Nothobranchius sainthousei
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| Nothobranchius sainthousei | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Nothobranchiidae |
| Genus: | Nothobranchius |
| Species: | N. sainthousei |
| Binomial name | |
| Nothobranchius sainthousei | |
Nothobranchius sainthousei is a species of brightly red- and blue colored seasonal killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to freshwater habitats in the Chembe district of the Luapula Province in northern Zambia.[2]
It was named in honour of Ian Sainthouse, a "renowned breeder and collector of killifish, for his special longstanding dedication to researches on the genus Nothobranchius".[3]
Description and habitat
Males grow up to about 41 millimetres of standard length (i.e. body length excluding caudal fin) and females circa 30 mm.[4] The species is an annual killifish. They inhabit ephemeral pools filled by rainwater during the monsoon season, being adapted to the alteration of dry and wet seasons. As with all members of the genus Nothobranchius, they show extreme life-history adaptations: their embryos survive by entering a three to four month long diapause,[5] within eggs that have a very hard chorion and are resistant to desiccation and hypoxia. When their habitats dry up during the dry season all adult fish die, and the species then survive solely due to the eggs laying dormant, encased in clay.