The non-Haplochromis fish fauna in Uganda: an update on the distribution and a review of data gaps

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 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments provide a benchmark for conservation and development 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. 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.

Primary biodiversity data on zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, and fish from freshwater ecosystems of Uganda

“…The data has relevance in conservation research, decision making, and capacity building. For example, part of the data, especially on fish, has been used to develop a tool that can prioritize freshwater habitats for conservation when resources are limiting (Basooma et al, 2022), map fish species distributions, and conduct IUCN Red List assessments both at the global and national levels (Akoth et al, 2022). Available in the GBIF online database, the datasets altogether comprise 56,104 occurrence records, including 8,674 records published in 2022.…”