Nothobranchius

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Nothobranchius rachovii male 450px.jpg | image_caption = ''Nothobranchius rachovii'' | taxon = Nothobranchius | authority = Peters, 1868 | type_species = ''Cyprinodon orthonotus'' | type_species_authority = (Peters, 1844) | synonyms = ''Adiniops'' Myers, 1924 ''Fundulosoma'' Ahl, 1924 ''Zononothobranchius'' Radda, 1969 ''Aphyobranchius'' Wildekamp, 1977 ''Paranothobranchius'' Seegers, 1985 }} '''''Nothobranchius''''', known as '''nothobranchs''' or simply '''nothos''', is a genus of small, freshwater killifish, classified in the family Nothobranchiidae<ref name=fishbase/><ref name=Laan2014>van der Laan, R., Eschmeyer, W.N. & Fricke, R. (2014): [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2014/f/zt03882p230.pdf Family-group names of Recent fishes.] ''Zootaxa, 3882 (2): 1–230.''</ref> in the order Cyprinodontiformes. There are about a hundred species in the genus, many with very small distributions.<ref name=fishbase>{{FishBase_genus | genus = Nothobranchius | month = September | year = 2018 }}</ref> 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, with the greatest species richness being in Tanzania.

''Nothobranchius'' typically inhabit ephemeral pools that are filled only during the monsoon season, and show extreme life-history adaptations to survive the dry season. When their habitats dry up, the adult fish die and the eggs survive encased in the clay during the dry season. The embryos survive the dry season by entering diapause, facilitated by their specialized eggs that have a very hard chorion and are resistant to desiccation and hypoxia.<ref name=BMC>Alexander Dorn, Zuzana Musilová, Matthias Platzer, Kathrin Reichwald and Alessandro Celler (2014) [http://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-014-0210-3 The strange case of East African annual fishes: aridification correlates with diversification for a savannah aquatic group?] ''BMC Evolutionary Biology'' 14:210. DOI: 10.1186/s12862-014-0210-3</ref> These species reach maturity very quickly once diapause is broken and have a very short life span; one species, ''Nothobranchius furzeri'', reaches maturity in 17 days and seldom lives beyond 6 months.<ref name=BMC/>

==Etymology== The genus name ''Nothobranchius'' comes from Ancient Greek νόθος (''nóthos''), meaning 'crossbred', and βράγχιος (''bránkhios''), meaning 'with gills'.<ref>[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35989637#page/151/mode/1up]</ref>

==Species==

There are 96 recognized species in this genus:<ref name=fishbase/>

* ''Nothobranchius albertinensis'' Nagy, Watters & Bellstedt, 2020 * ''Nothobranchius albimarginatus'' Watters, Wildekamp & Cooper, 1998 * ''Nothobranchius angelae'' Watters, Nagy & Bellstedt, 2019 * ''Nothobranchius annectens'' Watters, Wildekamp & Cooper, 1998 * ''Nothobranchius attenboroughi'' Nagy, Watters & Bellstedt, 2020 * ''Nothobranchius balamaensis'' Bragança & Chakona, 2022 * ''Nothobranchius bellemansi'' Valdesalici, 2014<ref name=Valdesalici2014>Valdesalici, S. (2014): ''Nothobranchius bellemansi'' and ''Nothobranchius occultus'' (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae) two new annual killifish from Sudan. ''Killi-Data Series, 2014: 4-19.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius bojiensis'' Wildekamp & Haas, 1992 (Boji Plains nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius boklundi'' Valdesalici, 2010 * ''Nothobranchius brieni'' Poll, 1938 * ''Nothobranchius capriviensis'' Watters, Wildekamp & Shidlovskiy, 2015 (Caprivi nothobranch)<ref name=Watters2015>Watters, B.R., Wildekamp, R.H. & Shidlovskiy, K.M. (2015): Description and biogeography of ''Nothobranchius capriviensis'', a new species of annual killifish from the Zambezi Region of Namibia (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae). ''Journal of the American Killifish Association, 47 (4-6): 97-133.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius cardinalis'' Watters, Cooper & Wildekamp, 2008 (cardinal nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius chochamandai'' Nagy, 2014<ref name=Nagy2014b>Nagy, B. (2014): ''Nothobranchius chochamandai'', a new species of annual killifish from the Luapula drainage, Democratic Republic of Congo (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae). ''Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 25 (2): 167-183.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius cooperi'' Nagy, Watters & Bellstedt, 2017 * ''Nothobranchius derhami'' Valdesalici & Amato, 2019 * ''Nothobranchius ditte'' Nagy, 2018<ref name=Nagy2018>{{cite journal | author =Nagy, B. | year = 2018 | title = ''Nothobranchius ditte'', a new species of annual killifish from the Lake Mweru basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Teleostei: Nothobranchiidae) | journal = Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters | volume = 28 | issue =2 | pages = 115–134}}</ref> * ''Nothobranchius eggersi'' Seegers, 1982 * ''Nothobranchius elongatus'' Wildekamp, 1982 (elongate nothobranch) *''Nothobranchius elucens'' Nagy, 2021<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Nagy|first=Béla|date=2021-01-20|title=Nothobranchius elucens, a new species of seasonal killifish from the upper Nile drainage in Uganda (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae)|url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4915.1.10|journal=Zootaxa|language=en|volume=4915|issue=1|pages=133–147|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4915.1.10|pmid=33756590 |issn=1175-5334|url-access=subscription}}</ref> * ''Nothobranchius fasciatus'' Wildekamp & Haas, 1992 * ''Nothobranchius flagrans'' Nagy, 2014 <ref name=Nagy2014a>Nagy, B. (2014): ''Nothobranchius flagrans'', a new species of annual killifish from the Lufira drainage, Democratic Republic of Congo (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae). ''Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 25 (3): 259-276.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius flammicomantis'' Wildekamp, Watters & Sainthouse, 1998 * ''Nothobranchius foerschi'' Wildekamp & Berkenkamp, 1979 * ''Nothobranchius furzeri'' Jubb, 1971 (turquoise killifish) * ''Nothobranchius fuscotaeniatus'' Seegers, 1997 * ''Nothobranchius geminus'' Wildekamp, Watters & Sainthouse, 2002 * ''Nothobranchius guentheri'' (Pfeffer, 1893) (red-tail nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius hassoni'' Valdesalici & Wildekamp, 2004 * ''Nothobranchius hengstleri'' Valdesalici, 2007  * ''Nothobranchius hoermanni'' Nagy, Watters & Bellstedt, 2020 * ''Nothobranchius insularis'' Costa, 2017<ref name=Costa2017>Costa, W.J.E.M. (2017): [https://zse.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=11041 Redescription of ''Nothobranchius lucius'' and description of a new species from Mafia Island, eastern Tanzania (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae).] ''Zoosystematics and Evolution, 93 (1): 35-44.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius interruptus'' Wildekamp & Berkenkamp, 1979 (Kikambala nothobranchius) * ''Nothobranchius itigiensis'' Nagy, Watters & Bellstedt, 2020 * ''Nothobranchius ivanovae'' Valdesalici, 2012<ref name=Valdesalici2012b>Valdesalici, S. (2012): [http://www.aqua-aquapress.com/pdf/18(4)_Nothobranchius%20kardashevi.pdf ''Nothobranchius kardashevi'' and ''Nothobranchius ivanovae'' (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae): two new annual killifishes from the Katuma River drainage, western Tanzania.] ''aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology, 18 (4): 191-198.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius janpapi'' Wildekamp, 1977 * ''Nothobranchius jubbi'' Wildekamp & Berkenkamp, 1979 * ''Nothobranchius kadleci'' Reichard, 2010 <ref>{{cite journal|url=http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/zt02332p060.pdf|title=''Nothobranchius kadleci'' (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae), a new species of annual killifish from central Mozambique|author=Reichard, M.|journal=Zootaxa|volume=2332|pages=49–60|year=2010|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.2332.1.4 }}</ref> * ''Nothobranchius kafuensis'' Wildekamp & Rosenstock, 1989 (Kafue killifish) * ''Nothobranchius kardashevi'' Valdesalici, 2012<ref name=Valdesalici2012b/> * ''Nothobranchius kilomberoensis'' Wildekamp, Watters & Sainthouse, 2002 * ''Nothobranchius kirki'' Jubb, 1969 (Red-fin nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius korthausae'' Meinken, 1973 * ''Nothobranchius krammeri'' Valdesalici & Hengstler, 2008 * ''Nothobranchius krysanovi'' Shidlovskiy, Watters & Wildekamp, 2010 * ''Nothobranchius kwalensis'' W. J. E. M. Costa, 2019 * ''Nothobranchius lourensi'' Wildekamp, 1977 * ''Nothobranchius lucius'' Wildekamp, Shidlovskiy & Watters, 2009 * ''Nothobranchius luekei'' Seegers, 1984 * ''Nothobranchius makondorum'' Wildekamp, Shidlovskiy & Watters, 2009 * ''Nothobranchius malaissei'' Wildekamp, 1978 * ''Nothobranchius matanduensis'' Watters, Nagy & Bellstedt, 2020 * ''Nothobranchius melanospilus'' (Pfeffer, 1896) (black-spotted nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius microlepis'' (Vinciguerra, 1897) (small-scaled nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius milvertzi'' Nagy, 2014<ref name=Nagy2014>Nagy, B. (2014): ''Nothobranchius milvertzi'', a new species of killifish from the Lushiba Marsh in the Lake Mweru drainage, Zambia (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae). ''Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 24 (4): 347-360.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius mkuziensis'' (Fowler, 1934) * ''Nothobranchius moameensis'' Nagy, Watters & Bellstedt, 2020 * ''Nothobranchius neumanni'' (Hilgendorf, 1905) * ''Nothobranchius niassa'' Valdesalici, Bills, Dorn, Reichwald & Cellerino, 2012<ref name=Valdesalici2012>Valdesalici, S., Bills, R., Dorn, A., Reichwald, K. & Cellerino, A. (2012): ''Nothobranchius niassa'' (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae), a new species of annual killifish from northern Mozambique. ''Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 23 (1): 19-28.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius nikiforovi'' Nagy, Watters & Raspopova, 2021 * ''Nothobranchius nubaensis'' Valdesalici, Bellemans, Kardashev & Golubtsov, 2009 * ''Nothobranchius occultus'' Valdesalici, 2014<ref name=Valdesalici2014/> * ''Nothobranchius ocellatus'' (Seegers, 1985) * ''Nothobranchius oestergaardi'' Valdesalici & Amato, 2011 * ''Nothobranchius orthonotus'' (Peters, 1844) (spotted killifish) * ''Nothobranchius ottoschmidti'' Watters, Nagy & Bellstedt, 2019 * ''Nothobranchius palmqvisti'' (Lönnberg, 1907) * ''Nothobranchius patrizii'' (Vinciguerra, 1927) (blue nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius pienaari'' Shidlovskiy, Watters & Wildekamp, 2010 * ''Nothobranchius polli'' Wildekamp, 1978 * ''Nothobranchius prognathus'' Costa, 2019 * ''Nothobranchius rachovii'' Ahl, 1926 (blue-fin nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius robustus'' Ahl, 1935 (red victoria nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius rosenstocki'' Valdesalici & Wildekamp, 2005 * ''Nothobranchius rubripinnis'' Seegers, 1986 * ''Nothobranchius rubroreticulatus'' Blache & Miton, 1960 * ''Nothobranchius rungwaensis'' Watters, Nagy & Bellstedt, 2019 * ''Nothobranchius ruudwildekampi'' Costa, 2009 * ''Nothobranchius sagittae'' Wildekamp, Watters & Shidlovskiy, 2014<ref name=Wildekamp2014>Wildekamp, R.H., Watters, B.R. & Shidlovskiy, K.M. (2014): Review of the ''Nothobranchius neumanni'' species group with descriptions of three new species from Tanzania (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae). ''Journal of the American Killifish Association, 47 (1): 2-30.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius sainthousei'' Nagy, Cotterill & Bellstedt, 2016<ref name=Nagy2016>Nagy, B., Cotterill, F.P.D. & Bellstedt, D.U. (2016): [http://www.pfeil-verlag.de/04biol/pdf/ief27_3_04.pdf ''Nothobranchius sainthousei'', a new species of annual killifish from the Luapula River drainage in northern Zambia (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes).] ''Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 27 (3): 233-254.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius seegersi'' Valdesalici & Kardashev, 2011 * ''Nothobranchius serengetiensis'' Wildekamp, Watters & Shidlovskiy, 2014<ref name=Wildekamp2014/> * ''Nothobranchius skeltoni'' Watters, Nagy & Bellstedt, 2019 * ''Nothobranchius sonjae'' Watters, Nagy & Bellstedt, 2019 * ''Nothobranchius steinforti'' Wildekamp, 1977 * ''Nothobranchius streltsovi'' Valdesalici (sv), 2016<ref name=Valdesalici2016>Valdesalici, S. (2016): [http://www.pfeil-verlag.de/04biol/pdf/ief27_2_03.pdf ''Nothobranchius streltsovi'', a new species of annual killifish with two male colour morphs from the Malagarasi drainage, central Tanzania (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae).] ''Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 27 (2): 153-161.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius sylvaticus'' Nagy, Bellstedt & Luke, 2025<ref name=Bellstedtetal2025>Bellstedt, D. U., B. Nagy, P. D. W. van der Merwe, F. P. D. Cotterill, Q. Luke & B. R. Watters. (2025). The description of a critically endangered new species of seasonal killifish, ''Nothobranchius sylvaticus'' (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae), a relict species from an East African forest refugium in south-eastern Kenya. ''Zootaxa'', 5601 (1): 086–108. {{doi|10.11646/zootaxa.5601.1.4}} {{ResearchGatePub|389627266}}</ref>

* ''Nothobranchius symoensi'' Wildekamp, 1978 * ''Nothobranchius taeniopygus'' Hilgendorf, 1891 (striped nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius taiti'' Nagy, 2019 * ''Nothobranchius torgashevi'' Valdesalici, 2015<ref name=Valdesalici2015>Valdesalici, S. (2015): ''Nothobranchius torgashevi'' (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae) a new species of annual killifish with two male colour morphs from the Lake Eyasi Basin, Central Tanzania. ''Killi-Data Series, 2015: 17-30.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius ugandensis'' Wildekamp, 1994 (Uganda nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius usanguensis'' Wildekamp, Watters & Shidlovskiy, 2014<ref name=Wildekamp2014/> * ''Nothobranchius venustus'' Nagy, Watters & Bellstedt, 2020 * ''Nothobranchius virgatus'' Chambers, 1984 * ''Nothobranchius vosseleri'' Ahl, 1924 (Pangani nothobranch) * ''Nothobranchius wattersi'' Ng'oma, Valdesalici, Reichwald & Cellerino, 2013<ref name=Ngoma2012>Ng'oma, E., Valdesalici, S., Reichwald, K. & Cellerino, A. (2013): Genetic and morphological studies of ''Nothobranchius'' (Cyprinodontiformes) from Malawi with description of ''Nothobranchius wattersi'' sp. nov. ''Journal of Fish Biology, 82 (1): 165–188.''</ref> * ''Nothobranchius willerti'' Wildekamp, 1992 (Mnanzini nothobranch)

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Nothobranchius Category:Nothobranchiidae Category:Freshwater fish genera Category:Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters