Like other members of the genus Nothobranchius, Korthaus’ killifish is referred to as an ‘annual killifish’, indicating that it has a short life span of usually one year or less. This is due to the fact that the water bodies this species lives in typically do not last very long, so it completes its life cycle quickly, before the habitat disappears (4).
Korthaus’ killifish lays its eggs at the bottom of a temporary pool before the dry season commences. With the arrival of the dry season and the desiccation of the pool, the adult killifish dies, leaving the eggs to continue the survival of the population. Embedded in the muddy soil (5), the eggs are able to withstand these dry conditions for one to three months (2) (5), until the rains fall once again, the eggs hatch and the larvae grow quickly to sexual maturity (5).