The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Sandelia bainsii

 – Endangered

Taxonomy

Kingdom: ANIMALIA
Phylum: CHORDATA
Class: ACTINOPTERYGII
Order: PERCIFORMES
Family: ANABANTIDAE
Scientific Name: Sandelia bainsii
Species Authority: Castelnau, 1861
Common Name/s: EASTERN CAPE ROCKY (Eng)
Taxonomic Notes: Genetic work has shown that there are two management units, those in the Great Fish and Kowie Rivers and those in the Buffalo River area.

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria: EN B1b(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)    ver 3.1 (2001)
Year Assessed: 2007
Assessor/s: Cambray, J.
Evaluator/s: Tweddle, D., Bills, R. (Freshwater Fish Red List Authority) & Darwall, W. (Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Unit)
Justification: The Kowie River population is almost extirpated. Great Fish River populations are under threat from the alien invasive Clarias gariepinus which is spreading, small populations in the Gulu and Igoda Rivers are threatened by agriculture, and the population in Yellowwoods River of the Buffalo River system is threatened by interbasin transfer bringing alien invasives. The Nahoon River population is almost extirpated. The population is severely fragmented (subpopulations occur at Kowie, Koonap, Kat (Great Fish), Tyume (Keiskamma), Igoda, Gulu, Yellowwoods (Buffalo), and Nahoon). Extent of occurrence (EOO) is less than 5,000 km², and area of occupancy (AOO) has been reduced (e.g., in Kowie the area occupied by the species may be less than 1 km² (based on 1 km grid overlay and current quality of habitat). Only two viable subpopulations exist: Kat and Yellowwoods. The other subpopulations are not viable for the long term. The population is therefore considered to be severely fragmented (more than 50% of locations are probably non-viable at present). Only five locations remain, thus the species qualifies for Endangered under criterion B.
History:
1988-Vulnerable (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
1990-Vulnerable (IUCN 1990)
1994-Endangered (Groombridge 1994)
1996-Endangered (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range

Range Description: Nahoon, Buffalo, Igoda, Gulu,Keiskamma, Great Fish, Kowie Rivers all in the Eastern Cape South Africa.
Range Map:
(click for detailed map)
Countries: Native:

South Africa (Eastern Cape Province)

Population

Population: Not known but decreasing and almost extirpated in the Kowie and Nahoon Rivers. Estimated numbers in the Gulu and Igoda Rivers less than 100 mature fish.
Population Trend: Down

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology: Occurs in rocky streams, favouring marginal habitats where the current is slow (Skelton 2001). A predator on insects, crabs and small fish, it holes up in crevices and waits for prey to pass by. Breeds in summer, males make a nest and after spawning guard the developing eggs and young fish.
System: Freshwater
List of Habitats:
5.1Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)
5.2Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks
5.5Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)
5.6Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)
5.7Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)
5.8Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)

Threats

Threats: Introduced fish such as largemouth and smallmouth bass and the sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Water abstraction, interbasin transfers and siltation and water pollution.
List of Threats:
1.1.1.3Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Crops - Agro-industry farming (ongoing)
1.1.4.2Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Livestock - Small-holder (ongoing)
1.4.2Habitat Loss/Degradation - Infrastructure development - Human settlement (ongoing)
1.4.6Habitat Loss/Degradation - Infrastructure development - Dams (ongoing)
2.1Invasive alien species (directly affecting the species) - Competitors (ongoing)
2.2Invasive alien species (directly affecting the species) - Predators (ongoing)
4.1.1.1Accidental mortality - Bycatch - Fisheries-related - Hooking (ongoing)
6.3.1Pollution (affecting habitat and/or species) - Water pollution - Agriculture (ongoing)
6.3.2Pollution (affecting habitat and/or species) - Water pollution - Domestic (ongoing)
6.3.7Pollution (affecting habitat and/or species) - Water pollution - Sediment (ongoing)
6.3.8Pollution (affecting habitat and/or species) - Water pollution - Sewage (ongoing)

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions: Educational resources have been developed and distributed. A barrier is needed to bass movement in Yellowwoods river. A captive breeding programme is also needed and possibly benign introductions if viable habitats are identified within the original catchments.
List of Conservation Actions:
1.1.1Policy-based actions - Management plans - Development (needed)
1.1.2Policy-based actions - Management plans - Implementation (needed)
1.2.1.2Policy-based actions - Legislation - Development - National level (in place)
1.2.1.3Policy-based actions - Legislation - Development - Sub-national level (in place)
1.2.2.3Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - Sub-national level (needed)
1.3.2Policy-based actions - Community management - Resource stewardship (needed)
2.1Communication and Education - Formal education (in place, needed)
2.2Communication and Education - Awareness (in place, needed)
2.3Communication and Education - Capacity-building/Training (needed)
3.1Research actions - Taxonomy (needed)
3.2Research actions - Population numbers and range (needed)
3.3Research actions - Biology and Ecology (in place)
3.4Research actions - Habitat status (needed)
3.5Research actions - Threats (in place)
3.8Research actions - Conservation measures (needed)
3.9Research actions - Trends/Monitoring (needed)
4.1Habitat and site-based actions - Maintenance/Conservation (needed)
4.2Habitat and site-based actions - Restoration (needed)
4.4.1Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Identification of new protected areas (needed)
4.4.2Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Establishment (needed)
4.4.3Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Management (needed)
4.4.4Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Expansion (needed)
4.5Habitat and site-based actions - Community-based initiatives (needed)
5.1Species-based actions - Re-introductions (needed)
5.2Species-based actions - Benign introductions (needed)
5.4Species-based actions - Recovery management (needed)
5.7.1Species-based actions - Ex situ conservation actions - Captive breeding/Artificial propagation (in place, needed)
5.7.2Species-based actions - Ex situ conservation actions - Genome resource bank (needed)

Bibliography

Bibliography:

Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Groombridge, B. (ed.) 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1988. 1988 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Skelton, P.H. 2001. A Complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa.


Citation: Cambray, J. 2007. Sandelia bainsii. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 July 2008.
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