SANBI

Rationale (Changed due to Same category but change in criteria)

Pseudobarbus sp. nov. 'Forest' is endemic to the Cape Fold Ecoregion of South Africa where it has a wide distribution range extending from the Klein Brak River in the Western Cape Province to the Tsitsikama River which is at the western end of the Eastern Cape Province. There is very little information about the population sizes across this taxon’s distribution range, but ad hoc surveys indicate that the known populations are relatively abundant. The extent of alien fish invasion in the river systems where this taxon occurs is poorly documented. Pseudobarbus sp. nov. 'Forest' occurs in mountain tributaries, where each tributary constitutes a separate location. The lineage has an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 4,035 km² and an area of occupancy (AOO) of 168 km² but it is known from more than 16 locations (Klein Brak, Swart, Kaaimans, Touws, Klein, Keurbooms, Duiwe, Karatara, Homtini, Knysna, Gouna, Bietou, Keurbooms, Palmiet, Groot, Bloukrans, and Tsistikamma rivers). The taxon is likely to be experiencing ongoing decline in quality of habitat due to water abstraction, agriculture and urban development as well as impacts from forestry activities that has resulted in sedimentation of some of the streams. Invasive alien species pose a major threat to the extent of occurrence of this taxon. Pseudobarbus sp. nov. 'Forest' is thus assessed as Near Threatened under criterion B1b(iii) + B2b(iii).

Distribution

Widespread and common across several river systems between the Klein Brak and Tsitsikamma river systems on the south coast of South Africa (Skelton 1988, Swartz 2005, 2007).

Habitat View more ecological information

Population trend

Trend

Pseudobarbus sp. nov. 'Forest' has been recorded at 16 separate tributaries where it generally occurs in short reaches of the rivers or streams. Ad hoc surveys suggest that this lineage is relatively abundant in several of the river systems it is known to occur, but surveys are required to confirm this as well as assessing habitat quality.

Threats

There is a paucity of recent data and it is suspected that this taxon is threatened by invasive alien fish species, water abstraction as well as impacts from forestry activities resulting in sedimentation and urban development causing habitat degradation and loss. Surveys are required to confirm the severity of these impacts.

Conservation

No conservation actions are planned specifically for this taxon, however a large portion of its distribution is within Protected Areas.

References

[@article{2564,
 author = {Skelton, P.H.},
 title = {A taxonomic revision of the redfin minnows (Pisces, Cyprinidae) from southern Africa},
 year = {1988}
}
,@article{18477,
 author = {Swartz, E.R.},
 title = {Phylogeography, phylogenetics and evolution of the redfins (Teleostei, Cyprinidae, <i>Pseudobarbus</i>) in southern Africa.},
 year = {2005}
}
,@article{57498415,
 author = {Swartz ER, Skelton PH and Bloomer P },
 journal = {Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution },
 pages = {75--84},
 title = {Phylogeny and biogeography of the genus Pseudobarbus (Cyprinidae): Shedding light on the drainage history of rivers associated with the Cape Floristic Region},
 volume = {51},
 year = {2009}
}
,@article{57498415,
 author = {Swartz ER, Skelton PH, Bloomer P },
 journal = {Journal of Biogeography },
 number = {12},
 pages = {2086--2099},
 title = {Sea-level changes, river capture and the evolution of populations of the Eastern Cape and fiery redfins (Pseudobarbus afer and Pseudobarbus phlegethon , Cyprinidae) across multiple river systems in South Africa},
 volume = {34},
 year = {2007}
}
,@article{107654052,
 author = {Chakona A and Skelton PH },
 journal = {ZooKeys},
 pages = {109--140},
 title = {A review of the Pseudobarbus afer (Peters, 1864) species complex (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) in the eastern Cape Fold Ecoregion of South Africa},
 volume = {657},
 year = {2017}
}
,]

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