributed in the DKG. First reports of breeding suggest they were very hard to breed, as too were the baroi & a population G 80 / 12.

Distributed as E.sexfasciatus baroi Makondou, Cameroon.
Photo courtesy of Ed Pürzl.

(baroi) Makondou.
Wild male. Photo courtesy of Ralph Tran

Makouré - Collected in 2 colour forms - one has a bright orange colour in unpaired fins, the other has yellow. Collection codes CBL 01 / 18 & BLLMC 05 / 26. Regarded as a harder population in the subspecies to breed.

Type Locality

Bipindi, Southwest Cameroon (Zenkeri). Same collecting site as Fundulus pappenheimi Ahl 1924 (A.loennbergii).

Distribution

Southeast Cameroon, between Kribi & Bipindi, in the Kienke river drainage.

Habitat

Distinguishing Characteristics

This species has a solid orange anal fin. E.infrafasciatus infrafasciatus has a dark outer marginal bar in the anal. This fin also has a submarginal yellow band.
I think most images on the net with the 'zenkeri' caption are incorrect given the markings in the anal fin.

Colour/Pattern Variability

High

History

Ahl had 3 specimens collected by Zenker at Bipindihof. The name confused many people but it turned out that this meant Bipindi house or house at Bipindi. Ahl named them Panchax zenkeri in 1928. Holly inspected these types & did not change the name. Myers in 1933 placed them in Epiplatys.

This is a confusing history to this subsp. Generally this website follows Wildekamp's work in his books 'A World of Killies'. In this he places Epiplatys zenkeri as a synonym for E.grahami. It is listed in this page on the website as such.
Huber in Killi Data prefers to list this as a sub species of E.infrafasciatus. In this I am putting zenkeri on the site as E.infrafasciatus zenkeri.

History of the synonym Panchax zenkeri Ahl 1928

Ahl described this sp. from 3 specimens collected by Zenker at Bipindihof, southern Cameroon. In 1930 Holly examined the preserved material but for once didn't change any of the meristic data. This preserved material was found to be in a bad state. In Myers' revision of 1933 he placed zenkeri in Epiplatys.
Scheel (in ROTOW 1 p 434) speculated that the area of distribution could fall into the range of grahami as the location Bipindihof may represent the locality Bipindi.

Breeding Notes

Diameter of Egg

Remarks

Epiplatys Index	Name	Description	Size	Meristics	Karyotype	Subgenus	Group	Synonyms	Populations
Main Index	Type	Distribution	Habitat	Characters	Variations	History	Breeding	Egg	Remarks