Defination: (Radda og Pürzl, 1987, p.8) -"The subgenera Callopanchax and Archiaphyosemion are distributed in the western rainforests and adjacent savannas. There are, however, certain differences between the 8 species of the latter subgenus. A. geryi, A. roloffi and A. liberiensis show a red colour pattern with yellow/red margins of the unpaired fins. Their chromosome numbers are n=20 to 21 and the standard lenghs are below 40 mm. A. guineense, A. viride, A. maeseni, A. jeanpoli,and A. petersii have no red pigmentation on the body sides and fins; their chromosome numbers are n=19 to 21, and standard lengths are more than 40 mm (to 60 mm in some species). Therefore we suggest a new subgenus Scriptaphyosemion n. subgen. (type species: A. geryi). Diagnosis as mentioned above, consisting of A. geryi, A. roloffi and A. liberiense. The members of this subgenus seem to be related to the A. calliurum group of the easternwards distributed subgenus Mesoaphyosemion."
Defination: (Myers, 1933, p.184). -"...Subgenus Callopanchax, new.-Dorsal and anal fin origins rather far forward and opposite. Dorsal very long, with 17 to 19 rays. Larger species, with a projecting lower jaw. Angled notch before eye for reception of rictus rather poorly developed. Teeth in each jaw in a very wide band, wider at the sides of the lower jaw where the band is wider than half the eye diameter.
There is only one species in this subgenus, the type species, Aphyosemion sjoestedti (Lönnberg). It ranges from Sierra Leone to South Cameroon, in the coastal region. ...".
Addenum: (Myers, 1971, p.247).-"...6. It must especially be noted that my 1933 concept of what Boulenger (1915 : 38-39) called Fundulus sjoestedti (Lonnberg), which is the species that I cited in 1933 as the type of Callopanchax Myers, 1933, followed Boulenger precisely. The subgenus Callopanchax was based primarily on a high count of dorsal and anal fin rays, and the count-limits that I gave for Callopanchax were derived from Boulenger's description of ''Fundulus sjoestedti" (Boulenger, 1915 : 38). Moreover, the geographical range that 1 gave for Callopanchax was copied directly from Boulenger (1915 : 38-39) and from his addenda (Boulenger, 1916 : 325). Aside from Boulenger's accounts just cited, I had only a single preserved specimen of the species I chose as type of Callopanchax; it was almost certainly the only museum specimen of that fish in North America in 1933. It is in the U.S. National Museum (Register no. 94316). It was an aquarium specimen (male) of the "golden pheasant", without locality data, and it agreed well with Boulenger's 1915 figure of the male and his description of "Fundulus sjoestedti". From these data it will be abundantly clear that the type-species I chose for Callopanchax Myers, 1933, was the "golden pheasant", which was described and figured by Boulenger as Fundulus sjoestedti (Lonnberg). Moreover, the matter is verifiable by examination of my specimen (USNM 94316). ..."
Defination (Roloffia): (Stenholt Clausen, 1967, p.#).-"#".
Defination: (Radda, 1977, p.214-215). -"...und in eine Gruppe von acht weiteren Arten, die hier dem Subgenus Archiaphyosemion subgen. nov. zugeordnet werden.
Typusart: Aphyosemion guineense Daget (1954) (GUI), Terra typica: Oberer Niger, Guinea.
Artenumfang: A. guineense, A. maeseni Poll (1941) (MAE), A. petersi (Sauvage, 1882) (PET), A. viride (Ladiges & Roloff, 1973) (VIR), A. liberiense (Blgr., 1908) (LIB), A. roloffi Roloff (1936) (ROL), A. geryi Lambert (1958) (GER) und A. melantereon sensu Vandersmissen (1977) (MEL).
Morphologische, biologische und zoogeographische Charakterisierung:
Körpergrösse geringer als bei Callopanchax, SL 40-50 mm, ausnahmsweise bis über 60 mm (GUI).
Meristische Daten: D 8-15, A 13-18, Sch 28-33; D/A = 1/4-8
Die Dorsale beginnt über dem Ende des ersten Drittels bis Ende der ersten Hälfte der Anale.
Kopfbeschuppung üblicherweise vom G-Typ, bei GUI vom E-Typ, Schuppen der Körperseiten mit nicht-ctenoiden, rippenartigen Kontaktorganen (nur bei GUI).
Sinnesorgane der Kopfoberseite geschlossen (triangulid), bei MAE auch offen (trapezoid).
Karyotyp: n = 20-23, Zahl der Arme A = 21-24, I = 2½-3%, kein Saisonfischcharakter ausgebildet.
Habitat: Bäche im Regenwald sowie in Feucht-(Hochland) Savanne.
Sympatrisch verbreitete andere Aphyosemion - Arten: Callopanchax-Arten.
Verbreitung: S-Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Elfenbeinküste, (?) Ghana.
Das Subgenus Archiaphyosemion kann wieder in folgende Artengruppen gegliedert werden: A. guineense - Gruppe (GUI, MAE); A. petersi - Gruppe (PET, VIR, MEL) und A. liberiense - Gruppe (LIB, ROL, GER)."
Defination: (Sonnenberg & Busch, 2009, p.8-10) -"Type species.
Nimbapanchax leucopterygius, new species, by original designation.
Diagnosis. In addition to their genetic distinctness, the species of this
new genus differ from A. guineense by several morphological characters.
In Nimbapanchax the frontal squamation is usually of the G-type,
which might be the plesiomorphic state in Nothobranchiidae, versus
the exceptional E-type in A. guineense (Scheel 1968; Wildekamp 1993).
However, Huber (1978) reported an E-type pattern for some individuals of
Diapteron georgiae and Raddaella kunzi and we found in N.
melanopterygius, new species, several individuals with an E-type pattern
and in one case one of the E-scales is covered by the G-scale and the other
one is above the G-scale.
We found in Nimbapanchax a slightly lower mean number of scales along
the lateral line than in Archiaphyosemion (see Tables 3–5);
however, Daget (1954) gives the range from 30–34 scales so the upper
number found in Nimbapanchax overlaps with the lowest in Archiaphyosemion.
Nimbapanchax can also be diagnosed by lower numbers of transverse
scales (8–10 vs. 11–12) and circumpeduncular scales (12–14
vs. 15–17) without overlapping ranges (Tables 3–5).
Nimbapanchax usually has lower vertebrae counts as Archiaphyosemion
(vertebrae with pleural ribs 13–14, vertebrae with haemal spines 14–16
[total numbers 27–30] vs. 14–15 + 16–17 [total numbers 30–31])(Table
5). Overlap in total vertebrae numbers is currently only known between N.
leucopterygius new species (29–30) and A. guineense (30–31),
the remaining Nimbapanchax species have counts between 27–29
vertebrae.
The color pattern in the male caudal fin consists mostly of dark blotches
or dots, stripes, if present, only short in posterior part versus contrasting
light and dark stripes, usually from root of caudal to posterior fin margin
between or along fin rays and no dots or blotches in A. guineense.
Adult Nimbapanchax species do not reach, according the literature
and own observations, the maximum total length of adult A. guineense
(60 mm vs. 65 mm, Wildekamp & Van der Zee 2003).
#Both Nimbapanchax and Archiaphyosemion are separated from the related
Callopanchax and Scriptaphyosemion by the combination of the following characters:
lower dorsal and anal fin counts as Callopanchax (D: 11–15, A: 14–18
[Archiaphyosemion], D: 8–14, A: 13–18 [Nimbapanchax] vs. D: 14–23,A:
17–20 in Callopanchax [data from Wildekamp & Van der Zee 2003]),
origin of dorsal fin posterior to origin of anal fin versus origin of dorsal
and anal fin nearly at the same level in Callopanchax; body brown to reddish
brown, in males with metallic blue to blue-greenish on sides, only rarely
red pigmentation (mainly in some populations of A. guineense, in N. petersi
and N. viridis) and no red submarginal stripes in dorsal and upper caudal
fin versus an intensive blue or green background on side in males with red
lines, dots or blotches and red submarginal stripes in all unpaired fins
in Scriptaphyosemion, except for a red margin on anal fin instead of a red
submarginal stripe in some populations.
Included species. Nimbapanchax jeanpoli (Berkenkamp & Etzel, 1979),
N. leucopterygius new species, N. melanopterygius new species, N. petersi
(Sauvage, 1882), and N. viridis (Ladiges & Roloff, 1973).
Distribution. With the exception of N. petersi, which inhabits the coastal
plain in southeastern Ivory Coast and southwestern Ghana, all remaining
species are found around the Mount Nimba region in southeastern Guinea,
northern Liberia, and western Ivory Coast in the upper region of the coastal
rivers drainage systems (Mano to Sassandra Rivers) (Fig. 1) (Berkenkamp
& Etzel 1979; Etzel 1974a, b, 1992, 1993; Huber 1982, 2000; Paugy et
al. 1990; Teugels et al. 1988; Wildekamp & Van der Zee 2003).
Etymology. Named after the Mount Nimba region, around which most of the
included species are found, in combination with Panchax Valenciennes in
Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1846, a junior synonym of Aplocheilus McClelland,
1839, an aplocheiloid genus, often used in the last century for several
African species as common name. Gender masculine.
Remarks. We erect Nimbapanchax as new genus to include all former Archiaphyosemion
species except the type species of Archiaphyosemion Radda, 1977, A. guineense
(Daget, 1954), because the molecular data, supported by morphology, indicate
that the latter is only distantly related to the species included in the
new genus. The monophyly of Archiaphyosemion in the current usage is not
supported and the former 'Roloffia' group is represented in the molecular
genetic data by four distinct lineages where Archiaphyosemion is the sister
group to Scriptaphyosemion and Callopanchax, and Nimbapanchax probably the
sister group to a clade formed by these three genera."