Aphyosemion poliaki Amiet 1991

Ekona
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

Meaning of Name

After Daniel Poliak, a well known aquarist who has worked with members of the Chromaphyosemion subgenus.

First Description

Amiet J.L. 1991

Diagnoses de deux espéces nouvelles d'Aphyosemion du Cameroon (Teleostei: Aplocheilidae).

Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 2 (1): p 89-94, figures, map.

Size

6 cm (Wildekamp 1993)

Meristics

D = 12-13, A = 14-15 (Amiet 1991)

Karyotype

n = 19, A = 20

Sub-Genus

Chromaphyosemion

Group

 

Synonyms
  • Aphyosemion sp. Amiet 1987
  • Aphyosemion (Chromaphyosemion) sp. No.1
Populations
  • Bolifamba
  • Buéa CI 94
  • Ekona
  • Ekona CDC
  • Ekona 1999
  • Ekona Yard
  • Limbe
  • Mamu
  • Mile 29 (See Population section on right)
  • Mile 33 DK
  • Moliko
  • Monea
  • Mount Cameroon
  • Muea
  • Mussaka
  • Powo Camp
  • Tamben (southwest Province, western Cameroon)
  • ABC 06 / 121 - Near Douala
  • ABK 07 / 152 - Near Mile 29
  • ABK 07 / 153 - Mannion District near Mile 29
  • C 94 / 3
  • CBL 01 / 22 - Ekona
  • CBL 01 / 23
  • CI 01
  • CI 01 - Ekona
  • CMM 41
  • HAH 98 / 305 - Mile 17
  • HHK 303 - Mile 29
  • sp. No.1
  • 3km north of Beau Crossroads

ABC 06 / 121 - Coming from Douala, at the entrance to Mile 29 (before the turn), turn right. Stream in a rubber tree plantation. Collected with A.calliurum. Collected 27th January 2006 at 14.45 hours.

ABK 07 / 152 - Collected at 16.45 hours on 20th January 2007 by Agnése et al at the entrance to Mile 29 from Muyuka. Also collected an Epiplatys sp.

ABK 07 / 153 - Collected 20th January 2007 at 17.20 hours. District Mannion, from Mile 29 to Doula, track right along the plantation of rubber trees. Source crossing the road. A. poliaki, Cichlidae.

Bolifamba -

BOLIFAMBA male
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

BOLIFAMBA female
Photo courtesy of Vasco Gomes

BOLIFAMBA. Poor image taken at 2001 BKA convention.

Ekona -

 

EKONA pair.
Photo courtesy of Roger Gladwell

  

HAH 98 / 305 - Mile 17 - Collected 12th June 1998 by Hrbek, Aspinwall & Heller. About 0.5 km south of the Mile 17 junction (Buea, Muea, Muntengene), on the main road from Buea to Douala, in Bolifamba. Down a side road going west to the Rehabilitation Centre for the Blind. First creek on the path, about 0.5 km inland. The stream flows from north to south and is not very rapid. Western side of the stream is cultivated with bananas and coco-yams. The stream itself is has a number of fallen trees, emergent reed like vegetation and numerous areas with caught organic debris. Fish are found in more quiet areas behind fallen trees. Exposed to sun, and not much like a 'typical' killifish habitat. Dark colored bottom composed of large pebbles. Clean, clear water. Coordinates: 04°08'46" N 09°18'07" E, Elevation: 535 m, pH 7.6 TDS 110 µSi 0.16
(From information supplied by Rudolf Pohlmann).

     

Mile 29 - Readings taken 22nd January 1984 at 2 pm - Water temperature 22·8°C, pH 7, electrical conductivity 150 µs, total hardness 5°DH. Water was clear. Area was in the open, without trees. Some overhanging vegetation around edges. Stream was 3-5 metres wide & 30-40cm deep. Base of stream covered with stones of volcanic origin.
The Mile 29 location (area) has been fished many times CCPT 84 / 22 (Poliak); Amiet 1985 & 1988; HLM 99 / 15 (Huijgevoort); Sonnenberg 2000; HHK 303 (Hrbek, Heller & Kum, 2000); CBL 01 / 21; C 03 / 42; ABK 07 / 121; ABK 07 / 152; CMM 51; Siedel et al 2008.
A corruption appears as ABC 05 / 8 Mile 29 which should be Mile 11.

Mile 29
Photo courtesy of Maurice Chauche & the KCF website.

Mile 29 taken at the 2004 SKS convention.
Photo courtesy of Dick Cox

  

Monea - Legros could not locate this collection point in his 1989 trip & considers it could be Muea (pronounced Mouia).

Monea. Imported into the BKA in the '70's. BKA photo

   

 

Mount Cameroon -

 

Mount Cameroon

  

Muea - On the road betwen Mutengene to Muyuka, less than 10 km before Ekona Yard, eastern slopes of Mont Cameroon.
Location used by commercial collectors with erroneous label 'splendopleure'.
Collected by Horst Gresens 1998.

sp. No.1 - Collected on the slopes of Mt. Cameroon at an altitude of 900 metres.

Type Locality

Tamben, southwest Province, western Cameroon.

Distribution

The eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon. Reported to inhabit altitudes of 250-600 metres above sea level.

Habitat

Small mountain brooks. They are usually found under overhanging vegetation.
Water measures pH 7·2, temperature 23°C. Streams have a strong current running over dark soil probably deriving from volcanic sands.
This sp. is found at high altitudes of 400 - 600m above sea level. Night time temperatures will drop.

Distinguishing Characteristics  
Colour/Pattern Variability Low
History

 

Breeding Notes

I kept this species on the top row of my fish house on receipt from the wild in a well planted tank exposed to natural daylight. The fish were ragged on arrival but eventually recovered into fine specimens. No eggs were laid for about 6 months but they did lay in this set up, producing a few pairs to maintain & a few to distribute.

Reports suggest a low temperature for breeding. This is in line with the high altitude (higher than any other Chromaphyosemion sp.) they inhabit. Sexual maturity is reached at 6-7 months of age.

Jaroslav Kadlec in BKA newsletter No.363, December 1995 reports breeding them in a 1 litre jar with water of 1-2°DH, pH 6/6·5, water temperature 20-26°C. It is essential to feed them on live foods. Mosquito larvae & wingless fruit flies are a favourite. He put washed peat as a base & used 2-3 females to 1 male. Fish were left in the tank for 5-10 hours. Eggs were water hatched.
At 20°C eggs took 26-34 days to hatch. At 23°C eggs took 18-21 days to hatch. At 26°C eggs took 12-14 days to hatch.
On hatching fry are 4·2-4·3 mm in length & transparent. Paramecium & rotifers were used as a first food. On day 3 newly hatched brine shrimp was given. Growth rate was relatively fast. At 1 month they were 10-12 mm long. At 2 months 18-20 mm. At this stage they start to sex out. Males aquire a yellowish hue. Sexual maturity is at 4 months.

Diameter of Egg  
Remarks

Newly imported commercial shipments are very ragged. Males appear to fight in the bags. I always put plenty of plants & mops in the tanks on receiving them & they do not show any hostility towards each other.

References

https://www.killifische.info/west-africa/chromaphyosemion/poliaki/