The type locality of Austrofundulus leohoignei is a rain pool (Río Aroa drainage) about 10 km east of Palma Sola in the direction of Tucacas collected by D. Taphorn, L. Page, K. Cummings, C. Meyer, P. Ceas, and J. Armbruster on Jan. 21, 1995. The species were described in a paper by Hrbek et al. in 2005. In that significant paper, it was mentioned together with three other new species, and in which A. limnaeus was rehabilitated from synonymy to A. myersi. DNA studies showed the differences in the species. The results were supported by the supposed development of the region in millions of years in agent history.

The species is in the west, replaced by A. leoni and A. limnaeus, which live on Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, A. guajira from the Colombian Guajira peninsula, and far A. myersi from west Colombia. In the east- southeast by A. transilis (Venezuelan Llanos)and farther by A. rupununi in the savannah from southern Guyana.

All Austrofundulus become robust fishes that need a tank of at least 50 liters and where one male and two or more females are kept together. Males can be very aggressive to each other, and females can be aggressive to each other too. They eat a lot of food and grow rapidly as they do not have much time in the wild to live there live and produce their eggs. Because the habitats are mostly open and sunny, water temperatures can get 35 C during the day. Then lower to 25 C in the night. Their courtship is very turbulent, and if females are adequately fed, the number of eggs can become enormous. Usually, the Austrofundulus need to dive into the soft clay bottom, and the layer of clay needs at least have a thickness of their body length or more. However, without a soft layer of clay or a peat moss substitute, they spawn eggs also on the substratum.

If you store the eggs in peat, it is wise to add some Maërl or other pH-neutralizing materials. Clay will also do. These eggs are sensitive to acid environments, and regular peat can become too acid during many storage months. The use of well-boiled coco- peat has proved to be the best medium so far to me. Development can vary from 30 days to 12 months, depending on the way we store them. I separated some eggs (about 20 in total) in very wet peat and wetted them after 30 days. A part of the eggs hatched, the others did not show any development yet. For sure, you can speed up the development by storing the eggs at 30 degrees Celsius or even higher. The fry needs direct life Artemia nauplii, and if fed two times a day and change water once a week, they grow within 4 to 6 weeks to a stage they can produce their first eggs already. Austrofundulus is one of the very few South American genera that accepts all types of food, even dry food, and frozen hart. Be careful with the fat that comes with the heart, and it is essential to cut that off very secure as the fat will make these animals sick after a while because it causes constipation. They are beautiful and extraordinary fishes that live a relatively short but exciting life.

It is sometimes challenging to say to which species the one you see belongs. The color differences are significant within each population, and species sometimes look very much the same. All females do not have much color on the body and in their fins. Therefore, keep good record of the origin of the species and always give your fishes the locality to the person who gets them from you.

Max. size 8.0 cm.
Dorsal 15.5,
Anal 16.7,
D/A 6.0,
LL scale count (average)31.3
Pre- dorsal length to % SL – 66.8 %
Depth to % SL – 31.8 %

Hrbek T., D.C. Taphorn & J.E. Thomerson. 2005. Molecular phylogeny of Austrofundulus Myers (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), with revision of the genus and the description
of four new species. Zootaxa, 825:19, fig. (PDF)