| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | ACTINOPTERYGII | PERCIFORMES | CICHLIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Haplochromis megalops |
| Species Authority: | Greenwood & Gee, 1969 |
| Synonym/s: |
Astatotilapia megalops (Greenwood & Gee, 1969)
|
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Vulnerable D2 ver 3.1 | |||||||||
| Year Assessed: | 2010 | |||||||||
| Assessor/s: | Witte, F., de Zeeuw, M.P. & Brooks, E. | |||||||||
| Reviewer/s: | Darwall, W. & Smith, K. | |||||||||
|
Justification: The population density of this species was known in the past. The current population density is not known, and the species has declined since the 1970s but has been confirmed to still occur in Lake Victoria in low numbers. The threat responsible for its dramatic decline in the early 1980s was the introduction of the Nile Perch (Lates niloticus) to Lake Victoria. Although recent surveys suggest that this species may have started increasing in numbers, it is still very likely only to be found at a few locations, and it is therefore assessed as Vulnerable. |
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| History: |
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| Range Description: | This species is endemic to Lake Victoria. It has been recorded in surveys carried out in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda (Greenwood 1981). |
| Countries: |
Native:
Kenya; Tanzania, United Republic of; Uganda
|
| Range Map: |
(click map to view full version)
|
| Population: | This species has declined in numbers dramatically since 1980. Frequency of occurrence data per 10 min trawling in Mwanza Gulf (based on the value at the station with the highest frequency, with 10-28 catches, Witte et al. 1992) show a decrease from 90% in 1979-82, to 0% in 1987/88 and 1993/95, and less than 1% for 2006/08. |
| Population Trend: |
Increasing
|
| Habitat and Ecology: | This is a pelagic species from the littoral and sub-littoral zone, occurring over sand and mud. It is classified as a zooplanktivore. |
| Systems: | Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): | The main threat to this species is predation by Nile Perch (a potentially reversible threat). It is also potentially threatened by hybridization due to decreased water transparency (on account of eutrophication and erosion leading to increased sedimentation and runoff) interfering with mate recognition visual cues (Mrosso et al. 2003). |
| Conservation Actions: | Many fish species within Lake Victoria have suffered severe and dramatic declines since the introduction of the Nile Perch. Although numbers of the perch have now decreased, the degradation of the water quality is also thought to be having a significant impact on some fish species. More research is needed to monitor this species and how it is affected by these threats, as well as establishing the extent of its range within the lake. Policy based action is needed to decrease the degradation of the lake, as well as to prevent over fishing. Protected areas should also be established. |
| Citation: | Witte, F., de Zeeuw, M.P. & Brooks, E. 2010. Haplochromis megalops. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012. |
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