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Fishes Catalogue - Killifishes - Egg-laying Tooth Carps
(Family: Cyprinodontidae)

Contents

• Key to Abbreviations
• Egg-laying Tooth Carps
• Cinnamon Killie
• Spotfin Killie
• Blue Calliurum

Egg-laying Tooth Carps, better known as Killifishes, are small and often extremely colourful fishes found on almost every continent, but most heavily represented in the tropics of Africa and America. They usually possess large dorsal and anal fins, and the caudal fins of the males in many genera are also large and lyre-shaped. The mouth is usually large and situated well forward, and the overall size of these fishes rarely exceeds 3 inches (7.5cms.), they are expert jumpers.

The rather large family, Cyprinodontidae (Si-prin-o-don-ti-dee), boasts several hundred species, which makes classification confusing at both family level and species level. The genera and species are so numerous that groups are inadequately defined, and species identification is often impossible. There are various Killifishes in the family, Lyretails ( Aphyosemion) along with their relatives the Panchaxes of Africa and Southern Asia, the Lamp-eyes (Procatopus) and their allies of Africa, and the Pupfishes (Cyprinodon) of North America, to name but a few.

Most tropical Killifishes live in pools and streams, where there is an abundance of vegetation, and considerable plant overhang to shade them from the bright light, which they dislike. These areas are of heavy rainfall where the water is often very soft, and because of decaying vegetation, is on the acid side. Because of these conditions mosquito larvae and aquatic crustaceans are plentiful, and the large forward mouth that I mentioned earlier, indicates that they are skilled catchers of food on the move. Indeed, Killifishes in the aquarium should be fed plenty of live food. These species are known as Top-spawners, and they lay small groups of eggs, which they attach to vegetation.

Some species however, notably the Fire killies, some Lyretails, and the Pearlfishes and their allies, live in geographical areas where a rainy season is followed by a long dry season. Bodies of water dry out and fishes die from asphyxia, for this reason these Killifishes are known as annual fishes. Despite this setback, these fishes have developed a way to perpetuate their species survival. They bury their eggs in the mud at the bottom of pools and ditches, when these bodies of water dry out, the parents die. The eggs though, are protected for several months until the next rainy season. Within hours of the arrival of the rains, the eggs hatch out and the cycle begins over again. Interestingly, if the fish keeper is hatching the eggs, not all the eggs will hatch out at once, some will need a second soaking before they hatch, maybe this is an insurance, against the odd shower in the wild. These species are known as substrate spawners.

As a general rule tropical Killifishes require relatively soft acid water. The males are usually more colourful than the females, and may even have different finnage. Their beautiful colouration and small size warrants them a place in the aquarium, but because Killifishes are choosey about water conditions, and the fact that they are very aggressive, fin nipping etc. they are not recommended for the community tank or the beginner.

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From West Africa, West Cameroon, and the drainage area of the upper Mungo River, the Cinnamon Killie is simple to care for, although it is quite a robust fish and likes to subdue the smaller of its species. When kept with different fish though, there are hardly any problems.

The males have dark blue bodies with yellow edged fins, although I have seen bright cinnamon yellow-brown variations of the male, with gold-bordered blue tail, ventral and anal fins. The female, on the other hand, is basically a greyish-brown, and their fins are barely coloured. This species will grow to about 2 - 2¼ inches (5 - 5.5cms), and if it is to be kept with other killifishes they must be of the same vigorous nature.

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This Killie, from the Lower Congo, grows to a length of 2 inches (5cms.), where it inhabits ponds, pools, and ditches. Their colours are variable, depending on the strain, but in general the males are a pale brown with red spots, with the characteristic lyre tail. In contrast, the female has translucent fins, unlike the colourful fins of her mate.

They are a peaceful, retiring, small statured fish that can be kept with other small fishes, although a species tank is preferred. All kinds of food can be fed that is of appropriate size.

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This Killifish is a native of West Africa, as well as the coastal areas of Southern Benin, and through Southern Nigeria into South West Cameroon. It is a peaceful fish, although it will occasionally be somewhat aggressive towards the males of its own and other A Aphyosemion species, but usually only until a pecking order has been established.

The male is markedly more colourful, and somewhat larger than the female. The male grows up to 3 inches (7.6cms.). The male shows mostly bluish-green in the body, and the sides are covered in crimson dots arranged in irregular longitudinal lines that run from the snout to the caudal peduncle. The female, that only has the spots in common with male, also has rounded fins whereas the males are elongated.

A well-planted aquarium is recommended for this species, as well as plenty of live food, with occasional dry food. It tends to swim in the lower half of the aquarium, it is an egg hanger, and is a very typical member of the genus.

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