Aphyosemion calliurum (Boulenger 1911)
A.calliurum Ikeja.
Photo taken 1981
Photo courtesy of Tony Terceira
Aphyosemion calliurum (Boulenger 1911)
A.calliurum Ikeja.
Photo taken 1981
Photo courtesy of Tony Terceira
| Meaning of Name |
Refers to the beautiful caudal fin. | ||||||||||||||||||
| First Description |
Boulenger G.A. 1911. Descriptions of new African Cyprinodont Fishes. Annals & Magazine of Natural History. series 2 (8) VIII (44): 265. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Size |
5 cm | ||||||||||||||||||
| Meristics |
D = 9-10, A = 12-13, D/A = +6-7, ll = 29-30. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Karyotype |
Very variable. Scheel (1974) measured n = 10-20, A = 20-31. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sub-Genus |
Mesoaphyosemion | ||||||||||||||||||
| Group |
A.calliurum | ||||||||||||||||||
| Synonyms |
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Populations
Ref: KCF website |
Akio River - A commercial import we brought in 2020. Collected in Akio River situated in the west of Lagos.
Majidun - NG MM 14 - A shipment of wild caught Killies from the Niger Delta area into the USA in 2014. This was coded NG MM 14 which stands for Nigeria -Macowiak & Mazzola 2014.
Mojuka - Known to be in the UK in 1984 from an import from Sweden.
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| Type Locality |
Given as Southern Nigeria (Clausen 1967). | ||||||||||||||||||
| Distribution |
Southern Benin, southern Nigeria & south western Cameroon. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Habitat |
Still places in swamps, streams & pools in coastal plain rainforest. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Distinguishing Characteristics | I
have had quite a few calliurum from
wild & tank breds over the years. One common characteristic is in
the anal fin. The red band has a band either side. Top band is usually
pale blue & fairly wide & the bottom band usually white. This
is a fairly variable species & the lower band can be very thin. Scheel in ROTOW 1, p144 shows a photo of a calliurum x ahli which also shows this banding. Outer margin is usually yellow & quite wide. The area between these bands & the body is solid orange or yellow depending on population. |
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| Colour/Pattern Variability | Fairly low. This is quite an easy fish to identify. | ||||||||||||||||||
| History |
A confusing background. Arnold in 1908 first reported them as coming from Sierra Leone. Boulenger reported them as coming from Liberia. Boulenger gives the following collectors / locations in his 1915 Catalogue.
First reported to have been received in a shipment of fish to Hamburg from Africa in January 1908. Contained in this shipment were 2 unknown specimens which were bought by Arnold who raised them into a pair which later spawned. A young male from this match was preserved & sent to Boulenger in London who at first thought them to be A.elegans. However after further preserved specimens & a colour sketch from Arnold, Boulenger considered these preserved specimens to be a new sp. which he named Haplochilus calliurus. A second shipment arrived in November 1908. Fish derived from this shipment could be traced up to 1914 in captivity where upon they died out in popularity being replaced by the more colourful A.australe & A.ahli which were around at the time. Another shipment was reported by Rachow in 1924 which was soon lost. In 1962 they were caught at Ijebu-Ode by Clausen who gave some to Scheel who bred them. First reports of their introduction to
the BKA comes in the April 1966 BKA newsletter (No.8) where they were first introduced
as Aphyosemion 'species'. These were known
to have been kept in the Midlands area some 18 months previously. History of the synonym Panchax unicolor Ahl 1924 Ahl described this sp. from a single specimen supplied by the aquarist Matte of Berlin who reported them being collected from 'West Africa'. This specimen has not been redescribed & the meristic data given by Ahl is uncertain. History of the synonym Panchax vexillifer Meinken 1929 It
is thought that Meinken used one male & one female for his description of
this sp. These came from a large commercial import from Africa imported by Platy-Tischrunde
of Hamburg. Meinken considered this sp. to be closest to Fp.oeseri. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Breeding Notes |
This sp. is a typical top spawner, laying eggs in floating vegetation or spawning mops (floating or sunken). Eggs are water incubated for 10-20 days. Fry are large enough on hatching to consume newly hatched brine shrimp. Sterba, in his book 'Freshwater Fishes of the World' (1962) makes a point that females should not be allowed to breed too early. He regarded a spawning period to last for 2-3 weeks with 15-20 eggs being layed daily. Young hatched in 12-20 days. A breeding report appeared in BKA newsletter No.78, February 1972 in which was stated new water should be avoided. Water depth should not exceed 6". Water temperature 72°F. The parents can be quite prolific with eggs taking about 14 days to water incubate at 72°F. Some eggs were noted for taking up to 25 days to hatch. The natural method of breeding worked well with this sp. with eggs being left with the parents. Growth is reported as being rapid with full maturity being attained in 5 months. A breeding report in BKA newsletter No.224, April 1984 concerning the Mojuka population states that the fish bred well at 76-80°F but not at 68-70°F. The fish preferred to lay at the top of the tank. Eggs were small, clear & bright. Fry emerged after 12-30 days of water incubation & were fed on infusoria for a few days before being offered microworm. Water changes were no problem with this sp. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Diameter of Egg | 1.3mm | ||||||||||||||||||
| Remarks |
This sp. is fairly easy to get hold of as many populations circulate in captivity. They are one of the easiest sp. to spawn & ideal for the newcomer to Killies. Many aquarists plant the spawning tanks heavily & let nature take its course. Fry are usually un-molested & grow on with the parents. |
