West African Fundulus species.
By Paul Arnold, Hanburg.
(With a color table based on a watercolor by the author.)


Part II: fundulus gularis Blgr. var A. blue
(With an original recording by F. W. Oelze.)

Under Schroot's import of November 4, 1905, there was a single specimen of a tooth carp, which, according to the position of the dorsal and anal fin, must also belong to the genus Fundulus ; its total length was about 5 cm. When I brought it home, the little fish could be described as follows: head disproportionately large with a wide mouth, body slender, cylindrical, to be measured backwards because it was badly torn and to be determined because badly torn and bitten off. Body color light, brownish pink. After slowly heating the transport water, I put this - by the way - quite expensive novelty into a heated aquarium, where it was immediately disappeared between the dense plants and was so shy at first that it had to be found with a stick if you wanted to see it. In the beginning, this Fundulus could not be moved as much as his three little cousins could be moved as his three little cousins the Fundulus arnoldi Blgr Forage animals are tried up he succeeded in getting him to accept a small earthworm, which he devoured with great greed. Since my other, sometimes significant, fish population was taking up my time, I left this Fundulus to the care of my cousin, who is a women, seldom very interested in my hobby, and I owe it to her careful care that the little animal stayed with me for over a year. od care had the consequence that the fish developed fabulously quickly and had reached a length of 8 cm after four weeks. At the same time, the body emaciated during the trip had taken on full shape again. With the progressive growth of the body and the fins, the development of the color kept pace, and the indistinguishable little fish gradually became a fish whose splendor of colors cannot be described at all. The analogy of the caudal fin shape with that of the (male?) Vom Fundulus arnoldi Blgr. Judging by it, there was no doubt that, judging by it, we were subject to it no doubt that in this Fundulus we had a man of his kind before us, too the splendid coloring, which is an increase Not allowed at all, suggested that. Our "Mobbi", as we called him, soon became very tame and was everyone's favorite. Sit down we and in front of his aquarium, he came out of his hiding place among the plants and swam briskly up and down the front pane of the aquarium, presenting himself to the eye in all its splendor. Usually wide mouth, as if to say: "I'm hungry, give me something to eat!" He then regularly receives his favorite food, an earthworm, which he took from his fingers. It did not help us that the animal was doomed to eke out its own life, but all efforts to get a female for it were unsuccessful. I had set my hopes on Groche's next return, but when he returned from his trip to Niger in early April 1906, he did not bring a single Fundulus with him; He explained that in the pool in which he captured this Fundulus in large numbers in the previous year hadn't seen a copy of this kind would have been, although he was following the water searched all directions; be it him just Cichlids and Eleotris , as well adult Haplocheilus sexfasciatus caught on. Since the possibility of obtaining of a female now moved into the distance again I joined our "Mobbi" great pair of Rivulus elegans with whom he is very well tolerated; he shared the feed, which from earthworms, water lice, beetle and Mosquito larvae, flies and scraped raw Rindflesch insisted with them and munched on to feel good in their company. So months passed; our "Mobbi" was always happy, ate hard and had at the end of August 1906 reached a total length of 9 1/2 cm. Then came the K. and Siggelkow import! Same Although brought this Fundulus in larger Number of specimens that could not be of any use to my grown man in addition, K. and Siggelkow wanted some fish not surrendered. With a matching female for our "Mobbi" there was nothing! Since I have an aquarium for other purposes needed, I settled at the end of September 1906, our Fundulus with the Rivulus in another Basin above, in which there were about fifty adult Haplocheilus panchax and their varieties. The Haplocheilus took care of under "Mobbi" not at all, they were afraid in the first time even from him, also with He didn't miss out on feeding, because soon he made a movement, the whole puffed up Haplocheilus society apart and he was able to choose the fattest bites in peace. But when the Haplocheilus realized that her new comrade, in spite of his size, absolutely was harmless and contractual, they became bolder and finally let himself through his Presence no longer bother me, so that I am with the feeding always had to intervene later to protect our "Mobbi" from the greedy mouths of the Haplocheilus . While our darling had always been cheerful and trusting until then, he was now calm and grumpy, he showed himself less and less and even to feed he left his place on the ground under a strong Ludwigia not. This lethargic state of the little animal in whom I saw nothing good, we thoroughly liked Not; I therefore brought our "Mobbi" whole in another, more spacious basin only below, but that didn't change anything either the definition of the fish. One morning, At the end of November 1906, we found him dead in the Aquarium in a blaze of colors that he in life only with the utmost comfort had shown. We mourned the wonderful Little animal that we have owned for so long had refreshed! What kind do they like Causes of this slow sniffing of the animal Have been? Should they be related to the sex life of these fish?

I would love to have a replacement for this one Fundulus , but where I am also in lover- and asked around sugar circles, nowhere was this species still represented, only a Berlin lover should, as reported to me still own a man of this Fundulus , which from the Siggelkow-Schneisingschen Import came, the others numerous Specimens of this kind which the import mentioned so were without offspring to have surrendered very quickly the way everything Meat gone.

From an import that Siggelkow started December 1906, I got the only one Copy of a Fundulus , which later as a female of these blue Fundulus species turned out to be; it was my concern on March 8, 1907 A cluster of scales and later used to identify the fish.

Because of me on the dead man studies carried out on the Flooding and scaling of this Fundulus I came to the conclusion that the number of Fin rays and dorsal and anal fin and the dimensions of the body, as well as the number the scales of the longitudinal line with the description by Fundulus gularis Blgr. in Proceedings of the Zoological Soociety, London 1901, P 623 agreed, but the description given here the color of the body and the I couldn't quite bring fins into harmony with my specimen kept alive. I didn't have the connections with at that time the learned circles and transferred the preparation of my Fundulus husband the local one Natural history museum for determination. Over I was able to see the result of the examination do not find out anything today!

Months passed! The fish imports from West Africa brought much beauty and interesting, but not a Fundulus . One of best Siggelkow fishermen, at the same time understanding carrier, was in mid-June In 1907 we went out to Niger, and so did we eagerly awaited his return. The Schiff arrived here on September 1, 1907, and At noon on September 2, 1907, Siggelkow reported to me by telephone that she had come for him Fish shipment now in full was in his house and among other things Contains 28 pieces of Fundulus . An hour later I was at Siggelkow, where I met Frau Kuhnt Conradshohe. In front of the aquarium with The Fundulus I sat down for everything else did not appeal to me at the moment! I saw there the conspecifics of our faded "Mobbi" in small and large, almost fully grown, well-preserved specimens, little men and women; but also a second type of Fundulus was represented in between, also in large and small specimens of both sexes; Fundulus arnoldi Blgr, I looked in vain. Although Mrs. Kuhnt does the whole import had already taken over, she kicked me in the most friendly manner Way a pair of each of these two Fundulus species and let me choose. Less out of modesty than out of it In principle, I looked for the smallest copies because they are easier to live in and then in a relatively small aquarium Propagation proceed. Fishing out the Mannchen was no problem, because these are through even in adolescent age the more intense coloring - with striking light - easy to distinguish from the females; but fishing out the associated ones Female was not an easy task; longer than I have an hour in the sweat of mine Given - the room temperature 20 Reaumur-needed until I, of my opinion would have. The females of these two Fundulus species are, as small specimens 3-4 cm long, almost indistinguishable from one another. joyful heart I went home with my sweetheart. A heated box aquarium of 56x28x30 cm size I put through a self-pushed glass pane in two Halved and put a parcel in each compartment the new Fundulus . And her new apartment immediately felt at home and unrefined equal to an in-depth inspection. Only the man of the blue Fundulus , which was about 1/3 cm smaller than his Female, was very weak, soon it got up the head, soon it was on its side. I did not worry, because Siggelkow had it turned out to be a perfectly healthy animal, so that the mental equilibrium disturbance probably only due to the shock during the Transports to my apartment on the way to be returned with the "electrical" had to. After half an hour it was the disturbance caused by the rest is eliminated and fishing now swam normally in the Aquarium around. Mosquito larvae and small ones I didn't have worms in my hand, I sat hence some Daphnia, but they are spurned become. A good thought occurred to me! one of my Mollienisia latipinna females me the morning of the same day with one large number - around 70 - boys given gifts, and these should mean my new Fundulus as First food that includes Fundulus species, with a particular preference for fry is generally known. I started with a scoop a dozen of the newborn Mollienisia out and gave them the Fundulus , which immediately hunted down they made and the delicate things well left to taste. Little by little, it fought me the whole bunch of young Mollienisia and more a large number of young Poecilia mexicana . The Although it was a somewhat expensive food, it was proven but prove to be extremely invigorating for the little Fundulus who are now used to eating also went to other live fodder and with the varied feeding yourself developed fabulously rapidly. Especially the almost daily feeding with red mosquito larvae, the I got from Thumm-Klotzsche-Dresden, wore to the rapid growth, so that I At the end of December 1907 it was almost fully grown Breeding pair with this blue Fundulus in front of me would have. Now the love games began, which are almost analogous to Fundulus ly "he" is far calmer than his cousin. This follows everywhere Man of his better half, makes himself in front of her by spreading his fins and snaking movements with the rear Parts of the body and the caudal fin, the animal shines in a blaze of colors that can neither be achieved with a brush nor with the Let the pen reproduce. Our color chart (in No. 35) shows couple in fully grown State, the man with spread fins the female is ready to spawn. At the end of January 1908 I observed the fish on various occasions spawn, the spawning gift takes place in the Fundulus arnold Blgr. described in more detail Instead, this blue Fundulus only includes the male with the dorsal and anal fin the rear body of the female, creating a formal holding of the female, on the part of the male in the act of spawning. Because the bottom is covered with a layer of mud I couldn't see anything of the eggs I didn't want to disturb the fish either and let them therefore everything in the aquarium is the same, as well I also had no place to put my parents in to be able to move to another aquarium.



My blue Fundulus was still indefinite remained; also as Mr. Oelze from Hanover visited me to supposedly for a scientific work some of my To record rarities photographically. One of his recordings, which paints the blue Fundulus made available to the publisher by Mr. Oelze and this Work (in No. 38) added. It is for always embarrassing me when I the lovers and non-lovers who visit me have to give the answer to their question about the names of the fish: "I don't know, the fish has not yet been determined". This gives the impression of ignorance, especially among non-fish lovers and ignorance. The determination of living fish is a tricky thing, Because our fin carriers hold on command not still to allow rows of scales, besides, the treatises are on foreign Fish so scattered in zooligian literature that you had to have a lot of time to find the right thing as a lais, even if you were all of the works, some of which are very expensive were available. A wrong species name is fast in the world, but hardly again exterminate, and therefore solitary handlers and Importers get their fish before they go on sale can only be determined by scientific authorities. I therefore sent Mr. G. A. Boulenger F. R. S. London, the specimen of the female received by me in March 1907, enclosing the watercolor of M and F of this Fundulus species, and asked for identification. Thereupon I received the notice that it is a large form of Fundulus gularis. The description of the fish by G. A. Boulenger in Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1901, P 623, I let follow below in translation:



So this fundulus was scientifically determined! As already mentioned, the description the description of the coloration and the fins of the male does not agree with my living specimens. do not agree. As you can see from the size (63mm), Boulenger have available only young specimens still undeveloped specimens were available to Boulenger in which the original coloration was lost due to the suffered due to the conversion fluency, or the coloration of this species is variable.

The difference of the two sexes can be seen exactly from the color chart (in No. 35), so that it is not necessary to go further need. With my pair the female even today smaller than the male, and I can since I have larger adult females than mine have not yet seen, not say whether the female reaches the size of the male.

What now concerns the coloration of the male, so I must, although the color chart the animal in natural colors reproduces, on this point but still go into more detail, so that I am not later inaccuracy to the reproach can be made. My little man of the blue Fundulus gularis appears namely, depending on the light from the front, from the from the side or from behind on the same and depending on the angle of view, under which one it is viewed, so differently colored that it would require very much time would require, wanted one its coloration its coloration in every position. The aquarium with the Fundulus gularis stands directly at a window facing southwest; the pane facing the window is covered with is covered with a thick layer of algae, which makes a darkening against the sun's rays is not necessary. the basin is densely covered with Ludwigia mulerti. the bottom is covered with a dark dark layer of mud covered. My watercolor shows the coloration as it appears to the observer looking at the fish at eye level. The slightest turn of the fish or the change of the observer's position shows completely different colors, and wonderful and wonderful combinations of colors and tones unfold unfold before our eyes. Soon we see the basic coloration of the fish as deep ultramarine blue, which after the belly turns into a yellow, soon the back appears reddish-brown. Soon the back appears reddish brown and the sides of the body blue. According to the coloration of the body the position in which we see the body. The coloration of the fins also changes according to the position in which the fish is viewed. Especially in bright light and sunshine the fish appears quite different. colored. On the reddish-brown upper body, which towards the belly turns into a bright yellowish-brown the spotted and banded markings stand out. and bands of the body stand out sharply, the are no longer crimson, but but deep dark purple. The dorsal fin is red-brown and has a bright, almost luminous exterior The upper part of the hem is colored in the same way Caudal fin. The middle part the one in the If the figure is light yellow, it appears luminous to us green. The pectoral fins, deep blue to purple the anal fin and the lower part of the Caudal fin. It is strange that it is luminous light blue lower lip, which is particularly noticeable when the fish turns its head to the beholder, then the dark ultramarine blue appears Body with a dull blue tinge covered, like a plum.

To get an idea of the color splendor to make, one must the little animal "in in all calmness" itself see; I have hervor "in all calmness calmly", because this Fundulus is a stubborn stubborn, and if he does not submit to a stick or with the hand to the visitor to the visitor, nothing. I have seen on some Sundays during the spawning period sat for hours in front of his aquarium to watch the to admire the play of colors in all its variations.

If the spawning period is over, the coloration of the male becomes somewhat duller, also in bright environment - freshly washed sand without mud coating, sparse planting and strong exposure - the intense coloration occurs, as with almost all fishes, more or less ut also movements of the mind, fright or or sudden bright barking influence the coloration the coloration very much.

On the coloration of the female which of the color splendor of the male has nothing to catfish, I do not need to go further, it is evident from the color chart.

The spawning period with the blue Fundulus gularis lasted from the end of January to about the end of February and the fishes spawned during that time with greater and lesser interruptions. almost every day; the number of eggs laid must therefore be must have been not insignificant, nevertheless I could not discover anything of eggs nor of young fish, the mud layer and the layer of mud and the dense planting - the latter is absolutely is absolutely necessary, so that the female can protect herself from the tempestuous courtship of the male - I could of the male - hid everything from my glances. One morning, in the middle of March, I enter the he aquarium of my blue Fundulus gularis. and just see, how a small Something scurries away from the surface and disappears between the plants. That could could only have been fishing! I bent the water plants carefully apart, found but nowhere a little fish; also in the afternoon I could, despite longer time in front of the aquarium, I could not see any young fish, only the old ones, which were calmly ground, each in a corner under a powerful Ludwigi, but soon they were lying impatiently on their waiting for their food. The next morning in all I approached the fish very cautiously. and see first one, then another one. a second, about 1 cm long fish close under the surface. Young Fundulus! Where did these relatively small fish come from? big fishes, without that I had seen them before. a single time to face had gotten? I must note, however, that the rearing of the young of several other broods and due care of some new fishes took up all my free time. so that I unfortunately could not devote myself to the individual species as much as I would have liked to, as I had wished. I managed to keep the one of the young ones with the hand after the front to the front window, where I could watch it with my hand. I could take a closer look at it with the magnifying glass. It looked like a young Haplocheilus panchax, also the caudal fin, the middle rays of which were longer are longer than the others, resembles that of the Haplocheilus panchax, only the rump and the afterfin, which were present well-developed let the fundulus be recognized., Nevertheless to me the presence of the parents not dangerous enschlen, because the brood could hide in the dense plants. I caught the two young fishes with a small glass bowl. which I succeeded after a lot of effort, and and brought them into the large rearing hedge to the the equally large Haplocheilus chaperi and Hapl. elegans, where they were not exposed to any danger. and were always in the feed. At Over the course of the next 14 days, I succeeded, four more small fundulus gularis from the the Zuxhtbecken to small salvage; then I say no more, so that the total breeding result was reduced to 6 specimens remained limited, nevertheless one, albeit small success, which gives me much pleasure much joy. I estimate the age of the fry, when I caught them out of the breeding tank, to about 14 days, nevertheless I can't say about the duration of the eggs' display, but I can't say because the spawning period lasted, spawning period lasted, as mentioned, about a month, and it is not possible to determine when the eggs, to which the from which the young were laid

The young Fundulus gularis are very voracious, when you see them they eat, as a result the growth storm advances rapidly and after three weeks they had a size of 2-2 1/2 cm, so that I had to keep them, since they now formed a danger for the small Haplocheilus, I had to bring them into another aquarium. Until then, there were any differences in the young Fundulus gularis, the on the sex, they were all single-forming reddish-brown colored, the fins yellow-green; Rump, tail and anal fin rounded. Soon, however, appeared in the large specimen, which had a total length of about 3 1/2 cm. the first spots and line markings appeared. on the body and the fins, first completely then becoming more and more sharply prominent, also the basic coloration of the body went from the reddish brown in a yellowish green and and finally into a light blue-green, the pectoral fins developed more strongly, likewise and adterior fins; in the latter it is in its lower part the dukelvioletten showed up. and stripes in the lower part, also the indentation of the was already in the process of formation. of the caudal fin, the outer rays of the fin the outer rays visibly increased in length, also the characteristic The characteristic coloration was also clearly visible. Mid June 1908 I put the six young Fundulus gularis, who have since turned out to be three males and three females, to their parents, with whom they got along very well, only the young males among themselves could not not like each other very well and every time they they met, there was a small scuffle, but less biting and more but less biting than more with the rear body and the tail fin was beaten. The whole thing offered a very funny family picture, which was unfortunately destroyed at the beginning of July. when Mr. Siggelkow, to whom I had sent the I had assured the offspring, the young, now partly already half grown Fundulus gularis with me. After the observations made by me I am convinced that the Fundulus gularis in their native country and in the and in the spacious basins of the breeders with a in 5-6 months if they are fed properly. or rather are capable of breeding. at his arrow puts Fundulus gularis Blgr. very high demands, he requires a not too small, well planted and aquarium and high water temperatures to to thrive. The main concern is the feeding. I now have well over a hundred species of alien fishes, but but no other was so stubborn and in relation to food and in relation to the food so truthful, as this fundulus gularis. What he still likes to risk today, he leaves tomorrow untouched and takes it no longer, even if he is starved; sometimes you really have to to make resourceful. My parakeet is now very thin and seems much smaller than during the spawning period in than during the spawning period in January-February, nevertheless the animals are well taken care of. Maybe the fishes bred here are of this species are less demanding, otherwise the farthest spread in the circles of enthusiasts, which the fish has deserves because of its colorfulness, will probably not happen.

Under a West African fish import, which Siggelkow received at the beginning of July (4. 7. 08), were conspicuously for this time of year about 20 specimens, mostly half-grown, of these Fundulus gularis Blgr. It was shown that this species is in itself in the coloration is extraordinarily variable, because the males of this import showed rather crimson on the body and in the fins, than the previously or earlier imported ones. the coloration of the animals as a whole appeared more intense. Since I could not find out where the Fundulus gularis of the last imports were caught, I am not able to whether the variety of the colors is to be sought in the the locality of the home country, or whether the other reasons are decisive. Hopefully the Fundulus gularis of the last import, which were transferred to the breeding station in Konradshöhe, will soon propagate other lovers can get this fish.