The true P. deissneri extinct?

I just (September 8th, 2016) heared from Horst Linke via telephone that a Chinese delegation of fish enthusiasts has declared P. deissneri as effectively extinct. The true deissneri is endemic on the island of Bangka. As the Chinese experts say, all major primeval forest reserves on Bangka have been destroyed by palm oil plantations, and deissneri has not been found again at all locations that it has been known from hitherto.

This is an serious information for it would be the first Parosphromenus-species that is really extinct. The first species of this genus, that was discovered in the 19th century already, would be the first of the genus being extinct. Nevertheless we should doubt this information. Small remnants of wet primeval forest have not been investigated. It is too early to call the species extinct. But it is only a few minutes to twelve, without doubt. There is one most important task for the project: to bring a proof or to secure one of the last pairs of this fine species. Several years ago we had many pairs of it and great numbers of offspring. It it is not too late already, then it’s now time to act!

Peter Finke