THE NOTHOBRANCHIUS SITE

MRAC A0-071-P-0227, holotype, male, 42.6 mm SL; Tanzania: Mbangara River, pools near bridge just east of Nangomba village, 36 km southwest of Masasi in direction of Tunduru on A19 road: 10°53.85' S, 38°33.02' E; R. Wildekamp, B. Watters & B. Cooper, 4 Jun 1997, [field code: Nangomba TAN 97-18].

MRAC A0-0771-P-0209-0226 (17), MRAC A0-0771-P-0228-0229 (2)

Nothobranchius makondorum males are distinguished from those of the related N. melanospilus and N. lucius by a complete black margin around the red caudal fin (vs. plain red caudal fin with a narrow black margin at the upper and lower corners in N. melanospilus; red-brown and orange-red with broad black margin in N. lucius) and light blue iris (vs. silver in N. melanospilus). Nothobranchius makondorum females are distinguished from those of N. melanospilus and N. lucius by grey spots on the sides (vs. black in N. melanospilus, brown in N. lucius) and absence of spots on the head and unpaired fins (vs. spotted unpaired fins in N. melanospilus and spotted head and unpaired fins in N. lucius) (Wildekamp et al., 2009).

Subgenus: Adiniops

Species group: N. melanospilus group

Nothobranchius makondorum was established as a species by Wildekamp, Shidlovskiy & Watters in 2009 , and that status has since been accepted by all authors. When first discovered in 1985, populations of this species were referred to as N. aff. melanospilus, based on some similarities in male colour pattern (Wildekamp, 2004), until the description by Wildekamp et al. (2009).

Tanzania: Mbangara River, pools near bridge just east of Nangomba village, 36 km southwest of Masasi in direction of Tunduru on A19 road (10°53.85' S, 38°33.02' E).

This species is endemic to seasonal freshwater habitats in south-eastern Tanzania and north-eastern Mozambique. It is known from temporary pools and marshes on floodplains in the coastal lowland drainages of the Mbwemkuru, Lukuledi and Ruvuma rivers in south-eastern Tanzania, and the drainages of eastward-flowing coastal lowland rivers between the Ruvuma and Melela rivers north-eastern Mozambique.

Coastal East Africa (564)

7–544 m

Water parameters based on Watters (personal data) are as follows: temperature of 17–28°C; pH of 6.6–8.0; conductivity of 20–1140 µS; and typically turbid (Nagy & Watters, 2019).

N. krammeri - 2%

N. species- 2%

This species has an annual life cycle.

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

Maximum size reported: 60.9 mm SL (MRAC A0-071-P-0155-0164, male)

Diploid chromosome number 2n = 38 (Wildekamp et al., 2009); 2n = 36, NF = 50, karyotype structure 6m+8sm+22st/a (Krysanov & Demidova, 2018).

Karyotype structure unique in the genus.

The specific name is a dedication to the Makonde tribe, inhabiting the southeastern part of Tanzania and the adjacent part of northeastern Mozambique. The territory of the tribe covers, in part, the distribution of this species.

Least Concern (Nagy & Watters, 2019)

​    Wildekamp, R. H., K. M. Shidlovskiy & B. R. Watters. 2009. Systematics of the Nothobranchius melanospilus species group (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae) with description of two new species from Tanzania and Mozambique. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 20 (3): 237–254. [taxonomy as Nothobranchius makondorum]

    Nagy, B. & B. R. Watters. 2019. Nothobranchius makondorum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T53904090A58340369. [conservation]

    Watters, B. R., B. Nagy, P. D. W. van der Merwe, F. P. D. Cotterill & D. U. Bellstedt. 2020. Redescription of the seasonal killifish species Nothobranchius ocellatus and description of a related new species Nothobranchius matanduensis, from eastern Tanzania (Teleostei: Nothobranchiidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, IEF-1149, pp. 1–28. [phylogeny]