Taxonomy & naming
Microctenopoma damasi was originally described as Anabas damasi by Poll and Damas in 1939, based on material collected during the Exploration du Parc National Albert expedition led by Hubert Damas between 1935 and 1936. The type locality is the Semliki River at Ishango, in the Lake Edward basin of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo; syntypes are deposited in the Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale (MRAC 66011–66139, 129 specimens). The species was later placed in Ctenopoma before being transferred to the genus Microctenopoma, where it currently resides.
The genus Microctenopoma is a group of smaller African anabantoids — bushfishes — within the family Anabantidae, distributed across sub-Saharan Africa. The name combines the Greek mikros (small) with Ctenopoma, itself from kteis (comb) and poma (cover), describing the comb-like serrations on the preopercle that are characteristic of these fishes. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes accepts Microctenopoma damasi (Poll & Damas, 1939) as the valid name; the authority is parenthesised because the species was originally placed in a different genus.
Morphology
Microctenopoma damasi is a small, oval-bodied anabantoid with the characteristic laterally compressed profile of the bushfishes, reaching a maximum recorded total length of 3 in. Like other Microctenopoma species it has a single dorsal fin with spiny and soft-rayed portions, and the preopercle bears the comb-like serrations that give the genus and its relatives their common name of bushfishes. The caudal fin is rounded.
Colour information in the scientific literature is limited; the species is sometimes referred to by the German common name Perlbuschfisch (Pearl Bushfish), suggesting a pattern of pale spots or iridescent speckling against a darker background — a motif seen in several Microctenopoma species. Sexual dimorphism details are poorly documented in the literature, though in related species males tend to be more brightly patterned than females.
Habitat
Microctenopoma damasi is known from the Lake Albert and Lake Edward systems in the Western Rift Valley, occurring primarily in the rivers and vicinity of river mouths draining into these lakes. The Semliki River, which connects Lake Edward to Lake Albert, forms the type locality. The species appears to be more common in rivers and near river mouths than in the open lake itself, according to records collated in the Check-List of the Freshwater Fishes of Africa.
As a labyrinth fish (a facultative air-breather equipped with a suprabranchial organ), Microctenopoma damasi can exploit warm, still, or slow-moving waters where dissolved oxygen may be periodically low. FishBase records preferred water conditions of 79–86 °F, pH 6.5–7.5, and hardness 0–15 dH — parameters consistent with the warm lowland rivers and weedy lake margins of the East African rift zone at moderate altitude.
Feeding
Specific dietary studies on Microctenopoma damasi in the wild are lacking in the published literature. By analogy with closely related Microctenopoma species, it is presumed to be a generalist predator of small invertebrates — aquatic insect larvae, small crustaceans, worms, and similar prey — taken near the substrate and among vegetation.
In aquarium conditions, similar Microctenopoma species accept live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp, Daphnia, and small invertebrates readily, and can be weaned onto quality prepared foods over time. Given its small size and the typical feeding ecology of the genus, small-particle prey items are appropriate.
Mating
Microctenopoma damasi is a bubble-nest builder. The male constructs a raft of mucus-bound bubbles, typically at or near the water surface, sometimes sheltered beneath floating vegetation or leaf cover. Courtship behaviour in the genus generally involves the male displaying to and pursuing the female; once receptive, she approaches the nest and spawning follows beneath or adjacent to the bubble cluster.
As with other anabantoids that practise bubble-nesting, the male is the primary guardian of the nest site and the eggs and larvae it contains. Courtship intensity and nest-building behaviour have been documented in related species by Berns and Peters (1968/1969) and Vierke (1977, 1978), who studied reproductive biology in Ctenopoma and its allies; the reproductive strategy of M. damasi is consistent with those accounts.
Breeding
Eggs deposited in the bubble nest are guarded by the male after spawning. In common with other bubble-nesting anabantoids, the fertilised eggs float up into the raft of bubbles, where they develop in the oxygen-rich microenvironment of the nest. The male tends the nest, replacing damaged bubbles and retrieving any eggs or early larvae that fall.
Specific incubation times and larval-development data for Microctenopoma damasi in captivity are not well documented in the hobby literature; the species appears to be rarely kept. Literature references to its breeding biology — including Berns and Peters (1968/1969) and Vierke (1977d, 1978) — deal primarily with the group-level reproductive pattern rather than species-specific timing. Fry that emerge from the nest are very small and require fine first foods such as infusoria or commercial liquid fry food before graduating to newly hatched brine shrimp nauplii.
In the aquarium
Microctenopoma damasi is rarely encountered in the aquarium hobby and is essentially a species for specialists with an interest in African anabantoids. Where kept, it should be housed in a well-planted aquarium with gentle filtration and a tight-fitting lid — essential for any labyrinth fish, which needs unobstructed access to warm, humid air at the surface. Temperatures in the 79–86 °F range, a neutral to slightly acidic pH (6.5–7.5), and moderate hardness (0–15 dH) reflect recorded wild parameters.
Given the species' small size and the generally predatory nature of the group, it is best kept with similarly sized, peaceful tankmates. Small tetras, rasboras, and other quiet fish of comparable dimensions are suitable companions; large or aggressive tankmates should be avoided. In the absence of specific hobbyist literature on this species, care guidelines can be informed by well-documented close relatives in the Microctenopoma complex, such as M. ansorgii or M. nanum.
Conservation
Microctenopoma damasi is assessed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, with the assessment completed on 7 April 2021 by Twongo, Natugonza, and Musinguzi of the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) in Uganda. The species occurs in at least one protected area within its range.
Identified threats include oil and gas drilling in the Lake Edward region and domestic and urban wastewater pollution. The Lake Edward and Albert basin has seen considerable pressure from extractive industries and population growth in recent decades, and the species' apparent restriction to the river-mouth environments of those lake systems means that localised habitat degradation could affect it disproportionately. The Least Concern assessment reflects a currently stable status, but monitoring of this restricted-range species in the context of ongoing development in the rift valley is warranted.