Nothobranchius furzeri

Nothobranchius furzeri, the turquoise killifish, is a species of killifish from the family Nothobranchiidae native to Africa where it is only known from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.^[2] This annual killifish inhabits ephemeral pools in semi-arid areas with scarce and erratic precipitations and have adapted to the routine drying of their environment by evolving desiccation-resistant eggs that can remain dormant in the dry mud for one and maybe more years by entering into diapause.^[3]

Turquoise killifish
Male Nothobranchius furzeri GRZ (from Gonarezhou National Park)
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cyprinodontiformes
Family:	Nothobranchiidae
Genus:	Nothobranchius
Species:	N. furzeri
Binomial name
Nothobranchius furzeri R. A. Jubb, 1971

Among vertebrates, the species has the fastest known sexual maturity – only 14 days after hatching.^[4][5] Due to very short duration of the rain season, the natural lifespan of these animals is limited to a few months^[6][7] and their captive lifespan is likewise short. More specifically, they are able to live 1–5 months in the wild (with most only living up to 2 months^[7]) and 3^[8] to 16^[9] months in captivity depending on the strain and environment. Turquoise killifish are the shortest-lived vertebrate kept in captivity^[10] making them an attractive model system for ageing and disease research.^[11] Tandem repeats comprise 21% of the species' genome, an abnormally high proportion, which has been suggested as a factor in its fast ageing.^[12][13] Their captive diet consists mostly bloodworms and there are current efforts to replace bloodworms by pelleted diets.^[14]

This species can reach a total length of 6.5 cm (2.6 in).^[2]

The species name is derived from that of the discoverer Richard E. Furzer of Rhodesia.^[15]