Two New Chromidotilapia Species

[Randall]

Attention all "Westies" enthusiasts!

Released by the publisher on 2/5/03, Dr. Anton Lamboj has scientifically described two new Chromidotilapia species from Gabon, Central Africa. C. melaniae is named after Dr. Melanie Stiassny, Curator of Fishes at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. C. nana is so named due to it's diminutive size. At approximately 3 inches, it is the smallest described Chromidotilapia species.

For further information and photos, please refer to the Apisto-Gram, the newsletter of the Apistogramma Study Group (ASG). For ASG membership information, please refer to their web site at http://apisto.com.

Thank you.

Randall Kohn

 

[Neil]

Wow a true Dwarf Chromido!!
I am loving that. Can't wait to get a look at them. Thanks for the info again Randall. Keep it up.

 

[Florent]

Chromidotilapia melaniae = C. sp Shiloango
Chromidotilapia nana = C. sp. Tchibanga

http://www.blackwater.50megs.com/tchibanga.htm
http://www.aquanet.de/privat/russegger/sonstiges/chrom_tchibanga.htm


Best Regards

Florent

 

[Randall]

C. melaniae & C. nana

Dear Florent,

The Gabon cichlid known in the European hobby as Chromidotilapia sp. Shiloango has indeed been described as C. melaniae. This fish, however, may not be the origianal C. sp. Shilaongo from Cabinda, Congo (Brazzaville), as per Thys van den Audenaerde (1968), pending further study (Lamboj, 2003).

Dr. Lamboj collected two Tchibanga species in Gabon (2000), referred to by the collector as C. sp. Tchibanga I and C. sp. Tchibanga II. C. sp. Tchibanga II has been described as C. nana. The photos depicted on both Ariel Bornstein's and Markus Russegger's web sites are not this fish; they are C. sp. Tchibanga I which has been described as C. melaniae.

Confusing, isn't it?

Thank you.

All the best,

Randall Kohn