After Andre Kamdem Toham of the World Wildlife Fund’s Central African Rainforest Project (CARPE) who collected & studied endemic Killifish in the Korup National Park.

Fundulopanchax kamdemi (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae) a new species from Korup National Park, western Cameroon.

Christian Akum, Rainer Sonnenberg, Jouke R. van der Zee & Rudolf H. Wildekamp 2007.

Zootaxa 1532: 41–49 (2007)

50 mm - male (holotype). The paper containing the first description gives maximum sizes in Paratypes as - males 73 mm, females 61·7 mm. All sizes Standard Length (SL).

• Aphyosemion sp. 01 (cf. A. cameronense)÷(McGregor Reid, 1989: 27)
• Aphyosemion sp. (KORUP 01) (Kamdem Toham, 1992: 6–10)
• Fundulopanchax sp. aff. ndianus (Wildekamp, 1996: 193-194)
• Aphyosemion aff. amieti (Huber, 1996: 323)
• Fundulopanchax aff. ndianus (Huber, 2000: 472)

Korup National Park: west of science camp

Limited distribution area in the Akpa-Yafe River drainages and the upper Ndian River, in southern Korup only.
Range may extend to the adjacent Oban National Park at the Nigerian side but no collections have yet been made here.

Small swampy pools and rivulets of the Ndian and Akpa-Yafe River systems, Cameroon.
They were collected in swampy areas under the cover of forest, edging small streams near the science camp.
Biotopes have been recorded as being 35 cm deep with a layer of fallen leaves under which the fish hide.
Also collected in streams containing leaves & bogwood. Water is clear in the rainy season but browner in the dry season. Water depth was measured in both seasons at 2 - 48·3 cm. Water temperature was measured between 20·9 and 23·8° C, pH 5 - 7·5, DH ·6 - 1, conductivity 10 and 21 µs/cm. Total dissolved oxygen between 0·9 and 5·5 mg/l.
Stomach contents of wild caught specimens contained ants, crickets, beetles, spiders and cockroaches. Ants were found to be predominantly taken.
November - January is the period these fish reach full maturity in the wild. Biotopes are known to dry out during the dry season.
Sympatric sp. include - F. marmoratus, Epiplatys infrafasciatus (Günther, 1866) (= E. sexfasciatus in McGregor Reid, 1989 and Kamdem Toham, 1992), Aphyosemion (Chromaphyosemion) bivittatum, A. calliurum and Aplocheilichthys spilauchen.

Collected by A. Kamdem Toham, 19 December 1992 Korup National Park: west of science camp;. These were used as Paratypes.
The 1992 collection was preserved but I understand the colouration faded badly to a state they were not recognisable as the fish when preserved.
In 2001 3 specimens were collected from Korup National Park. These were reported to reach 8-9 cms in length.
C. Akum collected in December 2001.
The holotype was collected by G. Chiambeng, 12 January 2001.

Reportedly not easy to breed. The original wild fish from 2001 were given to a competent breeder who managed to raise some fish. A dry storage period of 8 weeks was reported but this time was cut down to 4 weeks by putting eggs on damp/wet peat. After this period cool, fresh water was added.
Jack Heller from the USA informed me he found them quite easy, laying eggs in bottom mops & transferring them onto damp peat for 6 weeks.

Reports have suggested in 2008 that males are predominant in sexing out & some work needs to be done in this area.

I saw on an AKA forum Lacorte used #3 gravel as a spawning medium. A net was swirled above the gravel to collect eggs.

Although it's 16 years on (2008) since first introduction this sp. has not been as widely distributed as its close cousin - Fp.amieti.I feel sure the problem can be cracked & this sp. can be more available.
It should be bourne in mind though that Fp.amieti was widespread but just hung on into 2008 with rare appearances in UK auctions. I would consider Fp.amieti to have been close to extinction in UK breeders tanks in these times. Maybe one or two people are keeping this fish going here.
Fp.Kamdemi is a fish which will ultimately disappear from hobbyists tanks unless some serious approaches to conservation are organised.
Not easy to restock this sp. from the wild.
As always - It's easy to breed a fish but it's a different ball game in conserving it.!!!

Reference links -
http://www.blackwaterfish.com/korup.htm
http://www.fundulopanchax.fische-killifische.de/korup/korup.html