An ichthyological borderland: The fishfauna of Nyungwe National Park and surroundings (Rwanda, East Africa)

A recent expedition to Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda, revealed the presence of 13 fish species within the park and its buffer zones, challenging previous assumptions that cold river temperatures precluded fish diversity. The study, conducted in 2022, found limited fish diversity within the park proper—primarily two putative species of Amphilius cf. kivuensis—but higher diversity in lower-altitude rivers of the buffer zone, including a clariid species and two Enteromius species. Near the mouth of the Kamiranzovu River, 11 species were recorded, four of which were non-native, including guppy (Poecilia reticulata), Astatotilapia burtoni, blue-spotted tilapia (Oreochromis leucosticus), and Egyptian mouth-brooder (Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor). The research highlights Nyungwe's role as an ichthyological borderland, with distinct species distributions influenced by altitude and watershed dynamics.

Maetens, H., Mukungilwa, P. N., Kasangaki, A., Boom, A. F., Nshimiyumuremyi, T., Munyandamutsa, P. S., Clausnitzer, V., Vranken, N., Snoeks, J., & Van Steenberge, M. (2025). An ichthyological borderland: The fishfauna of Nyungwe National Park and surroundings (Rwanda, East Africa). Journal of Fish Biology, 107(6), 1898–1909. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70185