THE NOTHOBRANCHIUS SITE

ZMB 13545, lectotype, male, 51.8 mm SL; German East Africa: pool in Acacia-bush, between Tisso in north Ugogo and Usandawi, between present Itiso and Kwa Mtoro, most probably west of Mbuyuni in Tanzania, (approx. 05°26'S 31°51'E); O. Neumann, 27 Jul 1893.

BMNH 1905.7.25.54-56 (3), FMNH 54290 [ex CM 2921] (1)

Nothobranchius neumanni is distinguished from all other species of the genus by the following combination of characters in males: a relatively straight dorsal profile, and a marked angular transition between the head and body, which is concave in older males. The anal fin is red with one or two yellow or white bands and a light blue-gray proximal part. The caudal fin is red, or partially red, with a light blue-gray proximal part and a dark gray to black terminal band, which may have a narrow lighter red or blue subterminal band (Wildekamp et al., 2014).

Subgenus: Zononothobranchius

Species group: N. neumanni group

Fundulus neumanni was established as a species by Hilgendorf in 1905, and that status has since been accepted by all authors. Ahl (1924) assigned the species into the genus Nothobranchius. The type locality was established based on a reconstruction of Neumann’s 1893–1895 expedition route by Wildekamp and Berkenkamp (1979) and Nothobranchius neumanni was redescribed by Wildekamp in 1990.

Various populations regarded as N. aff. neumanni in Seegers (1997) and Wildekamp (2004) were subsequently described as distinct species: N. seegersi by Valdesalici & Kardashev (2011), and N. usanguensis, N. sagittae and N. serengetiensis by Wildekamp et al. (2014). 

German East Africa: pool in Acacia-bush, between Tisso in north Ugogo and Usandawi, between present Itiso and Kwa Mtoro, most probably west of Mbuyuni in Tanzania, (approx. 05°26'S 31°51'E).

This species is endemic to seasonal freshwater habitats in central Tanzania. It is known from temporary pools and swamps in the basin of Lake Manyara and the drainages of the Bubu, Great Ruaha, upper Wembere and the easternmost upper Malagarasi rivers, in inland central Tanzania.

Malagarasi–Moyowosi (543)

Southern Eastern Rift (566)

764–1384 m

Water parameters (measured by Watters and Nagy): temperature of 22–33°C; pH of 6.7–9.9; conductivity of 100–868 µS; and typically turbid (Nagy & Watters, 2019)

N. angelae - 7%

N. itigiensis - 4%

N. hoermanni - 2%

N. ottoschmidti - 2%

N. torgashevi - 2%

N. sonjae - 1%

N. taeniopygus - 1%​

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: 51.8 mm SL (ZMB 13545, lectotype)

Diploid chromosome number 2n = 36, NF = 70, karyotype structure 18m+16sm+2st/a (Krysanov & Demidova, 2018).

Karyotype structure unique in the genus.

The specific name is given in honour of Oscar Neumann, German explorer and discoverer of the species.

Least Concern (Nagy & Watters, 2019);

Previous assessment: Least Concern (Natakimazi & Hanssens, 2006)

​    Hilgendorf, F. M. 1905. Fische von Deutsch und Englisch Ost-Afrika, gesammelt von Oskar Neumann, 1893-1895. Zoologische Jahrbücher Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere, 22 (4): 405–420. [taxonomy as Fundulus neumanni]

    Wildekamp, R. H., B. R. Watters & K. M. Shidlovskiy. 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. [distribution, ecology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics]

    Watters, B. R., B. Nagy, P. D. W. van der Merwe, F. P. D. Cotterill & D. U. Bellstedt. 2019. Review of the Nothobranchius taeniopygus species group from central and western Tanzania with descriptions of five new species and redescription of Nothobranchius taeniopygus (Teleostei: Nothobranchiidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, IEF-1110, pp. 1–41. [phylogeny]

    Nagy, B. & B. R. Watters. 2019. Nothobranchius neumanni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T88026701A47189140. [conservation]