Introduction

Nothobranchius rachovii (Ahl, 1926) is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of freshwater annual killifish

Killifish

A killifish is any of various oviparous cyprinodontiform fish . Altogether, there are some 1270 different species of killifish, the biggest family being Rivulidae, containing more than 320 species...

 from Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

. It can grow up to 6 cm (2.4"). It is popular among killifish enthusiasts, who raise them from eggs in aquaria.

Variants

Aside from the typical orange and blue variant, there is Nothobranchius rachovii KNP Black, which has much darker colors, and was collected from the wild in Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers and extends from north to south and from east to west.To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 in 1984, and Nothobranchius rachovii var. Red, which has a red head with turquoise highlights. The females of all varieties are more neutrally colored.

In the Aquarium

Nothobranchius rachovii can be housed in a 40–60 litre (10–15 gallons) aquarium. Males are aggressive toward other males of the same species. They can be kept in a community tank of similar-sized peaceful freshwater tropical fish.