Fishes of the Mfimi River in the central Congo basin of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kasai ecoregion or part of the Cuvette Centrale?

By

Stiassny, Melanie L. J.
Alter, S. Elizabeth.
Liyandja, Tobit L. D.
Modimo, Myriam Y.
Iyaba, Raoul J. C. Monsembula

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-12-15

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

17

Series / Issue

Issue: 6

Pages

1681--1714

Subjects

biogeographic affinities , Central Africa , Fish diversity

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/17.6.1681

 

Abstract

Despite the cultural and economic importance of fisheries to communities in the region, the Mfimi is one of the least well-documented river systems in the central Congo basin. Here we present a preliminary listing of species collected during two surveys sampling 35 sites along the main channel, in major tributaries, and in some marginal habitats. A total of 2195 specimens representing 141 species were collected and archived at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and in the teaching collections of the University of Kinshasa. Five species are considered as potentially new to science, and range extensions of numerous species into the Mfimi are recorded. Based on the data presented we conclude that the fish communities in the Mfimi share affinities with those of the Cuvette Centrale to the north, rather than the Kasai basin with which the river is currently connected via an inflow at the Kwa-Kasai junction.