Re: A. punctatum et al

[George Trumbull <george_trumbull at yale.edu>]

Thanks to Peter Tirbak for clearing this up.  I have a couple of other 
questions on taxonomy, however.  Where is A. hera in all of this? Also, it 
seems we have several very small species groups consisting of a couple of 
new species, or, in the case of wachtersi / buytaerti / thysi, not very 
new species: hofmanni / hannelorea, punctatum / punctatum, etc.  Is 
anyone working on linking these groups?

Also, has Mesoaphyosemion, as a subgenus, become a catch-all? I know that 
Aphyosemion s.s. applies by definition to the elegans-group, but do any 
other groups fall under the subgenus? Is any research being conducted into 
the relations among the Mesoaphyosemion species groups, e.g. between the 
coeleste and cameronense groups, or ogoense and striatum groups? To a 
non-taxonomist, it seems that the "easy" groups (the Chromaphyosemions, 
Kathetys, Diapterons, Fundulopanchax) have been split off into their own 
(sub)genera, leaving a mass of rather poorly understood, more or less 
related groups.  HOpefully I'm wrong about this, but would enjoy hearing 
the opinion of those who, unlike me, know what they are talking about!

-George in France

 On Mon, 5 May 2003, Peter Tirbak wrote:

> Wildekampi is not closely related to either raddai or hannelorae. Raddai
> seems to be the most northern species in the large striatum group.
> Hannelorae is generally considered a part of the hoffmani group. Wildekampi
> was at one time thought to be possibly a distant cousin to the elegans
> group, but DNA studies show it is not part of the elegans group. Wildekampi
> is generally regarded as forming a group with punctatum. Tirbaki is not part
> of the coeleste group but is part of the ogoense group. See the description
> article in FEMA. Huber places it as a possible "frontier species", facing
> coeleste on its' southern border. See the same article in which Huber
> discusses "frontier species". The coeleste group includes ocellatum and
> citrinipinnis.
> 
> Peter Tirbak
> 
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