02/07/2025
Four new species of seasonal killifish (Nothobranchiidae) are described from the BangweuluโMweru and Upper Lualaba freshwater ecoregions, situated in the uppermost Congo River drainage - ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ , ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ and ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ , alongside a new species African lampeye (Procatopodidae) '๐ฟ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐' ๐๐๐๐๐ in this paper.
Open-access - https://www.sciepublish.com/article/pii/593
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ถ๐๐น๐ฒ
Review of Cyprinodontiform Fishes in the Upper Congo Drainage with Descriptions of Four New Species of Seasonal ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ (Nothobranchiidae) and a New Species of '๐ฟ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐' ๐๐๐๐๐ (Procatopodidae) in South-Eastern DR Congo
๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Nagy B., Review of Cyprinodontiform Fishes in the Upper Congo Drainage with Descriptions of Four New Species of Seasonal Nothobranchius (Nothobranchiidae) and a New Species of โLacustricolaโ Lampeye (Procatopodidae) in South-Eastern DR Congo. Ecology and Diversity. 2025; 2(2):10006. https://doi.org/10.70322/ecoldivers.2025.10006
๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐
The cyprinodontiform fish fauna of the BangweuluโMweru and Upper Lualaba freshwater ecoregions, situated in the uppermost Congo River drainage, has been reviewed. This study introduces four newly described species of seasonal ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ killifish and a novel species of lampeye belonging to the genus '๐ฟ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐'.
๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ , new species, from the Kafila system in the Lufira drainage, is characterized in male colouration by a**l fin with irregular red-brown spots and stripes, creating two irregular submedial and medial bands and with broad yellow subdistal band; and a caudal fin with a slender light blue subdistal band, densely marked with irregular red spots, and narrow dark brown distinct distal margin.
๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, new species, from the Kay system in the upper Lualaba drainage, is characterized in male colouration by an a**l fin with narrow brown submedial band, followed by a slender yellow band, a slender red-brown band and a slender dark brown distal band; and a caudal fin with brown spots proximally and medially, and with slender white to light blue subdistal band and a narrow dark grey distal band.
๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ , new species, from the Lufukwe system in the Lake Mweru basin, is characterized in male colouration by a body with irregular red-brown patches and stripes, forming a marble-like mottled pattern; and a**l and caudal fins with slender yellow to amber subdistal band and broad dark brown distal band.
๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ , new species, from the Lubule system in the Luvua drainage, is characterized in male colouration by an a**l fin with narrow dark brown submedial band, narrow yellow and orange medial bands, narrow white subdistal band, and slender dark brown distal band; and a caudal fin with irregular red-brown spots and stripes proximally and medially, followed by an irregular narrow red-brown subdistal band and slender white distal band, and with interrupted red-brown fin tips.
'๐ฟ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐' ๐๐๐๐๐, new species, from the Kay system in the upper Lualaba drainage, is characterized by a pattern of iridescent, diamond-shaped, light blue spots in scale centres below mid-longitudinal series on posteroventral portion of flank; median fins yellow to hyaline, with dark grey stripes perpendicular to fin rays; dorsal fin with light blue distinct margin; a**l fin with dark grey margin. Analysis of mitochondrial COI gene sequences revealed that the five new species represent phylogenetically distinct lineages.
These findings not only underscore their genetic uniqueness but also confirm their placement within the ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ species group and the genus '๐ฟ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐'. Species of the genus ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ complete their seasonal life cycle in ephemeral natural habitats within freshwater wetlands, while '๐ฟ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐' species migrate to breed in flooded areas of shallow, typically seasonal wetland habitats at the onset of the rainy season. These wetlands are highly vulnerable to a variety of human-induced stressors and threats, including agricultural cultivation, water extraction, urban expansion resulting in land-use pressure, and increased pollution, particularly from industrial activities such as mining. Therefore, it is essential to protect the integrity of these unique aquatic habitats throughout all the seasons of the year to maintain healthy wetland ecosystems and safeguard the distinctive seasonal freshwater biodiversity they support.
๐ฃ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐
Top - Colour images of representative male specimens of all members of the ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ species group, plotted on a phylogenetic tree based on maximum likelihood a**lysis of the mitochondrial molecular marker Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (COI), and associated drainage system distribution information. Photographs by B. Nagy, except ๐. ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ by Cs. Nagy, ๐. ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ by S. Valdesalici and ๐. ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ by A. Kalumba.
Bottom - '๐ฟ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐' ๐๐๐๐๐: (right) holotype live male; (left). live wild-caught female; Photographed by B. Nagy.
Copyright ยฉ 2025 the Author(s). Published in Ecology and Diversity journal. This paper is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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