Nothobranchius attenboroughi is a species of brightly colored seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Tanzania. It is currently known from ephemeral pools and marshes associated with the Grumeti River and other small systems draining into Lake Victoria at the east side of the lake, which ecological integrity is maintained by the congruence of its catchments largely within the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.[2]
This species was named "in honour of Sir David Attenborough, in recognition of his dedicated efforts to promote biophilia: raising awareness of the wonders and beauties of nature for so many people worldwide, promoting awareness of the importance of biodiversity conservation, and above all, inspiring so many researchers in the field of natural history, including the authors."[2]
The small and colourful Nothobranchius fishes inhabit ephemeral habitats in freshwater wetlands of Africa and have extreme life-history adaptations. Members of the genus are recognized as seasonal fishes, with all known species having an annual or semi-annual life cycle, a key adaptation to reproduce in the seasonally arid savannahbiome and allowing their eggs to survive the periodic drying up of the seasonal natural habitats.[3]
Nothobranchius fishes are subject to high levels of threat, with 72% of the species falling into one of the Threatened Red List categories, as a consequence of habitat destruction of seasonal wetlands. There is, therefore, a need to conserve ephemeral waters for species that rely on the seasonality of habitats. Phases in the seasonal life cycle underscore the vulnerabilities of ecological factors that need to be preserved to maintain the structural integrity of the habitats throughout both seasonal phases of wet and dry seasons.[4]
1 2 Nagy, B., Watters, B.R., van der Merwe, P.D.W., Cotterill, F.P.D. & Bellstedt, D.U. (2020). Review of the Nothobranchius ugandensis species group from the inland plateau of eastern Africa with descriptions of six new species (Teleostei: Nothobranchiidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 30(1): 21–73. doi:10.23788/IEF-1129ResearchGate:340922876
↑ Nagy, B. (2015) Life history and reproduction of Nothobranchius fishes. Journal of the American Killifish Association, 47 (4–6): 182–192. ResearchGate:341121138
↑ Nagy, B. & Watters, B.R. (2021) A review of the conservation status of seasonal Nothobranchius fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes), a genus with a high level of threat, inhabiting ephemeral wetland habitats in Africa. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 32 (1): 199–216. doi:10.1002/aqc.3741ResearchGate:355904136
Nothobranchius is a genus of small, freshwater killifish, classified in the family Nothobranchiidae in the order Cyprinodontiformes. There are about a hundred species in the genus, many with very small distributions. They are primarily native to East Africa from Sudan to northern South Africa, whereas a dozen species are found in the upper Congo River Basin; the greatest species richness is in Tanzania.
The Boji Plains nothobranch is a species of fish in the family Nothobranchiidae, endemic to the drainage of the Ewaso Nyiro in Kenya. Its natural habitat is intermittent freshwater marshes.
The Kisaki nothobranch is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitat is seasonal pools.
Nothobranchius geminus is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitat is intermittent freshwater pools where it feeds on invertebrates at the surface.
The small scaled nothobranch is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is [occurs in northeastern Africa on Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Its natural habitat is intermittent freshwater wetlands.
The spotted killifish is a small, short lived species of fish, an African rivuline from the family Nothobranchiidae. These fish are native to many isolated freshwater pools located in the savannah depressions of east Africa, specifically Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. This species of fish occurs in ephemeral waters and killifish eggs can survive long periods of dehydration. The word killifish likely comes from the Dutch kil for kill.
Nothobranchius steinforti is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Upper Wami River drainage, Tanzania. Its natural habitat is intermittent freshwater marshes, pools and rice fields. This species was described in 1977 by Rudolf Hans Wildekamp with the type locality given as "8 kilometers from Kimamba, Tanzania". The specific name honours the Dutch aquarist Theo Steinfort who helped collect the type and bred this species in captivity, making it available to other killifish hobbyists.
Nothobranchius ditte is a species of brightly colored seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae, belonging to the Nothobranchius brieni species complex. It is endemic to freshwater habitats in the south-eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Adult males reach a length of about 40–42 mm, but the females are slightly smaller. The species is a semi-annual killifish. They inhabit ephemeral pools filled by rainwater during the monsoon season, being adapted to the alteration of dry and wet seasons. As with all members of the genus Nothobranchius, they show extreme life-history adaptations: their embryos survive by entering a three or four month long diapause, within eggs that have a very hard chorion and are resistant to desiccation and hypoxia. When the habitats dry up, the adult fish die and the eggs survive encased in the clay during the dry season.
Nothobranchius brieni is a species of brightly colored fish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to freshwater habitats in the south-eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Nothobranchius sainthousei is a species of brightly red- and blue colored seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to freshwater habitats in the Chembe district of the Luapula Province in northern Zambia. It was named in honour of Ian Sainthouse, a "renowned breeder and collector of killifish, for his special longstanding dedication to researches on the genus Nothobranchius".
Béla Nagy, a Hungarian independent researcher, specialized in the seasonal killifish genus Nothobranchius, as well as members of the family Procatopodidae, both of them within the order Cyprinodontiformes.
Nothobranchius albertinensis is a species of brightly colored seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. This species is endemic to seasonal freshwater habitats in north-western Uganda. It is currently known from ephemeral pools and marshes associated with the Albert Nile drainage, as well as small river systems draining into the north-eastern part of Lake Albert.
Nothobranchius taiti is a species of brightly coloured seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Uganda. It is known from temporary pools and swamps formed on the seasonal floodplains of Apapi River system. The Apapi River is part of the Lake Kyoga basin in the upper Nile drainage in eastern Uganda.
Nothobranchius elucens is a species of brightly colored seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. This species is endemic to northern Uganda. It is currently known from temporary swamps in the Achwa River system in the upper Nile drainage.
Nothobranchius flagrans is a species of brightly coloured killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. This species is endemic to south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is currently known from temporary swamps in the Dikuluwe system in the lower Lufira River drainage.
Nothobranchius chochamandai is a species of seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. This species is endemic to south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is known only from the area of the type locality - ephemeral marshes of the Kinikabwimba River, a tributary of Lufutishi River in the middle Luapula River drainage.
Nothobranchius milvertzi is a species of seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. This species is endemic to northern Zambia. It is known only from the area of the type locality - ephemeral pools formed on the floodplain and in the seasonal riverbeds of the Lushiba Marsh in the Lake Mweru basin, Luapula Province, northern Zambia.
Nothobranchius angelae is a species of brightly colored seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. This species is endemic to seasonal freshwater habitats in north-central Tanzania in Eastern Africa.
Nothobranchius hoermanni is a species of brightly colored seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. This species is endemic to seasonal freshwater habitats in central Tanzania. It is currently known from ephemeral pools and marshes associated with the Mhwala system in the upper Wembere drainage, as well as the Wala system, a tributary of the Malagarasi drainage. The type locality is associated with the headwaters of the Mhwala system.
Nothobranchius cooperi is a species of brightly colored seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. This species is endemic to seasonal freshwater habitats in northern Zambia. It is known from temporary pools and swamps on the floodplains of the Mansa and Lufimba river systems in Zambia.
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