Ichthyofaunal diversity of the Omo-Turkana basin, East Africa, <span lang="EN-US">with specific reference to fish diversity within the limits of Ethiopian waters</span>

Abstract

Abstract:The freshwaters of the East African nation of Ethiopia are divided into nine main drainage basins. One of these, the Omo-Turkana basin, spans a large part of southwestern Ethiopian highlands and northern Kenya, and consists of the Omo-Gibe (or simply, Omo) River and a northern portion of Lake Turkana. Despite some development activities, including proposed dam construction with potential impacts on ichthyofaunal diversity, the Ethiopian part of the basin generally lacks comprehensive study or full scientific documentation. During the current surveys 31 species were identified from the lower Omo River and Ethiopian part of Lake Turkana, with some new records for the basin. The Omo River system was found to be richer in species while Lake Turkana has a higher abundance. Ichthyofaunal diversity within Ethiopian waters is specifically addressed, and an annotated checklist for native species of the basin is provided.

New data on Garra makiensis (Cyprinidae, Labeoinae) from the Awash River (Ethiopia) with remarks on its relationships to congeners on the Arabian Peninsula

“…The Meki drainage is highly altered by human impacts (e.g., water abstraction, sand mining) and the last records of G. makiensis in this drainage date back to 1984 (Golubtsov et al 2002). The extended distribution range reported by Stiassny and Getahun (2007), including the southern part of the MER, the Blue and White Nile drainages and the Omo River drainage, contains uncertainty and needs clarification (Wakjira and Getahun 2017).…”

Heavy metal levels and human health risk implications associated with fish consumption from the lower Omo river (Lotic) and Omo delta lake (Lentic), Ethiopia

“…1 ), located in southern Ethiopia, is one of the countries’ most important river systems, covering an area of approximately 79,000 km 2 ( Central Statistics Agency (CSA), 2017 ). It starts at an altitude of 2,200 m above sea level (a.s.l) and flows through the Eastern Arm of the Great Rift Valley of East Africa before finally ending in Lake Turkana at an altitude of 365 m above sea level ( Wakjira & Getahun, 2017 ).…”

“…It forms a Bird’s Foot Delta with an area of 98 km 2 and lies across the Ethiopia-Kenya border in southern Ethiopia lowlands. The Omo delta starts at an altitude of 2,200 m above sea level and flows in its lower portion at an altitude that ends in Lake Turkana ( Wakjira & Getahun, 2017 ). The Omo delta is almost 820 km South of Addis Ababa, the capital city, and 508 km from the regional city of Hawassa.…”

“…L. niloticus sampled from lower Omo river and Omo delta has a standard length of 45 cm and total length of 180 cm. It has terminal mouth with villi form teeth; dorsal fin long, deeply notched into anterior and posterior regions, whereas O. niloticus sampled from lower Omo river and Omo delta has a total length of 33 cm which has a mouth terminal with bicuspid teeth on the outer jaws; dark vertical bands on flank; scales between pelvic and pectoral fins distinctly smaller than those on the rest of the body; dark body; blackish opercular spot ( Wakjira & Getahun, 2017 ).…”

“…In recent years, human activities such as agriculture, industrial, and economic development have affected the lower Omo river (Lotic) and the Omo delta (Lentic) ( United States Enviromental Protection Agency (USEPA), 2010 ; Wakjira & Getahun, 2017 ). These activities have threatened the quality of the water bodies ( Ojwang et al, 2010 ; Avery, 2012 ) and have been linked to the presence of heavy metals in fish tissues.…”