Notholebias cruzi
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Notholebias cruzi faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to urban expansion and agricultural conversion of its limited wetland habitats in southeastern Brazil. The species' extremely restricted range makes it particularly vulnerable to water pollution from agricultural runoff and urban development. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns that could dry up the seasonal pools essential for this killifish's breeding cycle.
Habitat
This critically endangered killifish inhabits temporary pools, shallow wetlands, and seasonal water bodies in the Atlantic Forest region of southeastern Brazil. The species depends on small, ephemeral freshwater habitats that fill during rainy seasons and may dry completely during drought periods.