DesDescriptioncription
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). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, IEF-
1110: 17, figs. 8-9.
Abstract:
The Nothobranchius taeniopygus species group from central and western
Tanzania is reviewed. Five new species are
identified, to raise total species richness to seven. Members of this group
are characterized by an anal fin with a
slender to broad light medial band and broad black distal band in males.
Nothobranchius taeniopygus is redescribed
and the species is characterized by an anal fin with a narrow yellow to
white subdistal band; a caudal fin that is
light yellow-grey with brown stripes proximally parallel to fin rays, followed
by a narrow brown medial band
and a narrow yellow to white subdistal band; a postorbital length of 43-46
% HL; and snout to eye end length 54-
57 % HL; and its distribution is restricted to the uppermost reaches of the
Wembere River system. Nothobranchius
angelae, new species, from the Bubu River system and the Bahi Swamp,
as well as the north-western part of the
Ruaha River system, is characterized by an anal fin with a slender white
medial band; a caudal fin with a narrow
dark brown to black medial band, followed by a slender white subdistal
band; postorbital length 55-63 % HL;
and caudal peduncle length 132-137 % of its depth. Nothobranchius
ottoschmidti, new species, from the Wembere
and Manonga river systems, the eastern and north-eastern parts of the
Malagarasi system, and the southern Lake
Victoria basin, is characterized by a caudal fin with small red-brown spots
proximally, a slender semi-translucent
grey subdistal band and a narrow irregular dark grey to black distal band; a
head width 67-73 % HL; and caudal
peduncle length 121-130 % of its depth. Nothobranchius sonjae, new
species, from the Malagarasi River drainage
and the Moame River of the Lake Victoria basin, is characterized by a
golden-brown to grey stripe on the dorsal
scale row between nape and dorsal-fin origin; a head length of 25.8-27.0
% SL; and caudal peduncle length 153-
159 % of its depth. Nothobranchius rungwaensis, new species, from the
Rungwa River system, is characterized by
an anal fin yellow proximally with a narrow red-brown submedial band, a
broad yellow medial band with red to
red-brown spots, and a broad black distal band; a head width 54 % HL and
62 % of its depth; interorbital width
38 % HL; postorbital length 46 % HL; snout length 22 % HL; and caudal
peduncle length 119 % of its depth.
Nothobranchius skeltoni, new species, from the Lake Victoria basin, is
characterized by an anal fin that is grey to
red-grey with irregular dark grey spots proximally, followed by a broad dark
red to maroon medial band, a narrow light grey subdistal band; a body
depth at pelvic-fin origin 26.3-30.0 % SL; suborbital depth 15-22 % HL;
caudal peduncle depth 11.8-12.9 % SL; and caudal peduncle length 160-
169 as % of its depth. The species group
also includes N. ivanovae. Genetic divergence in partial sequences of the
mitochondrial genes, ND2 and COI, and
three nuclear genes, Glyt, MyH6 and SNX33, supports the genetic
distinction of the five new species and confirms
their position, together with N. taeniopygus and N. ivanovae, in the N.
taeniopygus species group
Clasification
Genus: Nothobranchius
Subgenus: Zonothobranchius.
Group: taeniopygus
Geographical Distribution
Maps
Tanzania
Type locality:Bridge over Manonga river, about 1 km south Walezo
village, or, 31 km north Nzega, on Shinyanga-Nzega road, (central
western) Tanzania.03°57.8' S, 33°08.5' E.
Extension: in Wembere and Manonga river systems, including the Mhwala
and Nyahua tributaries, Igombe and Kigosa river components of upper,
eastern and northeastern parts of Gombe-Malagarasi system, and smaller
stream systems draining into lake Victoria in Mwanza area, including
Maome river, northwestern Tanzania.
- 1 km S. Walezo, Shinyanga-Nzega road, central W. Tanzania * [3.963 S
: 33.142 E] Watters et al., 2000 | Watters et al., 2019
- 2 km E. Kisengi village, Itigi-Tabora, central W. Tanzania [5.352 S :
33.585 E] Watters et al., 2003 | Watters et al., 2019
Locations/codes
Ibanda (TAN 93-11)
Nyanhonge TAN 93-14
Manonga River TAN 00-8,
Nawa TAN 17-7
Mbogwe TAN 17-11
Mabuki (TZHK 18-09)
Kasama TZN 19-7
Mabuki TZN 19-8
Notes
Status specie: Not unanimously confirmed.
Standard maintenance conditions in captivity (see article)
Bibliography
Related:
Merwe, P.D.W. van der, F.P.D. Cotterill, M. Kandziora, B.R. Watters, B. Nagy, T.
Genade, T.J. Flügel, D.S. Svendsen & D.U. Bellstedt. 2020. Genomic
Fingerprints of Palaeogeographic History: The tempo and mode of Rift
tectonics across tropical Africa has shaped the diversification of the killifish
genus Nothobranchius (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes). Molecular
Phylogenetics and Evolution (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.), 158, 106988, (online 13
October 2020, print May 2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106988
[ottoschmidti N.: Sys/Gen/Dis]