Nothobranchiidae are a family of bony fishes containing roughly 300 species, also known as African rivulines.

[3] Members of genus Nothobranchius are found in mud pools on the plains of Africa, a habitat shared by no other fish except the lungfishes.

)[4] Pools of this type are often sprayed with poison to reduce mosquito populations, which also kills the fish.

As might be expected with short-lived species living in an ephemeral habitat, many of these fish reach sexual maturity within weeks of hatching, and are prolific breeders.

Nothobranchius furzeri is the shortest-living vertebrate that can be bred in captivity, having a lifespan of between three and nine months.