Banded lampeye

The banded lampeye (Aplocheilichthys spilauchen) is a species of poeciliid that is native to Africa, ranging from Senegal to Angola. It is mainly found in coastal brackish habitats (only infrequently in pure fresh or salt water) such as river mouths, lagoons and mangrove swamps.[1][3] It reaches up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in total length.[2]

Banded lampeye

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Subfamily: Aplocheilichythinae
Myers, 1928
Genus: Aplocheilichthys
Bleeker, 1863
Species:
A. spilauchen
Binomial name
Aplocheilichthys spilauchen
(Duméril, 1861)
Synonyms[2]
  • Aplocheilus spilauchen (Duméril, 1861)
  • Epiplatys spilauchen (Duméril, 1861)
  • Haplochilichthys spilauchen (Duméril, 1861)
  • Haplochilus spilauchen (Duméril, 1861)
  • Haplochilus spilauchenus (Duméril, 1861)
  • Panchax spilauchen (Duméril, 1861)
  • Aplocheilichthys typus Bleeker, 1863
  • Poecilia bensonii Peters, 1864
  • Aplocheilichthys bensonii (Peters, 1864)
  • Aplocheilichthys tschiloangensis Ahl, 1928

Description

Banded lampeyes are small killifish, with an average length of 7 centimetres (2.8 in) with a somewhat cylindrical body and short, rounded fins. It has round scales and a dorsally flattened head with the a terminal mouth. They are a pale cream in colour with an iridescent silvery blue band running along the flanks, this band is more marked towards the tail. Males have the rear of the bosy, close to the tail, marked with vertical bars which are the same colour as the band along the flanks, their fins will be more intensively coloured than those of the females. There is a bright spot above the, which gives rise to the common name lampeye .[4]

Distribution

Banded lampeyes are found in river mouths along the western coast of Africa. In West Africa this species occurs from the Senegal River to Nigerial; a second population is found around the mouth of the Congo River and nearby estuaries and deltas from Cameroon to Angola. The southernmost records are from the Chiloango River in Cabinda and the Lower Cuanza River near Luanda.[1]

Habitat and biology

The banded lampeye is a sedentary, benthopelagic fish. It is found in brackish water in coastal swamps, river mouths, lagoons and mangroves and is rarely recorded in either pure freshwater or pur marine water.[1] It is a carnivorous species which feeds on insect larvae, small aquatic insects, small crustaceans, and worms.[4] This species is not a live bearer and the females scatter their eggs over plants when spawning, the eggs sticking to the plants. They can live for up to five years in captivity.[4]

Taxonomy

Currently the only member of Aplocheilichthys,[2] this genus formerly included numerous other species that now are placed in Foerschichthys, Lacustricola, Micropanchax, Pantanodon, Plataplochilus, Poropanchax and Rhexipanchax.[5] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World places the genus Aplocheilichthys in the monotypic subfamily Aplocheilichythinae[6] but other authorities place this taxon in the family Procatopodidae.[7]

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References
  1. da Costa, L.; Moelants, T. & Olaosebikan, B.D. (2010). "Aplocheilichthys spilauchen". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2010: e.T181567A7680426. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Aplocheilichthys spilauchen" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2017). Species of Aplocheilichthys in FishBase. April 2017 version.
  4. "Banded Lampeye Banded Lampeye Killifish, African Lampeye Family: Poeciliidae". Animal World Pet and Animal Information. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  5. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2017). Scientific Names where Genus Equals Aplocheilichthys in FishBase. April 2017 version.
  6. J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. p. 371. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
  7. Pedro Bragança & Wilson J E M Costa (2019). "Multigene fossil-calibrated analysis of the African lampeyes (Cyprinodontoidei: Procatopodidae) reveals an early Oligocene origin and Neogene diversification driven by palaeogeographic and palaeoclimatic events". Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 19 (2): 303–320. doi:10.1007/s13127-019-00396-1. Abstract
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