Congo Basin Piedmont Rivers & Streams - A Global Ecoregion
Richest freshwater fish fauna of any African river
Snapshot: Ecoregion 150
Size:
2,800,000 sq. km (1,100,000 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Large River Headwaters
Geographic Location:
Central Africa: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, DRC, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Sudan
Conservation Status:
Relatively Stable/Intact
Did You Know!
Rain falls nearly year-round in the Congo Basin. Between 5 and 8 feet (1.5 and 2.4 m) of rain falls in an average year!
About the Area
The Congo basin has the richest freshwater fish fauna of any African river, with 690 described fish species, of which 80% may be endemic.
The Congo River contains pockets of endemism along its path from the center of the continent to the coast. As a result of these localised distribution patterns in forest streams, many Rivulin (Alestiidae) and Snoutfish (Mormyridae) species are naturally rare.Local Species
Seasonal flooding causes the river to spill from the main channel over the floodplain, into the rain forest that helps the spawning of many fish species. It also allows nutrients from the land to enter the aquatic food chain and support the Congo Basin's extremely rich diversity of fish species.
The staggering diversity of fish in this ecoregion includes, among other endemic taxa, members of the nocturnal, electric Mormyridae; catfish of the Mochokidae, Bagridae, and Clariidae families; characoids; and cichlids (Cichlidae).
The ecoregion is also home to the endemic Aquatic genet (Osbornictis piscivora), Giant otter shrew (Micropotamogale lamottei), and Ruwenzori otter shrew (Mesopotamogale ruwenzorii).
Threats
Growing urban centres and the resultant untreated sewage disposal, logging operations, industrial-scale mining operations, and other sources of pollution negatively affect downstream freshwater systems.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
