The non-Haplochromis fish fauna in Uganda: an update on the distribution and a review of data gaps
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Square
Abstract
Freshwater fishes are the second most threatened group of vertebrates after amphibians. In most developing countries,
the conservation of freshwater fishes is largely hampered by limited information and data. The Red List assessments by
the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provide a benchmark for conservation and planning, but these
assessments require, inter alia, quantitative information on the species range in the wild. This information is largely
missing for many species that face extinction threats. In this paper, we combined species occurrence data, expert
knowledge, and literature to review and update the distribution of non-Haplochromis fish species native to Uganda and
determine their geographical extent relative to the global range. Results showed that (i) at least 110 non-Haplochromis
species occur in Uganda, (ii) the current status in the entire native range for more than 60% of these species is unknown;
(iii) five species previously known to occur in Uganda: Amphilius kivuensis, Bagrus degeni, Marcusenius macrolepidotus,
Petrocephalus catostoma, and Lacustricola pumilus lack a native locus and hence not Ugandan fishes, (iv) 17 species
occur in areas beyond their previously known range, and therefore, their presence needs further investigations, preferably
by examining specimen collections, and (v) majority of the non-Haplochromis species native to Uganda have a wide
distribution outside the national boundaries. We anticipate this information to be relevant both for the national and
global IUCN Red List assessments for the non-Haplochromis fishes in Uganda. Furthermore, the identified data gaps will
be relevant in prioritizing limited resources during surveys and collections.
Description
Keywords
AOO, EOO, Habitat degradation, Red List assessment, Non-Haplochromis fishes
Citation
Akoth, D., Natugonza, V., Efitre, J., Muyodi, F. J., & Musinguzi, L. (2022). The non-Haplochromis fish fauna in Uganda: an update on the distribution and a review of data gaps. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2199333/v2