Nothobranchius guentheri (Pfeffer, 1893)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The redtail notho (Nothobranchius guentheri) is a species of killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae. It is endemic to Zanzibar. Its natural habitats are intermittent rivers and intermittent freshwater marshes. The redtail notho eats mosquito larvae and other planktonic creatures. Scientists are looking at introducing the species elsewhere in Africa to help with malaria prevention. As with other "peat spawner" killifish, pairs or small groups spawn by repeatedly pushing into the substrate and releasing and fertilising a single egg. During the dry season when the temporary pools of water the fish inhabit dry up and the adult fish perish, specially adapted proteins in the eggshell or chorion are triggered to retain moisture, thereby ensuring the next generation of fish last until the rains return and the fry can hatch. Once the fry detect a change in pressure (due to being submerged again), and an increase in dissolved carbon dioxide concentration, an enzyme, chorionase is released to soften the eggshell and allow the fish to hatch. This species is sometimes encountered in the aquarium trade.
Wikipedia contributors, Redtail notho; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:21:27.821760+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nothobranchius guentheri (Pfeffer, 1893)
- Name authority
- (Pfeffer, 1893)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cyprinodontiformes
- Family
- Nothobranchiidae
- Genus
- Nothobranchius
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCyprinodontiformes
- familyNothobranchiidae Garman, 1895
- genusNothobranchius Peters, 1868
- speciesNothobranchius guentheri (Pfeffer, 1893)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nothobranchius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Nothobranchius albimarginatus Watters, Wildekamp & Cooper, 1998 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius annectens Watters, Wildekamp & Cooper, 1998 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius bellemansi Valdesalici, 2014 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius boklundi Valdesalici, 2010 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius capriviensis Watters, Wildekamp & Shidlovskiy, 2015 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius chochamandai Nagy, 2014 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius foerschi Wildekamp & Berkenkamp, 1979 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius furzeri Jubb, 1971 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius hengstleri Valdesalici, 2007 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius interruptus Wildekamp & Berkenkamp, 1979 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius kardashevi Valdesalici, 2012 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nothobranchius kirki Jubb, 1969 | NothobranchiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Notobranchius guentheri (Pfeffer, 1893) (Pfeffer, 1893) | synonym |
| Adiniops guentheri (Pfeffer, 1893) (Pfeffer, 1893) | synonym |
| Fundulus guentheri Pfeffer, 1893 Pfeffer, 1893 | synonym |
| Aphyosemion guentheri (Pfeffer, 1893) (Pfeffer, 1893) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1019482 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:47SLW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.