DISTRIBUTION AND DIVERSITY OF MKUZE SWAMP FISHES DURING A SUMMER FLOOD

SUMMARY

Very little information is available on the fishes of the Mkuze swamps and this paper presents the results of an ichthyofaunal survey conducted in March 1988. The study, which coincided with a major river flood, determined that the fish fauna was considerably more diverse than expected and 25 species were collected from 31 localities. Several distinct communities are recognized including a river channel/floodplain community, lagoonal community, feeder stream community and lower swamp community. The subtraction of tropical freshwater fish species in the region is documented and a complete checklist for the Mkuze River system, including several new records from this survey, is presented.

KEYWORDS:

• Freshwater fishes
• survey
• subtraction zone
• river flood
• suspensoids
• Mkuze swamp
• Maputaland
• South Africa