Synonyms Arnold (1911) named the species “Haplochilus panchax blockii” and “Aplocheilus blochii”. Etymology The genus name “Aplocheilus” is derived from the Greek words “απλός” (aplós), meaning “simple” or “plain”, and “χείλος” (cheílos), meaning “lip”. The specific epithet “blockii” refers to the individual who first described this species, Arnold, in 1911. Classification Order: Cyprinodontiformes Family: Aplocheilidae Distribution This […]
Synonyms Panchax parvus Sundara Raj, 1916; Haplochilus panchax madrensis Schermer, 1924 Etymology The word “Aplocheilus” originates from the fusion of two Greek words: “απλός” (apló), which means “simple” or “plain”, and “χείλος” (cheílos), which denotes “lip”. The term “parvus” has Latin origins and denotes “little” or “low-cost”. Classification Order: Cyprinodontiformes Family: Aplocheilidae Distribution Aplocheilus parvus (SUNDARA RAJ, 1916) – Dwarf […]
This species has similar oblique body bands to A. chaperi (Chaper’s Panchax). As its common name suggests, it has six of these vertical bands. It is extremely variable, both in color and body patterning, and there are five known subspecies, each exhibiting variability according to location.
The Blue Panchax is one of the earliest species imported into Europe (1899). Despite this, it has never become as widespread within the hobby as its obvious beauty deserves. It has a greenish body with blue coloring along both sides that serves to highlight the outline of the scales.
Two subspecies of A. chaperi are known: Chaper’s Panchax (A. c. chaperi) and Schreiber’s Panchax {A. c. schreiberi). Both have varying numbers of backward-slanting, narrow, oblique dark bands that are more pronounced in females than in males. However, in both subspecies of A. chaperi the body is somewhat sturdier than in A. annulatus (Clown Killifish), and the caudal fin lacks the central fin ray extensions.
Traditionally, the Clown Killifish and its closest relatives have been classified as Epiplatys. In 1990, following an earlier paper on the subject, Scheel (see Further Reading) placed Epiplatys within Aplocheilus. Owing to distinct body patterning and unique color distribution on the caudal fin, along with some skeletal and behavioral differences, Scheel also regarded A. annulatus as in a sufficiently “isolated position in Aplocheilus” to warrant its own subgenus, Pseudepiplatys (already considered as a valid genus by some earlier authors).
These narrow-bodied, often highly colorful fish deserve to be far more popular. Their small size means that they do not need to be accommodated in a large, expensive tank.
Despite their reputation for being difficult, it is possible to keep some killifishes in a community aquarium, and here three species spring readily to mind: Aplocheilus lineatus (Sparkling panchax) Pachypanchax playfairi (Playfair’s panchax), and Oryzias latipes (rice fish or medaka). These are surfacedwelling species, so they make a useful addition to the aquarium in that they occupy an area of the tank that is usually ignored when buying fishes.