| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | ACTINOPTERYGII | CYPRINIFORMES | CYPRINIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Labeo umbratus | |||
| Species Authority: | (Smith, 1841) | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 |
| Year Published: | 2007 |
| Assessor/s: | Swartz, E. & Impson, D. |
| Reviewer/s: | Snoeks, J. (Freshwater Fish Red List Authority) & Darwall, W. (Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Unit) |
|
Justification: Sections of the Vaal River is under threat from pollution (sewage overflow and industrial chemicals), but there are many other catchments where this species is relatively free of major threats. It is widespread and abundant across the six river systems in which it occurs naturally. It therefore can only qualify for B2b(iii), but more than one criterion is needed for listing. |
|
| Range Description: | Gourits, Gamtoos, Sundays, Great Fish, Bushmans and Orange River systems in South Africa. Also occurs in the Orange River system in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. Has been translocated to the Keiskamma and Buffalo River systems in the Eastern Cape Province and to the Olifants catchment of the Limpopo River system in Mpumalange Province in South Africa (Skelton 2001). There may be other areas where this species has become established due to inter-basin transfer schemes. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Lesotho; Namibia; South Africa (Eastern Cape Province - Reintroduced, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal - Presence Uncertain, Mpumalanga - Reintroduced, Northern Cape Province, North-West Province, Western Cape Province)
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| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
| Population: | There is no information about population trends. |
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
|
| Habitat and Ecology: | Prefers slow or gently flowing water and are abundant in shallow impoundments and farm dams. Feeds on soft sediments and detritus. Migratory species that breeds after rains in summer. Breeding grounds are flooded grassy banks or shallow rocky stretches (Skelton 2001). |
| Systems: | Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): | Hybridisation between potentially historically isolated lineages of this species may have already occurred due to inter-basin transfer schemes. Pollution due to industries and sewage overflow in the Gauteng Province probably lead to short term population fluctuations in sections of the Vaal River. Aliens (Micropterus salmoides) and habitat deterioration (weirs) threaten the population in the Bushmans River system. Alien fish in the Gourits is also a major problem and the effect of Clarias gariepinus in the Gamtoos is not well understood. |
| Conservation Actions: | Monitoring by the South African river health program may help to reduce pollution of the Vaal River. |
| Citation: | Swartz, E. & Impson, D. 2007. Labeo umbratus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012. |
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