Poropanchax normani

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Norman's lampeye
Aplocheilichthys normani 3.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Genus: Poropanchax
Species:
P. normani
Binomial name
Poropanchax normani
(Ahl, 1928)  [1]
Poropanchax normani range map.png
Range Map
Synonyms [2]

Aplocheilichthys normaniAhl, 1928

Poropanchax normani, also known as the Norman's lampeye, is a species of Procatopodidae which is native to Africa. It belongs to the group of African lampeyes and livebearers (Poeciliidae). [3] [4]

Contents

Etymology

The fish is named in honor of ichthyologist J. R. (John Roxborough) Norman (1898–1944), of the British Museum, who sent specimens to Ahl for "determination" of the species. [5]

Description

The Norman's lampeye is named for its bright markings located on its eyes. Its body is lightly colored, with a rounded caudal fin and large, rounded dorsal and anal fins near the posterior. The fish’s eye is about 1.5–2 times the length of its head, a distinctive feature of African lampeyes. The surface and scales have a bluish tint with a yellow hue or outline on the body and the outer edges of the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins. This coloration is likely an adaptation to the highly vegetated areas where the fish is found and is passed down genetically. P. normani has a superiorly positioned mouth, which is typical of its surface-oriented, omnivorous feeding habits.

P. normani pictured above. Yellow, green, and blue coloration is clearly visible on the skin surface Poropanchax normani.png
P. normani pictured above. Yellow, green, and blue coloration is clearly visible on the skin surface
Wild Micropanchax scheeli, male, in the Equatorial Guinea Micropanchax scheeli.png
Wild Micropanchax scheeli, male, in the Equatorial Guinea

It is easy to confuse P. normani with its close relatives, P. stigmatopygus and Micropanchax scheeli, due to their similar body shapes and colors. However, the most distinguishing feature is their color patterns. P. normani exhibits a yellow and blue bicolor, while M. scheeli has a translucent gray body, and P. stigmatopygus has a yellow/gray mix on the body surface. [8]

The vibrant colors, large eye, and small size of P. normani make it a popular choice for home aquariums. The species is readily available through aquarium trade and online vendors.

History

The Late Miocene and Pleistocene eras in Africa were marked by rapid climate change and the aridification of the continent. P. normani's diversification and separation from its ancestor species are attributed to its adaptation to more arid environments in the Middle and Late Miocene. P. normani is found in Nilo-Sudanic systems such as the Senegal River and Lake Chad, as well as in rainforests in the Congo Basin. This has made P. normani the most widespread African lampeye species, with its abundance still notable today. [9] Recent studies have corrected historical references to the genus, as the species was previously listed as Aplocheilichthys normani. [10]

Biology

P. normani grow to a maximum of approximately 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in length. [11] . Adult males and females typically weigh between 0.07–0.34 grams. The minimum total length for an adult is around 2 cm. [12] Their lifespan is about 3–4 years. A high reproductive rate contributes to their status as a shoaling species. This species thrives in slow-moving waters, as indicated by the large, lobed fins on its body. [13]

Although some famous members of the Poeciliidae family are bear live young, P. normani lay small (1.49 ± 0.07 mm) eggs that are fertilized externally. Fertilized P. normani eggs are spherical and have a bundle of highly elastic, adhesive filaments on one side. The eggs are demersal, meaning they sink to the bottom, and the adhesive filaments likely help eggs attach to spawning sites or similar structures. [14]

Distribution

This species is found throughout Central and Western Africa, particularly in small rivers and swamps. [15] P. normani inhabits humid coastal regions and a variety of freshwater habitats, including lakes, large and small rivers, and coastal swamps. [16] Recent sightings have been recorded in Sub-Saharan and Sahel regions, [17] including Lake Boukou in the Central Saharan Lakes, where the species is found in abundance. The fish is commonly observed at the surface of brackish, vegetated waters.

Countries where P. normani is found in freshwater rivers include Senegal, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Chad. [8] [13] [4]

Diet

This fish feeds on aquatic invertebrates. In captivity, it thrives on a varied diet, such as Artemia , Daphnia , and bloodworms, and will also take small pellets and crushed flake foods. [18] The fish can feed and adapt to vastly different ecological niches depending on the availability of the food. Common sources of food for the fish are small mosquito larvae developing on the surface of the water, organic matter stemming from plants, and small crustaceans. P. normani has a vast difference in feeding rate compared to juvenile and adult fish, where adult fish consume around 3-4 times more than their juvenile counterpart. Although P. normani can feed both during the day and night, higher preference and feeding rates are found in typical morning and daylight. [16]

Conservation Status

As of October 2024, the IUCN lists P. normani as "Least Concern," meaning it is not currently at risk of endangerment. However, the aquarium trade, particularly in fisheries and home aquariums, could pose a threat to local ecosystems through improper practices. Climate change also represents a concern, as some populations of P. normani inhabit shallow water areas vulnerable to drought. While P. normani has greater "plasticity" (ability to adapt) compared to other species, extreme weather conditions may challenge the species' survival in the future.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poeciliidae</span> Family of ray-finned fishes

Poeciliidae are a family of freshwater ray-finned fishes of the order Cyprinodontiformes, the tooth-carps, and include well-known live-bearing aquarium fish, such as the guppy, molly, platy, and swordtail. The original distribution of the family was the Southeastern United States to north of Río de la Plata, Argentina, and Africa, including Madagascar. Due to release of aquarium specimens and the widespread use of species of the genera Poecilia and Gambusia for mosquito control, though, poeciliids can today be found in all tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In addition, Poecilia and Gambusia specimens have been identified in hot springs pools as far north as Banff, Alberta.

<i>Nothobranchius</i> Genus of fishes

Nothobranchius is a genus of small, freshwater killifish, classified in the family Nothobranchiidae in the order Cyprinodontiformes. There are about a hundred species in the genus, many with very small distributions. They are primarily native to East Africa from Sudan to northern South Africa, whereas a dozen species are found in the upper Congo River Basin; the greatest species richness is in Tanzania.

<i>Poecilia</i> Genus of fishes

Poecilia is a genus of fishes in the family Poeciliidae of the order Cyprinodontiformes. These livebearers are native to fresh, brackish and salt water in the Americas, and some species in the genus are euryhaline. A few have adapted to living in waters that contain high levels of toxic hydrogen sulfide and a population of P. mexicana lives in caves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded lampeye</span> Species of fish

The banded lampeye is a species of poeciliid that is native to Africa, ranging from Senegal to Angola. It is mainly found in coastal brackish habitats such as river mouths, lagoons and mangrove swamps. It reaches up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in total length.

The Lake Rukwa lampeye is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. Its natural habitats are intermittent rivers, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss. This species occurs in central Africa in Lake Rukwa, Tanzania, the Malagarasi River, Wembere River system and the upper basin of the Congo River. Its specific name honours the German physician and zoologist Friedrich Fülleborn (1866-1933), who collected the type.

The mesh-scaled topminnow is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. The two population groups are a southern group of populations found in Angola, Botswana, the Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia and a northern population group found in Chad, the Central African Republic, the White Nile in South Sudan and Sudan and in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo. Its natural habitat is small streams and brooks, lakes, and swamps on floodplains where it lives among aquatic vegetation. This species was described by George Albert Boulenger as Haplochilus hutereaui in 1913 with the type locality being Dungu on the upper Uelé River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Boulenger received the type from Armand Hutereau (1875-1914), who was the head of a Belgian ethnographic expedition to the Congo, so he honoured Hutereau in the specific name.

The Lake Rudolf lampeye is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to Lake Turkana in Kenya and south western Ethiopia. Within the lake it is found in shallow water among vegetation, spawning in the littoral zone and feeding on small insects and zooplankton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green swordtail</span> Species of fish

The green swordtail is a species of freshwater/brackish fish in family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is closely related to the southern platyfish or 'platy' (X. maculatus) and can crossbreed with it. It is native to an area of North and Central America stretching from Veracruz, Mexico, to northwestern Honduras.

Hylopanchax is a genus of poeciliids native to the Congo River Basin and Ivindo River in Middle Africa.

<i>Poropanchax</i> Genus of fishes

Poropanchax is a genus of small poeciliid fishes native to Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Procatopodinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

Procatopodinae is a subfamily of the family Poeciliidae, the "livebearers", in the order Cyprinodontiformes. Some authorities treat this subfamily as a family, the Procatopodidae, including the banded lampeye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nile killifish</span> Species of fish

The Nile killifish, also known as the Nile lampeye, is a species of killifish from the family Poeciliidae. It is found in the White Nile drainage in Sudan, the Nile Delta in Egypt, the Wembere and Malagarasi Rivers in Tanzania and in the Lake Victoria basin in Uganda and Tanzania. However, it is thought to have been extirpated from Egypt, the introduction of alien poecilid fish, agricultural pollution and increasing salinity are all thought to have contributed to its local extinction in the Nile Delta.

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<i>Poecilia parae</i> Species of fish

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<i>The Bichir Handbook</i> Book about living fossils

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<i>Limia islai</i> Species of freshwater fish

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References

  1. ↑ "Poropanchax normani". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Poropanchax normani". FishBase . December 2019 version.
  3. ↑ Van Der Zee, Jouke R.; Bernotas, Kimberly; Bragança, Pedro H.N.; Stiassny, Melanie L.J. (2019-10-10). "An Unexpected New Poropanchax (Cyprinodontiformes, Procatopodidae) from the Kongo Central Province, Democratic Republic of Congo". American Museum Novitates (3941): 1. doi:10.1206/3941.1. ISSN   0003-0082.
  4. 1 2 Bragança, Pedro H.N.; Amorim, Pedro F.; Costa, Wilson J.E.M. (2018-02-09). "Pantanodontidae (Teleostei, Cyprinodontiformes), the sister group to all other cyprinodontoid killifishes as inferred by molecular data". Zoosystematics and Evolution. 94 (1): 137–145. doi: 10.3897/zse.94.22173 . ISSN   1860-0743.
  5. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018). "Order CYPRINODONTIFORMES: Families POECILIIDAE, ANABLEPIDAE, VALENCIIDAE, APHANIIDAE and PROCATOPODIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  6. ↑ "Poropanchax normani (ex. Aplocheilichthys) • killifish • Fish sheet". Fishipedia. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  7. ↑ Wildekamp, Rudolf H.; Malumbres, Francisco J. (2004). "Identification of micropanchax scheeli (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae: Aplocheilichthyinae) with the description of a new species of the genus Poropanchax". Société Française d'Ichtyologie. doi:10.26028/CYBIUM/2004-281-009.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. 1 2 Wildekamp, Rudolf H.; Malumbres, Francisco J. (2004). "Identification of micropanchax scheeli (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae: Aplocheilichthyinae) with the description of a new species of the genus Poropanchax | Société Française d'Ichtyologie - Cybium". Société Française d'Ichtyologie. doi:10.26028/cybium/2004-281-009.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ↑ Neumann, Dirk; Obermaier, Henriette; Moritz, Timo (2016). "Annotated checklist for fishes of the Main Nile Basin in the Sudan and Egypt based on recent specimen records (2006-2015)". doi:10.26028/CYBIUM/2016-404-004.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ↑ Bragança, Pedro H. N.; Costa, Wilson J. E. M. (2019-03-16). "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. Bibcode:2019ODivE..19..303B. doi:10.1007/s13127-019-00396-1. ISSN   1439-6092.
  11. ↑ "Lampeye-Poropanchax normani". www.fishkeeper.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  12. ↑ Da, Nomwine; Diop, Khady; Djidohokpin, Gildas; Ndiour, Yacine; Bolonga, Alain; Snoeks, Jos; Musschoot, Tobias (2023). "Length-weight and length-length relationships of 48 Senegalese freshwater fish species based on collection specimens". Cybium. doi:10.26028/CYBIUM/2023-015.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. 1 2 "Poropanchax normani (ex. Aplocheilichthys) • killifish • Fish sheet". Fishipedia. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  14. ↑ Kim, Dong Heui (2022-07-13). "Light and electron microscopic morphology of the fertilized egg and fertilized egg envelope of Poropanchax normani, Poeciliidae, Teleostei". Applied Microscopy. 52 (1): 6. doi: 10.1186/s42649-022-00075-0 . ISSN   2287-4445. PMC   9279538 . PMID   35831688.
  15. ↑ "Poropanchax normani, Norman's lampeye : Fisheries, aquarium".
  16. 1 2 Romand, R. (April 1985). "Feeding biology of Aplocheilichthys normani, Ahl, a small Cyprinodontidae from West Africa". Journal of Fish Biology. 26 (4): 399–410. Bibcode:1985JFBio..26..399R. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1985.tb04280.x. ISSN   0022-1112.
  17. ↑ Trape, Sébastien (2013). "A study of the relict fish fauna of northern Chad, with the first records of a polypterid and a poeciliid in the Sahara desert". Comptes Rendus. Biologies (in French). 336 (11–12): 582–587. doi:10.1016/j.crvi.2013.10.001. ISSN   1768-3238. PMID   24296082.
  18. ↑ "Poropanchax normani - Norman's lampeye | Tropical Fish".


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