LEBIAS SOPHIAE 



WALTER LAMNOT BRIMD, F. Z. S. 



With the World War a matter of the 

 past, and with the ships dashing over the 

 seas unmenaced by hostile submarines, 

 it is not too much to believe that Lebias 

 sophias will be one of the fishes sought 

 by collectors of aquarium fishes who 

 penetrate Asia. I doubt if it was ever 

 brought to America, but in 1910 it had 

 been secured by the Germans, and was 

 bred in the fishery on Lake Tegel, known 

 by the high-sounding name of "Vereinig- 

 ten Zierfischzuchtereien in Conrads- 

 hohe." This was but a short time after 

 my return to the United States from 

 Berlin, so I missed the chance to add 

 this species to the large number I 

 brought with me, many of which are now 

 prime favorites with American aqua- 

 rists. 



The genus Lebias belongs to the "egg- 

 laying tooth-carp group" of the aquarist, 

 which comprises such forms as Haplo- 

 chihts, Rivulus, Fundulus and so on. 

 The breeding habits of Lebias sophias 

 are quite like those of our native (South- 

 ern) Fundulus chrysotus. The eggs are 

 deposited in small lots, one, two or three, 

 on the leaves of Myriophyllum or such 

 other fine-leaved plant as may be pro- 

 vided. Breeding is said to be easy, but 

 not profitable from a standpoint of 

 numbers, as but few eggs seem to be 

 spawned at a time, and but a small per- 

 centage hatch to grow to maturity. This 

 would seem to indicate that when we are 

 fortunate enough to secure the fish, it 

 will be one to be placed in the costly 

 class, to remain there. 



The male of the species, as is so often 



the case, is by far the showiest of the 

 pair. In breeding periods it becomes a 

 beautiful deep blue, sprinkled with me- 

 tallic green and silver spots ; hence it 

 might well be given the common name 

 silver-spangled lebias. When the indi- 

 vidual is in prime condition the dorsal 

 and anal fins are orange, with rows of 



Lebias sophiae 



black spots and black edges. The female 

 is quite insignificant, being of a dirty, 

 clayish, yellow-gray, with a dark lateral 

 stripe and some mottlings of dark brown 

 at times showing on the sides. The 

 length of the male is about two inches, a 

 trifle longer than the female. 



Love-making is chronic with the male. 

 Never wps there such an ardent lover, 

 nor a more resentful bit of viciousness 

 when his suit is rejected. The female is 

 coy and shrinking, hiding as much as per- 

 mitted amongst the thickets of bushy 

 plants. And plenty of plants must be 

 provided. 



Coming as it does from brackish wat- 



