Nothobranchiidae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of bony fishes containing roughly 300

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, also known as African rivulines. They are small

killifish A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish (including families Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Profundulidae and Valenciidae). All together, there are 1,270 species of killifish, the biggest family ...

, usually measuring about . They are limited to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, living in fresh water but being also somewhat salt-tolerant. They are also found in muddy or

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

. Some species are kept as aquarium pets. They have frilly fins and many are brightly colored. They were formerly included in the family

Aplocheilidae Aplocheilidae, the Asian killifishes or Asian rivulines, is a family of fish in the order Cyprinodontiformes found in Asia. Some authorities use this family-group name, which is well-established, for a single lumped aplocheiloid family as it giv ...

(which was later limited to Malagasy, Seychellean and Asian species); a return to that broader family has recently been suggested.Costa, W.J.E.M. (2016)
Comparative morphology and classification of South American cynopoeciline killifishes (Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheilidae), with notes on family-group names used for aplocheiloids.
''Vertebrate Zoology, 66 (2): 125-140.'' Members of

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

'' Nothobranchius'' are found in mud pools on the plains of Africa, a habitat shared by no other fish except the

lungfish Lungfish are freshwater vertebrates belonging to the order Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for retaining ancestral characteristics within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and ancestral structures within Sarcopterygii, i ...

es. Their life cycle is only a year long, and they die when the pools dry up, however the species survives because their eggs remain inactive (in

diapause In animal dormancy, diapause is the delay in development in response to regular and recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions.Tauber, M.J., Tauber, C.A., Masaki, S. (1986) ''Seasonal Adaptations of Insects''. Oxford University Press I ...

) in the dry bottom substrate throughout the dry season. (This is not true for lungfish, which are capable of surviving seasonal drying out of their habitats by burrowing into mud and estivating throughout the dry season. They can live to be at least 80 years of age.) Pools of this type are often sprayed with poison to reduce

mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...

populations, which also kills the fish. As might be expected with short-lived species living in an ephemeral habitat, many of these fish reach sexual maturity within weeks of hatching, and are prolific breeders. '' Nothobranchius furzeri'' is the shortest-living vertebrate that can be bred in captivity, having a lifespan of between three and nine months. ''Nothobranchius furzeri'' needs much food because it grows quickly, so when food supplied is inadequate, bigger fish will eat the smaller fish.

Genera

The following genera are classified in the family Nothobranchiidae: * ''

Aphyosemion ''Aphyosemion'' is a genus of African rivulines endemic as the name indicates to Africa. Many of these species are popular aquarium fish. Species There are currently 100 recognized species in this genus: * '' Aphyosemion abacinum'' Huber, ...

Myers Myers as a surname has several possible origins, e.g. Old French ("physician"), Old English ("mayor"), and Old Norse ("marsh"). People * Abram F. Myers (born 1889), chair of the Federal Trade Commission and later general counsel and board ch ...

, 1924 (including ''Chromaphysemion'') * '' Archiaphyosemion'' Radda, 1977 * '' Callopanchax'' Myers, 1933 * '' Epiplatys''

Gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

, 1862 * '' Episemion'' Radda & Pürzl, 1987 * '' Fenerbahce'' Özdikmen, Polat, Yilmaz & Yazıcıoğlu, 2006 (formerly ''Adamas'') * '' Foerschichthys'' Scheel & Romand, 1981 * ''

Fundulopanchax ''Fundulopanchax'' is a genus of killifish living in near-coastal fresh water streams and lakes in Western Africa. All species were previously biologically classified as members of the genus '' Aphyosemion'', with the exception of ''Fundulopanc ...

'' Myers, 1924 * '' Nimbapanchax'' Sonnenberg & Busch, 2009 * '' Nothobranchius''

Peters Peters may refer to: People * Peters (surname) * Peters Band, a First Nations band in British Columbia, Canada Places United States * Peters, California, a census-designated place * Peters, Florida, a town * Peters Township, Kingman County, Kan ...

, 1868 * '' Pronothobranchius'' Radda, 1969 * '' Scriptaphyosemion'' Radda & Pürzl, 1987

References

Cyprinodontiformes * Ray-finned fish families Taxa named by Samuel Garman {{Cyprinodontiformes-stub