Republic of the Congo

The yellow-tailed Congo tetra, Alestopetersius caudalis, is an alestid from the lower Congo region, recorded upriver as far as the Irebu channel. Also traded as the 'yellow-finned', 'yellowtail' or 'blue Congo' tetra, it is occasionally bred commercially, though not on the scale of its better-known relative Phenacogrammus interruptus. Adult males develop extended median caudal-fin rays, and the narrow dark lateral stripe broadens markedly on the caudal fin.

Aphyosemion australe, the golden or Cape Lopez lyretail, is a killifish from lowland coastal areas of Gabon and Congo. It lives in swamps and small streams and is not an annual species. Among the first killifishes to be widely kept, it is easy to spawn and can live over three years, and wild forms are kept labelled by collection locality to preserve bloodlines.

The broken-line lyretail, Aphyosemion ogoense, is a killifish from the upper Ogooué basin in southeastern Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. Found in small streams under forest cover, it is not an annual species. More than 20 forms are known from different localities, a handful with subspecific names such as A. o. ottogartneri and A. o. pyrophore, and they must never be kept together as they may hybridise.

Aphyosemion sp. 'Oyo' RPC 91/8 is a killifish collected for the aquarium hobby in 1991 near the town of Oyo, Republic of the Congo. Oyo lies on the Alima River, a right bank tributary of the middle Congo system. This fish may be synonymous with the congener A. castaneum, and it is best maintained alone with the emphasis on captive breeding.

'Barbus' jae is a small, delicate African barb from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the two Congos, sometimes sold as 'jae' or 'charcoal' barb. Populations vary in colour and pattern with locality, and the forms should never be mixed in the aquarium, to avoid crossbreeding. It lives in shady rainforest streams and swamps with soft, acidic, brown-stained water, and its shy nature makes it unsuitable for most community aquaria.

The Congo barb, Clypeobarbus congicus, is a small African cyprinid from the Congo River drainage in the Republic of Congo and DR Congo. Rare in the hobby, it often turns out to be something else when it appears on exporters' lists. Its genus is characterised by a midlateral row of greatly enlarged, shield-like scales. A shoaling species with a distinct pecking order between males, it should be kept in a group of 8 or more in a well-planted tank.

Congochromis dimidiatus is a small cichlid of the central Congo basin in the Republic of the Congo and DR Congo, described from Bangui on the Ubangi. Most older aquarium literature knows it as Nanochromis dimidiatus. Its dark flank stripe runs into the caudal fin, which separates it from C. sabinae. Many museum records were identified before the genus was split, so some may belong to other species.

Congochromis sabinae is a small cichlid from rainforest streams in the Republic of the Congo, northeast Gabon and northern DR Congo. It was in the hobby before its description under names such as Nanochromis sp. 'Bamanja', 'Genema' and 'Bloody Mary', and continues to be mislabelled N. squamiceps. The dark midlateral stripe stops short of the caudal fin. At the type locality the water was stained reddish brown, with a pH of 4.0.

The leopard bushfish, Ctenopoma acutirostre, is an anabantoid from the middle Congo River basin, from Malebo Pool upstream to Boyoma Falls. Often sold as 'spotted climbing perch', it mimics leaves and other debris to stalk its prey, much like the unrelated South American leaf fish. Exceptionally hardy and long-lived, it can survive for over 15 years and makes an ideal species for the newcomer to 'oddballs'.

The upside-down catfish, Synodontis nigriventris, is a small Synodontis from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo and Cameroon. It lives among densely vegetated riverbanks and spends up to 90% of its time inverted, with a belly darker than its back. One of the most gentle members of the genus, it should be kept in groups of at least three or four.

Decorse's lyretail, Aphyosemion decorsei, is a killifish from the middle Ubangi River basin in the Central African Republic. The Ubangi is a major tributary of the Congo. The type locality is Bessou in Lobaye prefecture, and its range probably extends into northern Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo.