| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | SARCOPTERYGII | LEPIDOSIRENIFORMES | PROTOPTERIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Protopterus amphibius | |||
| Species Authority: | (Peters, 1844) | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Taxonomic Notes: | Taxonomic status of the Kenyan populations are uncertain. Most likely it is a species distinct from Protopterus aff. amphibius (Seegers et al. unpublished). The type specimen was collected in Quelimane, northern braid of the Zambezi Delta, central Mozambique. |
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| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 |
| Year Published: | 2010 |
| Assessor/s: | Bills, R., Engelbrecht, J., Getahun, A. & Vreven, E. |
| Reviewer/s: | Snoeks, J., Tweddle, D., Getahun, A., Lalèyè, P., Paugy, D., Zaiss, R., Fishar, M.R.A & Brooks, E. |
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Justification: This species has a wide distribution, with no known major widespread threats. It is therefore listed as Least Concern. It has also been assessed regionally as Least Concern for eastern Africa. Originally described from the Quellimane region of the Zambezi delta. It is only known from the types and a few other museum specimens. Not enough is known of the species' geographical or ecological range, and it is therefore categorized as Data Deficient for southern and northeastern Africa. |
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| Range Description: |
This species is found in eastern Africa, from Somalia to Mozambique. Eastern Africa: It is present in the Northern Ewaso Nyiro and the lower parts of coastal drainages (Lower Tana River and Lower Galana-Sabaki). Also reported from Lake Jilore (Sabaki system) which is now dry (Seegers et al. unpublished). Northeast Africa: It is found in Juba, Somalia Southern Africa: This species is known from coastal Mozambique from the Lower Zambezi north into east Africa. Rarely collected and very few specimens in museums. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Kenya; Mozambique; Somalia
Introduced:
Tanzania, United Republic of
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| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
| Population: | Not much information but reported as abundant in most floodwater pools and swamps near the Athi and Tana rivers (Whitehead 1959). |
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
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| Habitat and Ecology: | This species is found in swamps and floodplains. Lungfishes survive under the dried mud of floodplains (Eccles 1992). |
| Systems: | Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): | Dams in the main Zambezi River have reduced the size of the Zambezi delta and the influx of nutrients into the lower river. Further damming of the river will exacerbate this threat reducing floodplain habitats. Lower floodplain habitats have been extensively farmed for sugar cane in the Marromeu region which have introduced a suite of threats from loss of habitats to increased human populations and thus increased direct exploitation. In eastern Africa this species is threatened by encroachment of wetlands for agriculture, as well as land based pollution. |
| Conservation Actions: | Parts of the lower Zambezi delta are formally protected. Seasonal releases of dam waters will re-establish flow regimes in the lower Zambezi. More research is needed into this species taxonomy and population numbers and range, as well as threats. Population monitoring and potential conservation measures are needed, with habitat conservation and protected area management. |
| Citation: | Bills, R., Engelbrecht, J., Getahun, A. & Vreven, E. 2010. Protopterus amphibius. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012. |
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