The Eastern Cape redfin (''Pseudobarbus afer'') is an African freshwater fish

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

, this appears to be a species complex rather than a single species. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the Sundays,

Swartkops Swartkops is a village in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The location is on the Swartkops River, 11 km north of Port Elizabeth and 1,6 km from the Indian Ocean. ''Swartkops'' means "black hills" in Afri ...

and Baakens river systems of the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, the fish in other rivers in the region have been suggested to belong to different species with four different lineages recognised, a forest lineage which appears to be more closely related to '' Pseudobarbus phlegethon'' of the Olifants River than the other lineages traditionally classified within ''P. afer'', the other lineages are the "St Francis" lineage which occurs in the rivers flowing into St Francis Bay and has been given the name '' Pseudobarbus swartzi'', the Krom lineage '' Pseudobarbus senticeps'' from the

Krom River Krom River or Kromme River ( af, Krommerivier) is a river in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The river flows into the Indian Ocean through an estuary on the north side of St Francis Bay, west of Port Elizabeth. The Krom river flows in ...

system and the "Mandela" lineage ''Pseudobarbus afer'' ''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

''. All of these populations are becoming rare due to

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and the impact of

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

especially exotic bass of the genus ''

Micropterus ''Micropterus'' is a genus of North American freshwater fish collectively known as the black bass, belonging to the sunfish family (biology), family Centrarchidae of order (biology), order Perciformes. They are sometimes erroneously called "bla ...

''. ''Pseudobarbus afer'' prefers clear rocky pools in the rivers it inhabits. The fry and juveniles form large shoals, the adults form smaller groups. It was formerly common and widely distributed, but ''Pseudobarbus afer'' '' sensu lato'' has undergone steep declines in both abundance and range, a primary cause being the introduction of exotic fish species which compete with these fish and also predate them. Other threats include deterioration of water quality and the degradation of habitat. These fish are omnivorous, bottom feeders which eat algae and prey on small invertebrates. They breed during the summer, laying their eggs in riffles above pools.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3235243 Eastern Cape redfin Eastern Cape Freshwater fish of South Africa Endemic fish of South Africa Eastern Cape redfin Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters Taxonomy articles created by Polbot