Fish of the Month

Found in brooks, swamps, pools and streams in humid forested and highland savannah and rainforests of Cameroon and Nigeria. The species has evolved a semi-annual spawning strategy to adapt to the unpredictable nature of the freshwater ecosystems within which it is found. This means that the eggs can survive a period of drying as well as being viable when permanently submerged. It is a bottom spawner and has a one-month incubation period. The species is assessed as Least Concern ( https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/182030/134759395) by IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ although there are a number of threats that may be significant declines across its range including shifting agriculture, logging and urban development.

The Mangarahara cichlid or joba mena, Ptychochromis insolitus, is endemic to the Sofia River catchment of Madagascar.  The species is assessed as Critically Endangered by IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ due to its small range, declining population, and threats from loss of habitat and loss of water caused by upstream dams.  The species received global attention in 2013 when London Zoo launched a global search for a girlfriend for their two male fishes in a bid to start a conservation breeding programme. Captive populations have since significantly increased, and captive bred individuals can now be found in 23 institutions globally. This is particularly important as the situation in the wild has further declined. In 2013, a survey of the Amboaboa river near Marotandrano found a small population of the Mangarahara cichlid, however, a survey of the same river in 2024 found no evidence of the species.

The Acıgöl killifish, Anatolichthys transgrediens is endemic to Lake Acıgöl, Southwest Turkey. The lake is approximately 35m² and is known as the ‘bitter’ lake due to the high sulphate springs that feed into it. The killifish is currently classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threated Species ™ due to its limited range. Invasive species such as the Mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, salt mining, pollution, and agricultural practices have been the main pressures on this species and its habitat. In June 2024, the Acıgöl killifish was given an IUCN Green Status of Critically Depleted with a Species Recovery Score of 15%. The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Hacettepe University and Istanbul Aquarium relocated a population from Lake Acıgöl to Istanbul Aquarium in Sept 2024 to safeguard this species in an ex-situ capacity. This killifish is a priority within the EAZA Cyprinodontidae and Aphaniidae European Endangered Programme (EEP) and is currently cared for in several zoos and aquariums in Europe. Collaborations between Turkish institutions and European Zoos and Aquariums are crucial to protect these insurance populations as their wild counterparts could be lost forever.

Nominated by FFSG Member Alex Cliffe