Roloffia monrovia
Described in 1971 and published in 72 by Roloff, this is a machine translation of the original German work.

Roloffia monroviae spec. nov.
Description of a new Roloffia species from Liberia By E. Roloff and Prof. Dr. med. W. Ladiges
Holotype: H 4654, ♂ 47 mm standard length, collected by E. Roloff in November 1971 in one Forest pond about 25 miles from Monrovia in Liberia.
Paratype: H 4655, ♀ 51 mm standard length, from same collector caught in the same locality.
Paratype: H 4656, 2 ♂♂ from 41 to 51 mm Standard length, 5 ♀♀ from 39 to 72.5 mm standard length, collected by E. Roloff at the same site.

The types were the collection of the University of Hamburg, Zoological State Institute and Zoological Museum in Hamburg, and passed under the mentioned Numbers cataloged.



Description holotype: D17; A19; Sql. 35 (+ 3). The Removal of the 1st ray of the D from the tip of the snout behaves like 7: 5 for removal from the tail base. The first ray of the D lies above the second ray A, the last one Beam A below the last D. Both fins are thus at the Base almost the same length, they are similar in the same maximum height. Both are pulled out around lappig. The P Reached the rear approach of the V. C straight cut off with four equal-sharp tips. Coloring of the male: body and fins of the male Males are colored green to green in life. The more greenish color is found in the Dorsal fin and upper caudal fin. At the Body and in the fins except the pectoral fins There are many red dots on the Arrange front body to short rows in longitudinal direction, at the back end and tailstalk more the tendency too Show horizontal stripes. From the chin below the eye to the lower part of the gill cover runs a red stripe; from the back of the eye draw two in the form of a lying Y united strips. In D and A, the red is in washed out red zones and flekken present, the especially in A, go over into a wide red hem. The D has a red-green upper hem. A special striking feature of the species are the often velvet black first two to three rays of D. The P carry one narrow dark hem; the V are drawn green-red. The C is bordered by wine-red hems, which are a pale green, frame red-spotted midfield, top outside and back there is a very narrow, below a wide bright green border. Preserved, the ♂ shows a brownish instead of green gray base color on which the red drawing elements bright to white appear. The wine red in the C remains on longest reddish. Coloring of the female: The body is olive brown to light dyed reddish brown. Numerical values of the paratypes D A Sql.

 ♂ 16 19 35 (+3)
 ♂ 17 19 34 (+3)
 ♀ 14 17 32 (+3)
 ♀ 15 18 33 (+3)
 ♀ 15 19 35 (+3)
 ♀ 16 18 35 (+3)
 ♀ 16 19 33 (+3)
 ♀ 17 18 33 (+3) 
  1X14 1X17 1X32
  2X15 3X18 3X33
  3X16 4X19 1X34
  2x17      3X35

All fins are transparent and slightly yellowish tinted. They do not show any Drawings on. On the other hand, there are about five on the body Longitudinal rows of small red dots and at the top Head part small red line drawings (all red preserved whitish). Discussion: Roloffia monroviae belongs to the relationship of Roloffia occidentalis occidentalis Clausen but of this kind already by the numerical values: Roloffia monroviae: D 14-17; A 17-19; Sql. 32-35. Roloffia occidentalis occidentalis: D 17-23; A 17-20; Sql. 32-36. Drawing and coloring of both species have considerable Differences. The males of Roloffia occidentalis Occidentalis have a reddish base color. your body shows gold-colored, orange-red and sometimes bluish Zones whose extent differs according to the location. By contrast, the red dots and red are missing Line drawings that distinguish Roloffia monroviae, completely. A special distinguishing feature is the two to three first rays of the dorsale, the male by Roloffia monroviae brown, in the excitement black are colored in the males of Roloffia occidentalis , however, does not differ in color from the Remove total staining of the dorsal. In contrast to Roloffia occidentalis is the A at Roloffia Monroviae moved out only slightly. The last rays of the A are usually severe in Roloffia occidentalis extended, if it is adult specimens. This is not the case with Roloffia monroviae. Also the drawing of the females of both species differs essentially. The red punctuation that the body of the Female of Roloffia monroviae shows missing at the Female of Roloffia occidentalis completely. While the D and the front part of the C at Roloffia occidentalis have small dark spots are all fins in the female of Roloffia monroviae transparent and without any markings.
There should therefore be no doubt that Roloffia monroviae not identical with Roloffia occidentalis is, but represents an independent species. Named for the capital Monrovia of the West African state Liberia, where the species was found.

Comments by E. Roloff on the breed of the species: The new Roloffia style I owe Mr. Charles Steiner in Monrovia, which she had discovered years ago and mine Visit in November 1971 held in an aquarium. Mr. Steiner brought me to the site a few days later yourself in a wooded area, about 25 miles from Monrovia. The new Roloffia species came here in one Ponds that are only fed by rainwater and dries completely during the dry period. We found about 20 individuals that are not quite mature but already able to breed. A part This fish was found at the site for the scientific Conservation investigation. I took some couples alive with to Germany.

Breeding
I had these fish spawned in a small basin, the one about two centimeters thick layer contained fine-grained red sand, from which I immediately picked out the eggs after spawning. I put the eggs in small plastic bowls, in one Incubator at a constant temperature of 23 ° C. Although almost all the eggs seemed to be fertilized, they dissolved in succession within two weeks.

I repeated this experiment twice with the same negative result, each time 30 to 50 eggs in a plastic bowl housed in the incubator. After that, I performed three more experiments where I placed the eggs a day after placing in plastic dishes back out of the Water was taken out and then in peat as long as Dry set up until only very little moisture was present. I closed the plastic cans with the peat then with Tesa-Film Iuftdicht and brought them in Incubator under. When checking the eggs after four Weeks, these showed little development. Only after For eight to twelve weeks the juvenile fish hatched as soon as possible I poured the peat over with water. The best results I scored when I ate up after ten weeks.

The hatched fry immediately eat Artemia Nauplii. They are very fast and easy with live food. With good nutrition they are likely already fertile at the age of two to three months be. The maximum size of the species is about 8 cm. The water at the site showed a temperature in the afternoon from 24 ° C to. An entrained water sample resulted a pH of 6.7 with a total hardness of 2 ° dH. I Roloffia monroviae held with good success at a temperature from 22 to 24 ° C in a water with a pH of 7 and a hardness of 8 ° dH. With a spawning tax can more as 100 spawning grains counted become.


Site of Roloffia monroviae, about 25 miles from Monrovia. In the picture Mr. Charles Steiner catches the fish - Photo: Rolof