Aquarium launches desperate search to save a species down to 3 individuals

[Trichopsis]

0510Mangarahara-cichlid.JPG

From Mongabay:

Aquarists at ZSL London Zoo have launched a worldwide appeal to find a female mate for a fish species that is believed to have gone extinct in the wild.

The fish, Mangarahara cichlid (Ptychochromis insolitus), was once found in the Mangarahara River in Madagascar, but dams have dried up its habitat. The last two known individuals now reside at ZSL London Zoo’s Aquarium. But both are male.

The zoo is therefore asking any zoos or aquarium keepers who may have females to contact it.

"The Mangarahara cichlid is shockingly and devastatingly facing extinction; its wild habitat no longer exists and as far as we can tell, only three males remain of this entire species," said ZSL London Zoo’s Brian Zimmerman in a statement. "It might be too late for their wild counterparts, but if we can find a female, it’s not too late for the species. Here at ZSL London Zoo we have two healthy males, as well as the facilities and expertise to make a real difference."

“We are urgently appealing to anyone who owns or knows someone who may own these critically endangered fish, which are silver in color with an orange-tipped tail, so that we can start a breeding program here at the Zoo to bring them back from the brink of extinction.”

Many of Madagascar's endemic cichlids have gone extinct or are endangered due to habitat loss and the introduction of invasive species like the tilapia and the Nile perch.

From BBC:

London Zoo is appealing to fish keepers to try to find a mate for a critically endangered, tropical species.

The Mangarahara cichlid is extinct in the wild but the three in captivity are all male.

Described as "gorgeously ugly", the Zoo is hoping to start a conservation programme if a fit female can be found for the captive males.

And with two of the males now 12 years old, the quest is said to be extremely urgent.

These cichlids were named for the Mangarahara river in Madagascar where they were first found.

The construction of dams on the river caused the streams they lived in to dry up and the fish is now believed to be extinct in its natural habitat.

Bachelor boys

There are two males in captivity at London Zoo and another in Berlin. There had been a female in captivity at the German zoo but attempts to breed ended in disaster when the male killed her.

"It's a fairly common thing with cichlids," London Zoo's aquarium curator Brain Zimmerman told BBC News.

"They are unusual fish compared to many in that they practise pair bonding and parental care of the eggs and the fry, so there's a lot of tussling that goes on between them."

Having carried out a search with other aquariums around the world and failed to find a mate for their bachelor boys, the team at ZSL are now hoping that someone may have a female in a private collection.

According to Brian Zimmerman, if you have one you're likely to know it.

"They are not a particularly beautiful fish, they are gorgeously ugly, they are unusual. They are more a connoisseur's type of fish. They need quite a bit of space, the males are bigger than your hand, and they need a decent tank," he added.

Given the age profile of the London males and the failure to find a mate in the world's zoos, Brian Zimmerman is not very confident for the future of the species.

"I'm not very hopeful. This fresh water fish crisis is huge worldwide and as water becomes diverted for human use it becomes scarcer and fish generally lose out," he said.

"I think there's probably a very slim to no chance of this fish surviving."

London Zoo is asking anyone with information about female cichlids to email the team at [email protected]

[demoon]

Very interesting looking fish, think it will extinct though....