The Upemba National Park (Upper Congo Basin, DR Congo): An Updated Checklist Confirming Its Status as an African Fish Biodiversity Hotspot
An annotated checklist of the ichthyofauna of the Upemba National Park, draining part of the Upper Lualaba basin and situated in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is presented, based on a literature review, a re-examination of museum collections, and a study of recent collec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/9/966 |
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| author | Bauchet Katemo Manda Jos Snoeks Auguste Chocha Manda Emmanuel Abwe Christian Mukweze Mulelenu Micheline Kasongo Ilunga Kayaba Pacifique Kiwele Mutambala Lewis Ngoy Kalumba Emmanuel J. W. M. N. Vreven |
| author_facet | Bauchet Katemo Manda Jos Snoeks Auguste Chocha Manda Emmanuel Abwe Christian Mukweze Mulelenu Micheline Kasongo Ilunga Kayaba Pacifique Kiwele Mutambala Lewis Ngoy Kalumba Emmanuel J. W. M. N. Vreven |
| author_sort | Bauchet Katemo Manda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An annotated checklist of the ichthyofauna of the Upemba National Park, draining part of the Upper Lualaba basin and situated in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is presented, based on a literature review, a re-examination of museum collections, and a study of recent collections (2012–2020). In total, 247 native and 1 introduced species, <i>Heterotis niloticus</i>, are reported. The native species belong to 78 genera, 26 families, and 15 orders. Of these, 45 species (18%) are endemic to the park, 35 species (14%) await formal description, and 5 taxa (2%) need further study to clarify their status. With 51 species, the Cyprinidae is by far the most species-rich family, followed by the Mormyridae (26), Mochokidae (26), Alestidae (18), Distichodontidae (18), Amphiliidae (17), and Cichlidae (16). The remaining families are represented by less than 15 species. Comments about the species distribution and the fish fauna shared with adjacent ecoregions are provided. Although the park provides some protection for the fish species living within its borders by limiting human access to the core zone, the annex and buffer zones are both subject to strong anthropogenic pressure. These observations underscore the need for the implementation and further elaboration of fish-related preservation guidelines and plans to enable better protection/conservation of the park’s ichthyofauna. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:52:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d9f82eb5bbba40b3b0da67b12e0a5d34 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:52:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-d9f82eb5bbba40b3b0da67b12e0a5d342023-11-19T10:15:52ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-08-0115996610.3390/d15090966The Upemba National Park (Upper Congo Basin, DR Congo): An Updated Checklist Confirming Its Status as an African Fish Biodiversity HotspotBauchet Katemo Manda0Jos Snoeks1Auguste Chocha Manda2Emmanuel Abwe3Christian Mukweze Mulelenu4Micheline Kasongo Ilunga Kayaba5Pacifique Kiwele Mutambala6Lewis Ngoy Kalumba7Emmanuel J. W. M. N. Vreven8Unité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation Durable des Zones Humides, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the CongoIchthyology, Section Vertebrates, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, BelgiumUnité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation Durable des Zones Humides, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation Durable des Zones Humides, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation Durable des Zones Humides, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation Durable des Zones Humides, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation Durable des Zones Humides, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation Durable des Zones Humides, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the CongoIchthyology, Section Vertebrates, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, BelgiumAn annotated checklist of the ichthyofauna of the Upemba National Park, draining part of the Upper Lualaba basin and situated in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is presented, based on a literature review, a re-examination of museum collections, and a study of recent collections (2012–2020). In total, 247 native and 1 introduced species, <i>Heterotis niloticus</i>, are reported. The native species belong to 78 genera, 26 families, and 15 orders. Of these, 45 species (18%) are endemic to the park, 35 species (14%) await formal description, and 5 taxa (2%) need further study to clarify their status. With 51 species, the Cyprinidae is by far the most species-rich family, followed by the Mormyridae (26), Mochokidae (26), Alestidae (18), Distichodontidae (18), Amphiliidae (17), and Cichlidae (16). The remaining families are represented by less than 15 species. Comments about the species distribution and the fish fauna shared with adjacent ecoregions are provided. Although the park provides some protection for the fish species living within its borders by limiting human access to the core zone, the annex and buffer zones are both subject to strong anthropogenic pressure. These observations underscore the need for the implementation and further elaboration of fish-related preservation guidelines and plans to enable better protection/conservation of the park’s ichthyofauna.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/9/966systematicsconservationprotectionendemicityichthyofaunaUpper Lualaba |
| spellingShingle | Bauchet Katemo Manda Jos Snoeks Auguste Chocha Manda Emmanuel Abwe Christian Mukweze Mulelenu Micheline Kasongo Ilunga Kayaba Pacifique Kiwele Mutambala Lewis Ngoy Kalumba Emmanuel J. W. M. N. Vreven The Upemba National Park (Upper Congo Basin, DR Congo): An Updated Checklist Confirming Its Status as an African Fish Biodiversity Hotspot Diversity systematics conservation protection endemicity ichthyofauna Upper Lualaba |
| title | The Upemba National Park (Upper Congo Basin, DR Congo): An Updated Checklist Confirming Its Status as an African Fish Biodiversity Hotspot |
| title_full | The Upemba National Park (Upper Congo Basin, DR Congo): An Updated Checklist Confirming Its Status as an African Fish Biodiversity Hotspot |
| title_fullStr | The Upemba National Park (Upper Congo Basin, DR Congo): An Updated Checklist Confirming Its Status as an African Fish Biodiversity Hotspot |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Upemba National Park (Upper Congo Basin, DR Congo): An Updated Checklist Confirming Its Status as an African Fish Biodiversity Hotspot |
| title_short | The Upemba National Park (Upper Congo Basin, DR Congo): An Updated Checklist Confirming Its Status as an African Fish Biodiversity Hotspot |
| title_sort | upemba national park upper congo basin dr congo an updated checklist confirming its status as an african fish biodiversity hotspot |
| topic | systematics conservation protection endemicity ichthyofauna Upper Lualaba |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/9/966 |
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