Barbus afrovernayi

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	CYPRINIFORMES	CYPRINIDAE

Scientific Name:	Barbus afrovernayi
Species Authority:	Nichols & Boulton, 1927
Common Name/s: English – Spottail Barb
Synonym/s:	Barbus afrovernaya Nichols & Boulton, 1927 Barbus vernayi Nichols & Boulton, 1927

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern     ver 3.1
Year Published:	2010
Assessor/s:	Marshall, B., Moelants, T. & Tweddle, D.
Reviewer/s:	Snoeks, J., Tweddle, D., Getahun, A., Lalèyè, P., Paugy, D., Zaiss, R., Fishar, M.R.A & Brooks, E.
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 central and southern Africa.
History:	2007 – Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Barbus afrovernayi is a common benthopelagic species restricted to central and southern Africa. Central Africa: This species is known from the Lualaba River, Lake Upemba and the Luapula-Mweru system. Elsewhere, it is known from the upper Zambezi, Okavango, Cunene and Kafue Rivers. Southern Africa:It is widespread in the upper Zambezi river system and also in the Cunene, Okavango, Kafue and Congo river systems (Skelton 2001, Tweddle et al. 2004).
Countries:	Native: Angola; Botswana; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Namibia; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	A common species wherever it occurs. Total population size is not known.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:

Barbus afrovernayi is a benthopelagic species. It is common in a variety of habitats, including the main Zambezi River channel, swamps, lagoons, pools scoured out below road culverts, and in small tributaries distant from the floodplain. It occurs in quiet, well-vegetated waters where it feeds from the surface or on small invertebrates living on plant surfaces (Skelton 1993, 2001). Barbus afrovernayi requires well oxygenated waters and is usually not found in small or headwater streams (Bell-cross and Minshull 1988). Rarer in northern Upper Zambezi tributaries (Tweddle et al. 2004).

Systems:

Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

Although there are threats of overfishing in the Luapula-Mweru system and mining activities in the Katanga region, given the wide distribution and extensive suitable habitat in the Zambezi floodplains, there are no major threats to this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:

None known.

Bibliography [top]

Pan-Africa freshwater assessment references. Currently, full citations for references used in the Pan-Africa biodiversity assessments are unavailable on the Red List web site. These will be added to the site in 2011. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. IUCN. 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2010.3). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 2 September 2010).