THE NOTHOBRANCHIUS SITE

MRAC 82-10-P-1, holotype, male, 44.1 mm SL; Kenya: temporary pools at the road Mombasa to Kaioleni, near Kaioleni, approx. 03°49' S, 39°38' E; collected by E. Holler Aug 1978.

MRAC 82-10-P-2-6 (5)

Nothobranchius elongatus has a relatively shallow body depth of 22.1–27.9 % SL; the dorsal and anal fins of the male have a yellow tint with red spots near the base and the caudal fin is a deep red with the colour extending into the caudal peduncle. The females are plain.

​

It differs from the related N. interruptus by the number of dorsal and anal fin rays, the number of scales, and the more vivid coloration of males.

​It differs from the related N. vosseleri by the absence of markings in the unpaired fins of the male; and from N. melanospilus by the absence of dark markings on the sides and the unpaired fins of the female (after Wildekamp, 2004).

Subgenus: Adiniops

Species group: N. melanospilus group

Nothobranchius elongatus was established as a species by Wildekamp in 1982, and that status has been accorded by all authors since.

"an der Straße Mombasa – Kaioleni, in unmittelbarer Nähe von Kaioleni"

[Kenya: temporary pools at the road Mombasa to Kaioleni, near Kaioleni, approx. 03°49' S, 39°38' E].

This species is endemic to freshwater habitats in coastal Kenya. It is known from seasonal pools and marshes west and northwest of Mombasa, in habitats situated in the Coastal Ranges, about 170 to 240 m above sea level.

Tana, Athi, and Coastal drainages (567)

166–241 m; with two exceptions: one site near Dida, in the extreme northen edge of the range, at 78 m; whereas one site near McKinnon Road, in the extreme western edge of the known distribution, at 313 m.

Personal observation at collecting sites (14 locations):

Water temperature: 27.2–30.4 °C (average: 28.9 °C)

pH: 6.64–8.76 (average: 7.82)

TDS:  70–705 ppm (average: 314 ppm)

Conductivity: 140–1410 µS (average: 629 µS)

N. microlepis - 8%

This species has a semi-annual life cycle.

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

Maximum size reported: 44.1 mm SL (MRAC 82-10-P-1, holotype, male)

Diploid chromosome number 2n = 38 (Wildekamp, 1982; Scheel, 1990),  NF = 48, karyotype structure 8m+2sm+28st/a (Krysanov & Demidova, 2018).

Karyotype structure shared with some members of the genus. 

The specific name is formed from ex- and longus (both Latin for out of length, meaning elongate), in reference to the elongate body shape of the species, in comparison to other species of the genus.

Vulnerable B1ab(iii) (Nagy & Watters, 2019);

Previous assessment: Vulnerable D2 (Hanssens, 2006)

​    Wildekamp, R. H. 1982. Die Nothobranchius Arten des Küstengebietes Kenias. Die Aquarien und Terrarien Zeitschrift, 35 (9): 333–339. [taxonomy as Nothobranchius elongatus]

    Nagy, B. 2007. Collecting Nothobranchius - My special Souvenir from Kenya 2007. Journal of the American Killifish Association, 40 (4): 97–113. [collecting]

    Nagy, B. 2009. Distribution of Nothobranchius species in the coastal part of Kenya. Journal of the American Killifish Association, 42 (5): 194–214. [collecting, distribution]

    Nagy, B. & K. Shidlovsky. 2012. Phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the Nothobranchius species of coastal Kenya. Journal of the American Killifish Association, 45 (2): 34–51. [phylogeny, distribution]

    Nagy, B. & B. R. Watters. 2019. Nothobranchius elongatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T60442A47189428. [conservation]