Mesobola brevianalis

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	CYPRINIFORMES	CYPRINIDAE

Scientific Name:

Mesobola brevianalis

Species Authority:

(Boulenger, 1908)

Common Name/s:

English

–

River Sardine

Synonym/s:

Engraulicypris gariepinus Barnard, 1943

Engraulicypris whitei van der Horst, 1934

Taxonomic Notes:

Ruvuma specimens differ from those from KwaZulu-Natal (type locality) and the western rivers, thus requiring further study.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Assessed:	2007
Assessor/s	Marshall, B.E., Tweddle, D., Bills, R. & Cambray, J.
Evaluator/s:	Snoeks, J. (Freshwater Fish Red List Authority) & Darwall, W. (Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Unit)
Justification: This species is widespread and its range has been greatly extended through translocation in Zimbabwe. Its population has therefore increased over the last 40 years.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Cunene, Okavango, 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; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; South Africa; Swaziland; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Range Description:

Cunene, Okavango, 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; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; South Africa; Swaziland; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Population [top]

Population:	A widespread species.
Population Trend:	Increasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Occurs in shoals, preferring well-aerated open water of flowing rivers (Skelton 2001), although it also occurs in the still water of Lake Chiuta. Feeds in the water column on planktonic crustaceans and insects. Attracted to lights at night. Breeds in early summer (Skelton 2001).
Systems:	Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	None known.

Major Threat(s):

None known.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The species has no protection.

Conservation Actions:

The species has no protection.

Citation:	Marshall, B.E., Tweddle, D., Bills, R. & Cambray, J. 2007. Mesobola brevianalis. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2010.
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