Answer to Question #143024 in Zoology for RamC

Question

Discuss the distribution of endemic species from the family Cyprinidae present in the Orange River

Answer 1

Discuss the distribution of endemic species from the family Cyprinidae present in the Orange River.

The Cyprinidae family also commonly known as the minnow or carp family is a large family of freshwater fish that take up the carp and minnow-like structure. The Orange river which is shared by Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Lesotho emanates from Maluti mountains and drains into the Atlantic Ocean in South Africa at Alexander Bay. The river is one of the longest perennial rivers and supports a small diversity of freshwater fish with the carp family as the majority. A study done in 2010 shows that the river supports seven endemic species from the family Cyprinidae, the endemic species occurs in the headwaters of the river located in Lesotho. The area forms a hotspot with richness capable of supporting a diversity of fish and this can be attributed to the presence of Augrabies falls.

The distribution of the seven endemic species from the family Cyprinidae can be summarized as follows; mudfish (Labeo capenesis) makes up 22% of the population, Maloti minnow (Pseudobarbus quathalambe) makes up 20%, River sardine (Mesobola brevianalis) makes up 19%, Namaqua barb (Barbus hospes) makes up 14%, Smallmouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus aeneus) makes up 6%, Rock catfish (Austroglanis sclateri) makes up 0.7% and lastly, the largemouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus kimberlyenesis) makes up 0.2%. Even though the family represents the largest number, the individual species from the family are low and this can be attributed to the harsh ecological features in the river that hinders their growth and distribution (Ramollo,2011).

Reference

P.P. Ramollo., 2011. Freshwater Fish Abundance and Distribution in the Orange River, South Africa. Journal of Fisheries International, 6: 13-17. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.3923/jfish.2011.13.17