A new species of Chromaphyosemion from the Ntem River drainage in southern Cameroon has been described in a recent issue of the journal Zootaxa.
Jean-Francois Agnse and coauthors name the new species Chromaphyosemion campomaanense (belonging to the A. calliurum species group) in a study that also examines the molecular phylogeny of the members of the A. calliurum species group.
The new species is distinguished from congeners by an asymmetrical colour pattern on the caudal fin consisting of a yellow lower margin and a white upper margin, and a body with a dark blue background against which red spots are arrayed in horizontal rows towards the head merging into vertical rows posteriorly.
This species also differs from the other species of the A. calliurum species group by its karyotype, characterized by an unusually high number of chromosomes and arms. The specific epithet comes from the Campo Ma an National Park (where this species is found).
According to the authors, the new species is usually found in small streams and shallow pools in the rainforest. They usually stay close to the banks, avoiding the deepest and fastest water.
The authors also studied the molecular phylogeny of the A. calliurum species group using a 760 base-pair fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, and found the group to be composed of 10 species: A. ahli, A. australe, A. calliurum, A. campomaanense, A. celiae, A. edeanum, A. franzwerneri, A. heinemanni, A. lividum and A. pascheni.
For more information, see the paper: Agnse, J-F, R Brummett, P Caminade, J Catalan and E Kornobisi (2009) Genetic characterization of the Aphyosemion calliurum species group and description of a new species from this assemblage: A. campomaanense (Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheiloidei: Nothobranchiidae) from Southern Cameroon. Zootaxa 2045, pp. 43"59.
No pictures of the new species were available for publication.