ISSN 0075-2088 J.L.B. SMITH INSTITUTE OF ICHTHYOLOGY GRAHAMSTOWN, SOUTH AFRICA SPECIAL PUBLICATION No. 56 SCIENTIFIC AND COMMON NAMES OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN FRESHWATER FISHES by Paul H. Skelton November 1993 SERIAL PUBLICATIONS o f THE J.L.B. SMITH INSTITUTE OF ICHTHYOLOGY The Institute publishes original research on the systematics, zoogeography, ecology, biology and conservation of fishes. Manuscripts on ancillary subjects (aquaculture, fishery biology, historical ichthyology and archaeology pertaining to fishes) will be considered subject to the availability of publication funds. Two series are produced at irregular intervals: the Special Publication series and the Ichthyological Bulletin series. Acceptance of manuscripts for publication is subject to the approval of reviewers from outside the Institute. Priority is given to papers by staff of the Institute, but manuscripts from outside the Institute will be considered if they are pertinent to the work of the Institute. Colour illustrations can be printed at the expense of the author. Publications of the Institute are available by subscription or in exchange for publi­ cations of other institutions. Lists of the Institute’s publications are available from the Publications Secretary at the address below. INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS Manuscripts shorter than 30 pages will generally be published in the Special Publications series; longer papers will be considered for the Ichthyological Bulletin series. Please follow the layout and format of a recent Bulletin or Special Publication. Manuscripts must be submitted in duplicate to the Editor, J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa. The typescript must be double-spaced throughout with 25 mm margins all round. Each table or figure should be on a separate page and numbered with an Arabic numeral (not in sequence with text pages). All maps, graphs, charts, drawings and photographs should be numbered as figures. If two or more illustrations are grouped as one figure, they must be trimmed and spaced (but not mounted) as intended for final reproduction. Each part of a composite figure must be labelled with a capital letter; typewriter lettering is not acceptable. Illustrations larger than 21 x 30 cm should be avoided. Legends for figures should be on a separate page. Fifty free copies of the publication will be supplied to the author or senior author. Additional reprints may be ordered at cost price. ISBN 0-86810-259-8 SCIENTIFIC AND COMMON NAMES OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN FRESHWATER FISHES. by Paul H. Skelton J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown 6140, Republic of South Africa ABSTRACT A list of the scientific and recommended English and Afrikaans common names of fishes found in freshwater habitats of southern Africa is presented. Notes explaining the additions and changes made to the list of Jackson (1975) are provided. The list includes 259 species of which 201 (78%) are indigenous primary and secondary freshwater fishes, 34 (13%) are of marine origin and 4 (2%) are diadromous. Twenty alien species (8%) are also included. The number of species has increased by 47 (22%). Of these 47 species, 32 are strictly freshwater fishes and 15 are marine species. Two new alien species are added to the list INTRODUCTION A list of the freshwater fishes of southern Africa giving the scientific names, authors, dates and the English and Afrikaans common names has not appeared since Jackson (1975) and that is now much out of date. Many of the changes to the scientific nomenclature that have occurred since 1975 are given in the four volume Checklist of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA) (Daget et al. 1984, 1986a, 1986b, 1991). Although CLOFFA embraces southern Africa, it does not include common names and the range of many species is imprecisely recorded. CLOFFA also is not generally in the hands of the non-specialist dealing with fishes in the area. Additional records and corrections to Jackson’s (1975) list were included in Skelton etal. (1980,1985), Penrith (1982) and Bell-Cross and Minshull (1988). Further changes to the list of freshwater fishes in southern Africa or their names have been made in the literature and have not yet been brought to a wider general audience. The sum of changes to Jackson’s (1975) list is now considerable and it is important that a comprehensive updated list of the names of southern African freshwater fishes is made available to the scientific and interested public. METHODS Systematic presentation The classification and order of presentation used here is based on Eschmeyer (1990) with minor modifications. Departures from Eschmeyer’s classification and changes to family allocations or rankings are explained below. The species names are as deter­ 1 mined from the most recent literature. Notes explaining changes to Jackson’s (1975) list are given separately after the list; each note is numbered in accordance with a number opposite the taxon name. The spelling of a species name is the original form or justified emendations in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature (1985). Institutional abbreviations follow Leviton et al. (1985). References for the original species descriptions that are not given here are listed in volumes 3 and 4 of CLOFFA (Daget, et al. 1986,1991). Common names The common names presented here are based on Jackson (1975) with changes made to certain names in order to bring them into line with general usage or with the principles governing the choice of common names as applied by the American Fisheries Society (Robins et a l 1991). As acceptance or use of common names is not binding on any party, it should be emphasised that the present list is given in order to further establish and stabilize common names in the literature. A summary of the principles applied for choosing common names is given here to explain and justify the changes made to common names in this list The principles are: (1) a single name shall be accepted for each species; (2) the same name shall not be given to more than one species; (3) the expression “common” shall be avoided wherever possible; (4) simplicity is favoured; (5) common names shall not be capitalized in text use except for those elements that are proper nouns; (6) names intended to honour persons are discouraged as they are without descriptive value; (7) only clearly defined taxonomic entities (species) shall be assigned common names; (8) the common name shall not be intimately linked to the scientific name; (9) names shall not violate the tenets of good taste. Additional guidelines include the following : (1) colorful or distinctive names are especially appropriate; (2) native names are welcome as common names; (3) names in general use are to be retained wherever possible; (4) traditional names are given wide latitude in taxonomic placement; (5) structural attributes, colour etc are desirable sources of common names; (6) ecological characteristics and geographical distribution are useful sources; (7) generic names may be used as common names; (8) duplication of names used for other organisms should be avoided if possible. Changes in common names of species cm the list given by Jackson (1975) are explained in the notes following the list. Categories and definitions In this paper the term ’freshwater” is used in a broad sense of continental aquatic systems, viz. rivers and lakes, and not in the narrow technical sense (i.e. water with less than 0.5 grams per litre total dissolved mineral salts). Most species included on this list are indigenous primary and secondary freshwater fishes recorded from freshwaters of southern Africa as determined by museum collection records or from the literature. Primary freshwater fishes are those with little or no tolerance of brackish water (i.e. water with more than 0.5 grams per litre total dissolved mineral salts). Secondary freshwater fishes are tolerant of brackish waters but normally occur in inland aquatic 2 systems rather than the sea. The other categories of fishes on this list comprise the following : Introduced or alien (exotic) species (EX) - species introduced to southern Africa from outside the region. Marine or estuarine species (M) - fishes that are normally found in estuaries or the sea but which also are frequently encountered in inland waters or are known to have established breeding populations in inland waters. Sporadic marine species (MS) - fishes found or reported sporadically or infrequently from inland waters and which are not known to form breeding populations in such habitats. Diadromous species (D) - fishes that, in the course of their life cycle, migrate between the sea and inland waters. “Southern Africa” is that part of the African continent south of the northern divides of the Cunene, Okavango and Zambezi River systems excluding Lake Malawi and the Shire River above Kapachira Falls (Figure 1.). SUMMARY OF CHANGES MADE A summary of the pertinent changes to the list of fishes from southern African fresh waters since Jackson (1975) is given below under relevant headings. The present list includes 259 species, an increase of 47 or 22% on the number in Jackson (1975). The number of primary and secondary freshwater species has increased by 16% from 189 to 221. The number of “marine” fishes included has increased by 89% from 18 to 34. The number of diadromous species has remained constant (at 4) and only two alien species are added to the list (Phalloceros caudimaculatus and Oreochromis niloticus). The number of families represented has increased from 34 to 39, and the number of orders from 13 to 17. These figures emphasize the dynamic nature of fish systematics in southern Africa, and (as several undescribed species are currently under investiga­ tion) further increases to the known freshwater fish fauna of southern Africa are anticipated. Changes to genera and to species names are given in the notes to the list Fam ilies Apart from the following exceptions, the systematic listing and families used here follow Eschmeyer (1990).