| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | ACTINOPTERYGII | CYPRINIFORMES | CYPRINIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Mesobola brevianalis | |||
| Species Authority: | (Boulenger, 1908) | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Synonym/s: |
Engraulicypris brevianalis (Boulenger, 1908)
Engraulicypris gariepinus Barnard, 1943
Engraulicypris whitei van der Horst, 1934
Engraulicyrpis whitei Van der Horst, 1934
Neobola brevianalis Boulenger, 1908
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| Taxonomic Notes: | In southern Africa, Ruvuma specimens differ from those from KwaZulu-Natal (type locality) and the western rivers, thus requiring further study. | |||
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 | |||
| Year Assessed: | 2010 | |||
| Assessor/s: | Bills, R., Cambray, J., Kazembe, J., 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. | |||
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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 southern Africa. It is estimated that less than 5% of the species is found in the central Africa region, so it is categorised as Not Applicable. In east Africa, it only occurs in Lake Chiuta, a single restricted locality in Malawi, and has therefore been assessed as Vulnerable. |
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| History: |
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| Range Description: |
Mesobola brevianalis is known from Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique, south to South Africa. Central Africa: It is present in the Lubumbashi River at Lubumbashi, from Lake Bangweulu and from the upper Chambezi River. It is expected to be more widespread in affluents. Eastern Africa: It occurs in Lake Chiuta, Malawi. Southern Africa: This species is found in the Cunene, Okavango, This species is known from upper Zambezi and east coast rivers from the Limpopo to the Umfolozi in northern Kwazulu-Natal. An isolated population is found in the Orange River below the Augrabies Falls (Skelton 2001). Also found in the Ruvuma system in Malawi (Lake Chiuta) and Mozambique (Tweddle 1983, Bills 2004). In the upper Zambezi, it has only been found immediately above Victoria Falls and extensive surveys in 2002/03 failed to find it further upstream (Tweddle et al. 2004). There is a need for taxonomic study of isolated populations, particularly of the Rovuma specimens. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Angola; Botswana; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; South Africa; Swaziland; Zambia; Zimbabwe
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| Range Map: |
(click map to view full version)
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| Population: | No information available, but a widespread species. |
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
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| Habitat and Ecology: | Mesobola brevianalis is a benthopelagic species that occurs in shoals. It prefers well-aerated, open water of flowing rivers), although it also occurs in the still water of Lake Chiuta. Mesobola brevianalis feeds from the water column on planktonic crustaceans and insects such as midges and ants. It is attracted to light at night. Mesobola brevianalis breeds in early summer (Skelton 1993). |
| Systems: | Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): | No major threats known. It is targeted for subsistence fishing in eastern Africa. |
| Conservation Actions: | Lake Bangweulu is situated in the National Park Kasanka. More research is needed into this species taxonomy, population numbers and range, and biology and ecology, as well as monitoring population trends. |
| Citation: | Bills, R., Cambray, J., Kazembe, J., Marshall, B., Moelants, T. & Tweddle, D. 2010. Mesobola brevianalis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 07 February 2012. |
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