| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | ACTINOPTERYGII | CHARACIFORMES | DISTICHODONTIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Distichodus mossambicus | |||
| Species Authority: | Peters, 1852 | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Synonym/s: |
Distichodus macrolepis Günther, 1864
Distochodus macrolepis Gunther, 1864
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| Taxonomic Notes: | The taxonomy of this species is in need of clarification. It is probably heterospecific. | |||
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 | |||
| Year Published: | 2010 | |||
| Assessor/s: | Bills, R., Kazembe, J., Marshall, B., Moelants, T. & Ntakimazi, G. | |||
| 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 is wide spread, though not abundant, with no known major widespread threats. It is therefore listed as Least Concern. It has also been assessed regionally as Least Concern for southern Africa. In eastern Africa, it occurs in Malawi only in the Lower Shire River and its tributary the Ruo river, considered as two localities. It is therefore assessed as Vulnerable. |
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| History: |
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| Range Description: |
This species is known from Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Eastern Africa: It occurs in the Lower Shire River and its tributary Ruo River, Malawi. Southern Africa: It is present in the middle and lower Zambezi, Pungwe and Buzi river systems. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Malawi; Mozambique; Zambia; Zimbabwe
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| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
| Population: | In southern Africa, it is never as common as D. schenga and has declined in the middle Zambezi reaches since the two major dams were constructed. |
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
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| Habitat and Ecology: | Distichodus mossambicus is a pelagic species. It inhabits swift flowing water, rapids or quiet, deep, sandy or rocky pools (Bell-Cross and Minshull 1988). It is only found in the mainstream of larger rivers and even in Lake Kariba prefers more riverine habitats. Omnivorous, feeds on insects, snails, small fish, and aquatic plants. It breeds in summer, moving upstream to suitable sites (Skelton 2001). It is caught in gill nets in the Shire and Ruo rivers throughout the year in small quantities. Also recorded as a popular angling fish. |
| Systems: | Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): | It has minor importance as a commercial species, and is possibly threatened by overfishing. It has declined in parts of the middle Zambezi in Zimbabwe, probably through the effects of damming. |
| Conservation Actions: | Surveys to determine conservation status in the middle Zambezi and biological studies aimed at understanding declines are needed. |
| Citation: | Bills, R., Kazembe, J., Marshall, B., Moelants, T. & Ntakimazi, G. 2010. Distichodus mossambicus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 May 2012. |
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