THE NOTHOBRANCHIUS SITE

BE_RMCA_VERT.2025.008.P.0031, male, 40.6 mm SL; DR Congo: Tambe stream: Lubule system: Luvua drainage: shallow remnant pool in small seasonal riverbed, 5.5 km west of Dubie village, 08°35'31'' S, 28°28'51'' E, 987 m alt.; A. Kalumba, 20 May 2023 (field code: CD 23-29).

BE_RMCA_VERT.2025.008.P.0032–0038 (7).

Nothobranchius dubieensis is distinguished from all other species of the genus by the unique combination in male colouration of having anal fin with narrow dark brown submedial band, narrow yellow and orange medial bands, narrow white subdistal band, and slender dark brown distal band; and caudal fin with irregular red-brown spots and stripes proximally and medially, followed by irregular narrow red-brown subdistal band and slender white distal band, with interrupted red-brown fin tips.

Subgenus: Zononothobranchius

Species group: N. brieni group

Nothobranchius dubieensis was established as a species by Nagy in 2025.

DR Congo: Tambe stream: Lubule system: Luvua drainage: shallow remnant pool in small seasonal riverbed, 5.5 km west of Dubie village, 08°35'31'' S, 28°28'51'' E, 987 m alt.

This species is endemic to seasonal freshwater habitats of the upper Congo drainage in south-eastern DR Congo. It is currently known from ephemeral marshes and ponds associated with the Lubule system in the Luvua drainage. The Lubule is a left affluent entering the Luvua from the southern direction.

Bangweulu–Mweru (544)

987 m

The type locality on 20 May 2023 was a remnant, culvert-like pool, connecting to an ephemeral riverbed and a large swampy area, as part of the Tambe stream in the seasonal Lubule system

None

The species has an annual life cycle.

Embryonic development under captive conditions in peat moss is about three to four months at room temperature.

Maximum size reported: 41.4 mm SL (BE_RMCA_VERT.2025.008.P.0032–0038, paratype, male)

Not known

The specific name is given in reference to Dubie township in south-eastern DR Congo, near which place this species is found, and the type locality is situated. An adjective derived from the geographical name.

Not evaluated

Recommended as Vulnerable in Nagy, 2025.

    Nagy, B. 2025. Review of cyprinodontiform fishes in the upper Congo drainage with descriptions of four new species of seasonal Nothobranchius (Nothobranchiidae) and a new species of ‘Lacustricola’ Lampeye (Procatopodidae) in South-Eastern DR Congo. Ecology and Diversity, 2 (2), 10006. [taxonomy as Nothobranchius dubieensis, distribution, ecology]