Spotted killifish

Last updated

Spotted killifish
Nothobranchius orthonotus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Nothobranchiidae
Genus: Nothobranchius
Species:
N. orthonotus
Binomial name
Nothobranchius orthonotus
(Peters, 1844)
Synonyms [2]
  • Cyprinodon orthonotusPeters, 1844
  • Fundulus orthonotus(Peters, 1844)
  • Hydrargyra maculataPeters, 1855
  • Nothobranchius maculatus(Peters, 1855)
  • Adiniops troemneri Myers, 1926
  • Nothobranchius troemneri(Myers, 1926)
  • Nothobranchius mayeri Ahl, 1935

The spotted killifish (Nothobranchius orthonotus) 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. [1] 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 (small stream). [3]

Contents

Diet

The spotted killifish consumes both aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, its diet consists mainly of juvenile lungfish ( Protopterus annectens ) and larval amphibia. In addition to these, this species also consumes a relatively high proportion of insect larvae from the orders Odonata, Coleoptera and Ephemeroptera. Diets such as these may be deemed as profitable for the trade-offs in item size and ease of catching. [4]

Life Cycle and Reproduction

The spotted killifish, typically of the genus Nothobranchius , are adapted to annual desiccation of their habitat. The fishes hatch at the start of each rainy season, and continue to grow very quickly. Within a matter of a few weeks, these fish reach sexual maturity, and reproduce daily, with females laying up to 50 eggs each day. From here, the eggs are spawned into a layer of rock or soil beneath the surface of the ground, and remain there after the pool has dried up. Even with a dry environment, the embryos are able to exist in developmental suspension until the starts of the next wet season. [4]

Characteristics

Fish with the genus Nothobranchius show a striking level of sexual dichomatism, where the males portray bright colors, and the females are dull. The adult spotted killifish is one of the largest of its genus, and can grow up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in length. [4]

Habitat and Ecology

The spotted killifish is native to isolated freshwater pools located in the savannah depressions of east Africa, specifically Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. This species was found to share these pools with N. furzeri , N. kadleci and N.rachovii , all congeners. The natural environments inhabited can range from non-vegetated and shallow with cloudy water, all the way to densely overgrown pools, that are fairly deep and have clear water. This species may also be present in swamps intermittently connected to floodplains. Given the lifecycle of the spotted killifish, it has adapted to varying dry and wet weather conditions that persist in this part of the world. However, due to recent anti-malarial and tsetse fly spraying programs, the populations of spotted killifish are becoming threatened. Though this species is threatened, it is at lower risk, and not yet in need of acts of conservation given that the threats are localized. [2]

Naming

The spotted killifish was originally described in 1844 as Cyprinodon orthonotus by Wilhelm Peters with the type locality given as Quelimane in eastern Mozambique. [5] The specific name is derived from orthos meaning "straight" and notus meaning back, referring to the straight dorsal profile of this species. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Nothobranchius</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Nothobranchius eggersi</i> Species of fish

The orchid nothobranch is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to the lower basin of the Rufiji River in Tanzania. Its natural habitat is temporary pools and swamps. This species is found in both a blue and red form. This species was described in 1982 by Lothar Seegers with the type biology given as the Rufiji River near Utete, Rufiji District of Pwani Region in Tanzania. The specific name honours Seegers companion on two expeditions, the German aquarist Gerd Eggers.

Nothobranchius foerschi is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitat is probably temporary pools. The specific name honours the German physician and aquaris Walter Foersch (1932-1993), who was an expert in killifish and was one of the first people to keep and breed this species.

The redtail notho is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Zanzibar. Its natural habitats are intermittent rivers and intermittent freshwater marshes. The redtail notho eats mosquito larvae and other planktonic creatures. Scientists are looking at introducing the species elsewhere in Africa to help with malaria prevention.

Nothobranchius janpapi is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to the Ruvu and Rufiji rivers in eastern Tanzania. Its natural habitats are small pools and ponds situated on floodplains. The specific name honours the Dutch aquarist Jan Pap, who first discovered this species in 1975 and sent examples back to the Netherlands.

Nothobranchius jubbi is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It occurs in north eastern Africa in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia in temporary pools, ditches, marshes and rain pans, normally ones without any connections to rivers. This species was described in 1979 by Rudolf Hans Wildekamp and Heinz Otto Berkenkamp with the type locality given as a pool on the road to Garsen, 17 miles north of Malindi. The specific name honours the South African meteorologist and ichthyologist Reginald A. “Rex” Jubb (1905-1987) of the Freshwater Fish Section at the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, South Africa, in recognition of his taxonomic work on the genus Nothobranchius.

Nothobranchius kirki, the redfin notho, is a species of killifish from the family Nothobranchiidae which is endemic to Malawi where it occurs in the drainages of Lake Malawi and Lake Chilwa. It inhabits swamps and ephemeral pools. This species can reach a length of 5 centimetres (2.0 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. This species was described in 1969 by the South African ichthyologist Rex Jubb from types collected by R. G. Kirk, who was a fish biologist of the Agricultural Research Services part of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Malawi, from a pool adjacent to the Likangala River which forms part of the endorheic basin of Lake Chilwa in Malawi.

<i>Nothobranchius korthausae</i> Species of fish

Nothobranchius korthausae is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Mafia Island in Tanzania. Its natural habitat is pools, ditches and small streams. The specific name of this species honours the German aquarist Edith Korthaus who collected the type.

Nothobranchius luekei is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitat is temporary pools. Its specific name honours the German aquarist Karl Heinz Lüke who was the first person to breed this species in an aquarium.

<i>Nothobranchius palmqvisti</i> Species of fish

Nothobranchius palmqvisti is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is found in Kenya and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are swamps and intermittent freshwater marshes. This species was described as Fundulus palmqvisti by Einar Lönnberg in 1907 with the type locality being Tanga in the Usambara Mountains of north eastern Tanzania, the type being collected on the 1905-06 Sjöstedts Kilimandjaro-Meru Expedition. The specific name honours the patron of that expedition, Gustaf Palmqvist.

The blue notho, or Patrizi's notho is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is found in Kenya and Somalia. Its natural habitat is running water. The males are usually around 5.0 centimetres (2.0 in). In the aquarium the females lay their eggs on bottom peat. This species was described as Fundulus patrizii by Decio Vinciguerra in 1927 with a type locality of the Harenaga swamps, near mouth of the Juba River in southern Somalia. Vinciguerra gave this fish the specific name of patrizii in honour of the collector of the type Saverio Patrizi Naro Montoro (1902-1957), an Italian explorer, zoologist and speleologist.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nothobranchiidae</span> Family of fishes

Nothobranchiidae are a family of bony fishes containing roughly 300 species, also known as African rivulines. They are small killifish, usually measuring about 5 centimetres (2.0 in). They are limited to Africa, living in fresh water but being also somewhat salt-tolerant. They are also found in muddy or brackish water. Some species are kept as aquarium pets. They have frilly fins and many are brightly colored. They were formerly included in the family Aplocheilidae ; a return to that broader family has recently been suggested.

<i>Nothobranchius furzeri</i> Species of fish

Nothobranchius furzeri, the turquoise killifish, is a species of killifish from the family Nothobranchiidae native to Africa where it is only known from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. This annual killifish inhabits ephemeral pools in semi-arid areas with scarce and erratic precipitations and have adapted to the routine drying of their environment by evolving desiccation-resistant eggs that can remain dormant in the dry mud for one and maybe more years by entering into diapause.

<i>Nothobranchius rachovii</i> Species of fish

Nothobranchius rachovii, the bluefin notho, is a species of freshwater annual killifish from Mozambique. It can grow up to 6 cm (2.4"). It is popular among killifish enthusiasts, who raise them from eggs in aquaria.


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.

<i>Nothobranchius brieni</i> Species of fish

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".

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 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.

References

  1. 1 2 Nagy, B.; Watters, B. (2019). "Nothobranchius orthonotus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T131804766A47239244. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T131804766A47239244.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Nothobranchius orthonotus" in FishBase. April 2019 version.
  3. ↑ van der Sijs, Nicoline (January 1, 2010). Cookies, Coleslaw and Stoops: The Influence of Dutch on the North American Language. Amsterdam University Press. p. 198. ISBN   9789089641243.
  4. 1 2 3 Polacik, M; Reichard, M (June 29, 2010). "Diet overlap among three sympatric African annual killifish species Nothobranchius spp. from Mozambique". Journal of Fish Biology. 77 (3): 754–768. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02717.x . PMID   20701652.
  5. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Cyprinodon orthonotus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  6. ↑ Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (31 May 2019). "Order CYPRINODONTIFORMES: Families APLOCHEILIDAE and NOTHOBRANCHIIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.