Fish Species of the Limpopo

The following table is a summary of the common species of fish found in the Limpopo River basin.

Common Name	Species	Present in main stem Limpopo	Introduced Species

Loach Catfishes (Family Amphiliidae)
Stargazer mountain catfish	Amphilius uranoscopus
Natal mountain catfish	A. natalensis
Freshwater Eels (Family Anguillidae)
Longfin eel	Anguilla mossambica	♦
Shortfin eel	A. bicolor bicolor	♦
Madagascar mottled eel	A. marmorata	♦
Africa mottled eel	A. bengalensis labiata	♦
Egg-laying Toothcarps (Family Aplocheilidae)
Turquoise killifish	Nothobranchius furzeri
Spotted killifish	N. orthonotus
Rainbow killifish	N. rachovii
Catfish (Family Austroglanididae)
Rock catfish	Austroglanis sclateri		♦
Sunfishes (Family Centrarchidae)
Bluegill sunfish	Lepomis macrochirus		♦
Largemouth bass	Micropterus salmoides		♦
Smallmouth bass	M. dolomieu		♦
Characins (Family Characidae)
Imberi	Brycinus imberi	♦
Silver robber	Micralestes acutidens	♦
Tigerfish	Hydrocynus vittatus	♦
Cichlids (Family Cichlidae)
Southern mouthbrooder	Pseudocrenilabrus philander	♦
Canary kurper	Chetia flaviventris
Orange-fringed largemouth	C. brevis
Lowveld largemouth	Serranochromis meridianus
Nemwe	S. robustus jallae	♦	♦
Brownspot largemouth	S. thumbergi		♦
Banded tilapia	Tilapia sparrmanii	♦
Redbreast tilapia	T. rendalli	♦
Mozambique tilapia	Oreochromis mossambicus	♦
Greenhead tilapia	O. macrochir	♦	♦
Nile tilapia	O. niloticus	♦	♦
Zambezi happy	Pharyngochromis acuticeps	♦	♦
Labyrinth Catfishes (Family Clariidae)
Sharptooth catfish	Clarias gariepinus	♦
Blunttooth catfish	C. ngamensis	♦
Snake catfish	C. theodorae
Carps and Minnows (Family Cyprinidae)
Hamilton's barb	Barbus afronamiltoni	♦
Smallmouth yellowfish	Barbus aeneus		♦
Broadstriped barb	B. annectens	♦
Chubbyhead barb	B. anoplus	♦
Hyphen barb	B. bifrenatus
Shortfin barb	B. brevipinnis
Orangefin barb	B. euteania
Line-spotted barb	B. lineomaculatus	♦
Largescale yellowfish	B. marequensis	♦
Papermouth	B. mattozi	♦
Marico barb	B. motebensis
Sidespot barb	B. neefi
Goldie barb	B. pallidus
Straightfin barb	B. paludinosus
Smallscale yellowfish	B. polylepis
Beira barb	B. radiatus	♦
East coast barb	B. toppini	♦
Treur River barb	B. treurensis
Threespot barb	B. trimaculatus	♦
Longbeard barb	B. unitaeniatus	♦
Bowstripe barb	B. viviparus	♦
Common carp	Cyprinus carpio	♦	♦
Silver carp	Hypophthalmichthys molitrix	♦	♦
Purple labeo	Labeo congoro	♦
Redeye labeo	L. cylindricus	♦
Leaden labeo	L. molybdinus	♦
Rednose labeo	L. rosae
Silver labeo	L. ruddi	♦
Moggel	Labeo umbratus		♦
River sardine	Mesobola brevianalis	♦
Barred minnow	Opsaridium peringueyi	♦
Shortsnout chiselmouth	Varicorhinus nasutus
Killifishes (Family Cyprinodontidae)
Johnston's topminnow	Aplocheilichthys johnstoni
Striped topminnow	A. katangae
Gobies (Family Gobiidae)
Freshwater goby	Awaous aeneofuscus	♦
River goby	Glossogobius callidus	♦
Tank goby	G. giuris	♦
Checked goby	Redigobius dewaali	♦
Tarpon (Family Megalopodidae)
Oxeye tarpon	Megalops cyprinoides	♦
Upside-down Catfishes (Family Mochokidae)
Sawfin suckermouth	Chiloglanis paratus	♦
Shortspine suckermouth	C. pretoriae
Lowveld suckermouth	C. swierstrae	♦
Brown squeaker	Synodontis zambesensis	♦
Elephant Fishes (Family Mormyridae)
Bulldog	Marcusenius macrolepidotus	♦
Churchill	Petrocephalus catostoma	♦
Eurasian Perch (Family Perchidae)
Perch	Perca fluviatilis		♦
Livebearing Toothcarps (Family Poeciliidae)
Mosquitofish	Gambusia affinis		♦
Swordtail	Xiphophorus helleri		♦
African Lungfishes (Family Protopteridae)
Lungfish	Protopterus annectens brieni	♦
Salmonids (Family Salmonidae)
Brown trout	Salmo trutta		♦
Rainbow trout	Oncorhynchus mykiss		♦
Glass Catfishes (Family Schilbeidae)
Silver catfish	Schilbe intermedius	♦