killifish

A bluefin notho killifish, Nothobranchius rachovii, from East Africa.

A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish (including families Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Nothobranchiidae, Profundulidae, Rivulidae and Valenciidae). All in all there are some 1270 different species of killifish, the biggest family being Rivulidae, containing more than 320 species.^[1] Although killifish is sometimes used as an English equivalent to Cyprinodontidae, some species belonging to that family have their own common names, such as the pupfish and the mummichog. The name killifish is derived from the Dutch word "kilde", meaning small creek, puddle. Most killies are small fish, from one to two inches (2.5 to 5 cm), with the largest species growing to just under six inches (15 cm).

Range and habitat

Devils Hole pupfish, Cyprinodon diabolis, from Death Valley National Park.

Killifish are found mainly in fresh or brackish waters in the Americas, as far south as Argentina and as far north as southern Ontario. There are also species in southern Europe, in much of Africa as far south as KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in the Middle East and Asia (as far east as Vietnam), and on several Indian Ocean islands. Killifish are not found in Australia, Antarctica, or northern Europe.

The majority of killifish are found in permanent streams, rivers, and lakes, and live between two and three years. Such killifish are common in the Americas (Cyprinodon, Fundulus and Rivulus) as well as in Africa and Asia (including Aphyosemion, Aplocheilus, Epiplatys, Fundulopanchax and Lacustricola) and southern Europe (Aphanius). Some of these habitats can be rather extreme; the only natural habitat of the Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) is Devils Hole: a cavern at least 300 feet (91 m) deep, branching out from a small opening at the surface, approximately 6 feet (1.8 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m) wide.

Some specialized forms live in temporary ponds and flood plains, and typically have a much shorter lifespan. Such species, known as "annuals", live no longer than nine months, and are used as models for studies on aging. Examples include the African genus Nothobranchius and South American genera ranging from the cold water Austrolebias of Argentina and Uruguay to the more tropical Gnatholebias, Pterolebias, Simpsonichthys and Terranatos.

Territorial behavior

Fundulus auroguttatus, a non-annual North American killifish.

A small number of species will shoal while most are territorial to varying degrees. Populations can be dense and territories can shift quickly, especially for species of the extreme shallows (a few centimetres of water). Many species exist as passive tribes in small streams where dominant males will defend a territory while allowing females and immature males to pass through the area. In the aquarium, territorial behavior is different for every grouping, and will even vary by individuals. In a large enough aquarium, most species can live in groups as long as there are more than three males.

Diet

Killifish feed primarily on aquatic arthropods such as insect (mosquito) larvae, aquatic crustaceans and worms. It is reported by the killifish collector Rudolf Koubek that areas in Gabon where the streams lack killifish (due to pollution or other causes) are rife with malaria, which is spread by a mosquito. Some species of Orestias from Lake Titicaca are planktonic filter feeders. Others, such as Cynolebias and Megalebias species and Nothobranchius ocellatus are predatory and feed mainly on other fish.

Killifish as pets

Blue Lyretail, Fundulopanchax gardneri. One of the most common West African species of killifish held in aquariums.

Many killifish are lavishly coloured; and most species are easy to keep and breed in an aquarium. Specimens can be obtained from specialist societies and associations. Striped panchax (aka. Golden Wonder) are commonly found in pet shops, but caution must be exercised when considering tank mates, since the mouth of the Striped panchax is as wide as the head, and much smaller fish will be eaten.

External links

• Itrainsfishes - All about South American Killifishes
• Killifish international – Multilingual Killifish-website with a list of breeders
• killi.net - Images of nearly all 700 species
• Killies Connection
• American Killifish Association (AKA)
• British Killifish Association (BKA)
• Canadian Killifish Association (CKA)
• Deutsche Killifisch Gemeinschaft (DKG)
• Killifish Nederland (KFN)
• Scandinavian Killifish Association (SKS)
• El KilliCLUB (EKC) - internet based, international killifish association
• Rare Hermaphroditic Fish Survives in Mangrove Swamps - D. Scott Taylor, Ph.D - mangrove.org
• Italian Killifish Association - AIK
• BG Killifish - Bulgarian Killifish association BKA
• Portuguese Killifish Association (APK)

References

1. ^ List of Nominal Species of Rivulidae (Rivulines) FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.

• Costa, Wilson J.E.M. (1998). Phylogeny and Classification of the Cyprinodontiformes (Euteleostei: Atherinomorpha): A Reappraisal. In Malabarba, L. et al. (eds), Phylogeny and Classification of Neotropical fishes part 6 (Atherinomorpha), Porto Alegre. 603 p.
• Huber, J. (2004). Killi-Data Online
• Parenti, Lynn R. (1981). A phylogenetic and biogeographical analysis of Cyprinodontiform fishes (Telostei, Alethrinimorpha). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 168, article 4.
• Fish Lives in Logs, Breathing Air, for Months at a Time- Aalok Mehta, National Geographic News.

• BG Killifish - Bulgarian Killifish association.