Two new species of seasonal killifishes of the Nothobranchius melanospilus species complex from the East Africa biodiversity hotspot (Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheilidae*)

Title: Two new species of seasonal killifishes of the Nothobranchius melanospilus species complex from the East Africa biodiversity hotspot (Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheilidae*)

Creator: Wilson J. E. M. Costa

Submitted February 16, 2018.
Accepted October 30, 2018.
Published online at www.senckenberg.de/vertebrate-zoology on February 15, 2019.
Published in print on February 27, 2019.

DOI: 10.26049/VZ69-1-2019-02 
PDF/A 2.5MB

Published by Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung

Date (Publication Year): 2018

Resource Type (General): TEXT

Resource Type (optional): Vertebrate Zoology, Scientific Article

Description: During a revision of material identified in museum collections as Nothobranchius melanospilus, two new species were recognised: N. kwalensis, new species, from Ramisi River basin, southeastern Kenya, and N. prognathus, new species, from upper Wami River basin, eastern Tanzania. Both new species are distinguished from N. melanospilus by the supraorbital series of neuromasts well-separated, and presence of fewer madibular neuromasts. Nothobranchius prognathus is disinguished from other species of the N. melanospilus complex by shape of snout and eye, frontal squamation, and basal portion of the pelvic fins medially united in males. Additional morphometric characters were found informative to diagnose species of the N. melanospilus complex.

Keywords: Kenya, Mkata River, Ramisi River, Tanzania, Tendigo Swamp, Systematics.

(*) Aplocheilidae is here adopted as a single Aplocheiloidei family following Costa (2016).

Citation: Costa, W. J. E. M. (2019). Two new species of seasonal killifishes of the Nothobranchius melanospilus species complex from the East Africa biodiversity hotspot (Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheilidae). Vertebrate Zoology, 69(1): 73-82. https://doi.org/10.26049/VZ69-1-2019-02