Fish of the Month

2025

January

Blue lyretail killifish, Fundulopanchax gardneri
Brightly coloured irridescent blue/green fish with bright red irregular spots

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.