Red List of South African Species

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Notes

Until recently the river sardine in southern Africa was recognised as a single widespread species in the genus Mesobola. Riddin et al. revised the group in 2016. They recognised four species in southern Africa in a monophyletic group and placed these in the genus Engraulicypris. Within South Africa two species are recognised and both spill over northern borders into neighbouring river systems/countries. Engraulicypris brevianalis is an east coast species ranging from the Mkuze River (St Lucia system) in Kwazulu-Natal to the northern Limpopo system just south of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. Engraulicypris gariepinus occurs in the lower Orange River Ssystem below Augrabies Falls in South Africa and will probably be present in the lower Fish River in Namibia.

habitat_narrative

Freshwater (=Inland waters)

Occurs in open waters of the Orange River mainstream. Appears to congregate in pools and back eddies below riffles where there is slightly lower flow areas (Riddin et al., 2016).

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