WildNothos
THE NOTHOBRANCHIUS SITE
Nothobranchius hassoni Valdesalici & Wildekamp, 2004
Valdesalici, S. & R. H. Wildekamp. 2004. A new species of the genus Nothobranchius Peters, 1868 from the Lufwa river basin, Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo (Pisces, Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae). Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria, 96: 241–251.
Nothobranchius hassoni Bunkeya CD 13-8, wild-caught male - Copyright Béla Nagy
Nothobranchius hassoni Bunkeya CD 13-8, wild-caught female - Copyright Béla Nagy
Nothobranchius hassoni Kasamba River DRCH 2008-09, wild-caught male - Copyright Béla Nagy
Nothobranchius hassoni Bukeya DRCH 2008-10, wild-caught male - Copyright Béla Nagy
Biotic index
Distribution map
Collecting period
Holotype
MSNG 51837, holotype, male, 41.1 mm SL; DR Congo: Katanga province: lower Lufira drainage: Lufwa system: Kanvungwe, 09°28.66' S, 27°17.08' E; Game warden staff of 'Parc National de l'Upemba', 17 Jun 2002.
Paratypes
MRAC A3-28-P-1 (1), A3-28-P-2 to P-3 (2), A3-28-P-4 (1); MSNG 51838-40 (3), 51841-42 (2), 51843-44 (2)
Diagnosis
Nothobranchius hassoni is distinguished from all other species of the genus by the following combination of unique characters: absence of ctenii on the rays of the dorsal and anal fins and no ctenii on the body scales, male coloration consisting of an alternating pattern in anal- and caudal-fins comprising of traverse bands in a combination of more than two colors (Valdesalici & Wildekamp, 2004)
Classification
Subgenus: Zononothobranchius
Species group: N. brieni group
Taxonomic status
Nothobranchius hassoni was established as a species by Valdesalici & Wildekamp in 2004, and that status has since been accorded by all authors.
Type locality
DR Congo: Katanga province: lower Lufira drainage: Lufwa system: Kanvungwe, 09°28.66' S, 27°17.08' E.
Distribution
This species is endemic to seasonal freshwater habitats in south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is known from temporary pools and swamps in the middle Lufira drainage, Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ecoregion
Upper Lualaba (545)
Elevation
883–1031 m
Ecology
Personal observation at collecting site:
Water temperature: 27.5 °C
pH: 7.07
TDS: 130 ppm
Conductivity: 260 µS
Syntopic congeners
None
Reproduction
This species has an annual life cycle.
Embryonic development under captive conditions in peat moss is about three to four months at room temperature.
Size
Maximum size reported: 43.7 mm SL (MRAC B0-013-P-0001–14, 5 males)
Chromosomes
Diploid chromosome number 2n = 36, NF = 52, karyotype structure 8m+8sm+20st/a (Krysanov & Demidova, 2018).
Karyotype structure unique in the genus.
Etymology
The specific name is given in honor of Belgian conservationist Michel Hasson, for his assistance to obtain the type specimens, additional information, and for his support to help the National Park of Upemba.
Conservation status
Vulnerable B1ab(iii) (Nagy & Watters, 2019);
Previous assessment: Data Deficient (Moelants, T. 2010)
References
Valdesalici, S. & R. H. Wildekamp. 2004. A new species of the genus Nothobranchius Peters, 1868 from the Lufwa river basin, Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo (Pisces, Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae). Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria, 96: 241–251. [taxonomy as Nothobranchius hassoni]
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. [systematics, morphology]
Nagy, B. 2015. More on the search for Nothobranchius brieni. Journal of the American Killifish Association, 48 (1-2): 1–24. [collecting]
Nagy, B., F. P. D. Cotterill & D. U. Bellstedt. 2016. 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. [phylogeny]
Nagy, B. & B. R. Watters. 2019. Nothobranchius hassoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T182054A58328677. [conservation]