Spotted Killifish (Notobranchius orthonotus)Afrikaans: Spikkel-kuilvissie, but also called Tongoland top minnow, Tongoland eenjaarvis and Muskietvis.
Finnish: Helmiäisviuhkapyrstö
DistributionMalawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Populations are threatened by destruction of pans and by anti-malarial and tsetse fly spraying programs.
In Kruger it is only known to exist in a single series of pools in the headwaters of the Mtomene river in the N'wanetsi region and in a small pan on the international boundary at Pumbe picket.
DescriptionThis is a member of the Cyprinodont fishes which is very much in demand for aquaria. Have a look at
this page and you will understand why. (This species is fairly well down the page.)
Live adult Spotted Killifish are dark iridescent blue-green on the dorsal surface with a paler golden-olive ventral surface. In females the dorsal and anal fins are golden-olive with bluish edges and brown spots, males have deep mauve or indigo edges and magenta-colored spots. Adults grow to around 7 centimeters in lenght.
CharacteristicsThese fish are annual, which means that the live for less than a calenderyear. The waters they live in are mostly temporary, and dry up completely during the dry season. The eggs survive this in the surface layer of mud until the rains allow them to hatch. The young grow very rapidly and are sexually mature and spawning at the age of 6~10 weeks.
The cyclic dessication for periods of 6~8 months seem te be essential. The percentage of viable eggs in more or less permanent water, like the Limpopo, is very low, and adults do not thrive there.
The pools on the eastern border of Kruger hold water for only a few months during the rainy season, and dry up completely. When filled they have a Ph of 6.7, which is far more acid then in the rest of the park. Even after a year of flooding these pools are still inhabited by the Killifish, which seems to point out that not all of the eggs hatch in the same year.
DietMostly mosquito larvae, small crustaceans and other aquatic organisms. As they need to grow fast they are voracious mosquito larvea eaters, and thus have been used for mosquito larva control.
SourceThe freshwater fishes of the KNP by U.de V. Pienaar, and several websites.
_________________
Arriving currently: The photos from our trip!
Overhere!
Feel free to use any of these additional letters to correct the spelling of words found in the above post: a-e-t-n-d-i-o-s-m-l-u-y-h-c