Sandelia bainsii Castelnau, 1861
Rocky kurper
Oos-kaapse kurper,  Eastern Cape rocky,  Eastern province rocky
Sandelia bainsii
photo by Cambray, J.A.

Family:  Anabantidae (Climbing gouramies)
Max. size:  26 cm SL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 130.0 g
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater; pH range: 6.80000019073486 - 8; dH range: 10 - 30
Distribution:  Africa: Kowie, Great Fish, Buffalo, Keiskamma and Nahoon River systems, southeast Cape, South Africa.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Found in rocky streams, favoring marginal habitats where the current is slow. Preys on insects, crabs and small fish. Is preyed upon by introduced predators such as bass and sharptooth catfish. Breeds in summer. Males guard the eggs and larvae which are found on the substrate (Ref. 41595). Upon hatching, larvae adhered permanently to the substrate at the nesting site (Ref. 41595).
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered (EN); Date assessed: 05 December 2017 (B2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  Found only in Eastern Cape with limited distribution in several tributaries of the Buffalo, Keiskamma, Great Fish and Kowie river systems (Ref. 26249). A small population occurs in the Nahoon River (Ref. 26249). Recent surveys along the Kowie system showed only 6 specimens after 4 days of surveying. In the former prime Great Fish River habitat only introduced sharptooth catfish Clarias gariepinus were recorded. In the Tyume River, S. bainsii population is small and vulnerable to local extinction (Ref. 26249). Threatened by habitat destruction, water extraction and introduced predators such as bass and sharptooth catfish (Ref. 7248), but the limited geographical range of S. bainsii and their small population size exacerbate these threats (Ref. 26249). Also Ref. 6803, 13332, 94788.


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