Synopsis
Cyprinid fishes apparently constituted the major part of the original fish fauna in Lake Luhondo, Rwanda, at least until 1934. At that time only three species, all cyprinids, were known from the lake:Barbus neumayeri, a small barbel, very common in the lake (described from the lake asBarbus luhondo) and two larger cyprinid species:Barbus microbarbis andVaricorhinus ruandae. These two large species were probably not very common in the lake. Between 1935 and 1938 some youngTilapia were introduced into Lake Luhondo. Since then and certainly since 1952 the large cyprinids seem to have disappeared completely from the lake. The smallBarbus neumayeri has become extremely rare; at present it survives only in some small tributaries of the lake. In the lake itselfTilapia andHaplochromis species are now the dominant fauna. A survey of the available information is given.
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Africa-Museum, Steenweg op Leuven, B-1980 Tervuren, Belgium (mailing address)
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De Vos, L., Snoeks, J. & van den Audenaerde, D.T. The effects ofTilapia introductions in Lake Luhondo, Rwanda. Environ Biol Fish 27, 303–308 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002748
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002748