Friday, June 22, 2012

Why Aphyosemion celiae is endangered


Aphyosemion celiae is on the IUCN list of endangered species.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/183090/0

According to IUCN, its range is restricted to the Mungo River watershed in western Cameroon.
A better map is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mungo_River,_Cameroon

Scheel (1990) noted that Aphyosemion celiae occurs just east of Kumba (top map) but that Amiet told Scheel that A. celiae also occured in the Bakaka Forest Reserve east of Loum volcano (Mt. Kupe). That drainage is generally considered to be part of the Mungo River watershed, because of a connection in the delta. See the map here:
http://cameroon-tour.com/geography/drainage.html


The worry is that erosion and pollution from  plantations upstream could kill the species in the lower part of the watershed. see this link for a description of the many plantations from Nkongsamba to Loum along N5, then on to Kumba along N16.
http://www.ibike.org/bikeafrica/cameroon/west/11-Kumba.htm

Agricultural runoff in the river would cause the death of fish species, despite Forest Preserves such as Bakaka.

People maintaining an endangered species distribute offspring to other aquarists they know. Usually pairs are formed with individuals from different parents, to avoid inbreeding, but from the same locality, to avoid hybrids.


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