Nothobranchius furzeri, the turquoise killifish, is a species of killifish from the familyNothobranchiidae 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]
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]
