THE NOTHOBRANCHIUS SITE

MRAC 77-16-P-1, holotype, male, 32.2 mm SL; Tanzania: shallow swamp on the left side of the road from Morogoro to Kimamba, 8 km before Kimamba, (approx. 06°46.5' S, 37°12.9' E); R. van Haarlem, J. Lourens, J. Pap, Th. Steinfort & R. H. Wildekamp, 11 Jun 1976, [field code: Kimamba T 76-4].

MRAC 77-16-P-2 (1), MRAC 77-16-P-3-8 (6)

Nothobranchius steinforti males are characterized by a pale blue body colouration, with narrow red-brown scale margins. The head and throat are blue. The anal fin is pale orange to yellow, with small red-brown spots proximally. The caudal fin is semi-transparent pale olive proximally, with a dense pattern of orange-red spots, creating a broad orange band distally, and a narrow black distal band may be present.    

​Subgenus: Zononothobranchius

Nothobranchius steinforti was established as a species by Wildekamp in 1977, and that status has since been accepted by all authors.

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The species is currently known only from the type locality and a second nearby site, both found in 1976. Several surveys aimed at determining the presence of the species at the type locality and elsewhere within the entire drainage system since the original collection in 1976 have failed, in spite of considerable efforts, whereas congeners were found in abundance.

Tanzania: shallow swamp on the left side of the road from Morogoro to Kimamba, 8 km before Kimamba (approx. 06°46.5' S, 37°12.9' E).

This species is endemic to freshwater habitats in eastern Tanzania. It is known from two ephemeral pools in the drainage system of the upper Wami River in eastern Tanzania.

Coastal East Africa (564)

425 m

N. prognathus

This species has an annual life cycle.

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

Maximum size reported: 32.3 mm SL (MRAC 77-16-P-1, holotype, male).

Diploid chromosome number 2n = 36 (Scheel, 1981; Scheel, 1990), NF = 56, karyotype structure 10m+10sm+16st/a (Krysanov & Demidova, 2018).

Karyotype structure unique in the genus.

The specific name is given in honor of Th. Steinfort, Boskoop, The Netherlands, successful breeder of Nothobranchius species, who co-discovered this species, and contributed, that this beautiful species could be made available in the aquarium hobby.

Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild) B2ab(iii,iv) (Nagy & Watters, 2019);

Previous assessment: Vulnerable D2 (Hanssens & Snoeks, 2006)

    Wildekamp, R. H. 1977. Zur Identifikation von Nothobranchius guentheri (Pfeffer, 1893) und Nothobranchius palmqvisti (Lönnberg, 1907), zwei Saisonfischen aus dem südöstlichen Kenia und dem nordöstlichen Tansania; mit der Beschreibung von Nothobranchius steinforti species novum. Deutsche Killifisch Gemeinschaft Journal, 9 (3): 33–46. [taxonomy as Nothobranchius steinforti]

    Nagy, B. & B. R. Watters. 2019. Nothobranchius steinforti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T61221A47240724. [conservation]

    Nagy, B., B. R. Watters, P. D. W. van der Merwe, F. P. D. Cotterill & D. U. Bellstedt. 2020. Review of the Nothobranchius ugandensis species group from the inland plateau of eastern Africa with descriptions of six new species (Teleostei: Nothobranchiidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 30 (1): 21–73. [phylogeny]