''Nothobranchius lucius'' is a species of killifish, an

African rivuline Nothobranchiidae are a family of bony fishes containing roughly 300 species, also known as African rivulines. They are small killifish, usually measuring about . They are limited to Africa, living in fresh water but being also somewhat salt-tol ...

which is placed in the

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

Nothobranchiidae Nothobranchiidae are a family of bony fishes containing roughly 300 species, also known as African rivulines. They are small killifish, usually measuring about . They are limited to Africa, living in fresh water but being also somewhat salt-tol ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Tanzania.

Description

''Nothobranchius lucius'' is a relatively large species of killifish and can be distinguished from the closely related '' N. melanospilus'' and '' N. makondorum'', by its comparatively longer head, with a longer snout apparent in both males and females with the males having a thinner body. The snout is pointed with a subterminal mouth which faces slightly upwards. The dorsal profile is slightly concave on head and also concave from the nape to the posterior end of the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

; the caudal peduncle has a straight profile both dorsally and ventrally. Compared to many species in the genus ''

Nothobranchius ''Nothobranchius'' is a genus of small, freshwater killifish, classified in either the family Nothobranchiidaevan der Laan, R., Eschmeyer, W.N. & Fricke, R. (2014)Family-group names of Recent fishes.''Zootaxa, 3882 (2): 1–230.'' or a more inc ...

'', ''N. lucius'' is rather dull in colour although an identifying mark is the presence of an orange line before the black margin of the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

Distribution

''Nothobranchius lucius'' is found in a small area in southern central Tanzania, between Ifakara and the Kilombero river ferry. It appears to be replaced by the similar ''N. melanospilus'' to the east and by ''N. makondorum'' to the south of its range.

Habitat and biology

''Nothobranchius lucius'' is found in seasonal pools and marshes where it reproduces in the wet season and the eggs enter

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 It ...

to hatch the following season. It is a predatory species and swallows smaller fishes whole.

Naming

''Nothobranchius lucius'' was described in 2009 by Rudolf Hans Wildekamp, Konstantin Mikhailovich Shidlovskiy and Brian R. Watters with the type locality given as being a large pool on west side of road between Ifakara and the Kilombero River ferry, two kilometres south of Ifakara and one kilometre north of

Kilombero River The Ulanga River, also known as the Kilombero River, rises in the highlands of the southwest of Morogoro Region, Tanzania, on the eastern slope of the East African Rift. The river flows northeast along the northeastern border of the Lindi Region ...

. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''lucius'' is

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for a

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

, a reference to this species strong teeth, predatory habits and somewhat pike-like appearance.

Uses

This species is known in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade where it is often known as the pike nothobranch and was called ''N. sp aff melanospilis'' before its formal description in 2009.

References

{{taxonbar, from=Q6416952 lucius Fish described in 2009