Collections of freshwater shrimps along the southern coast of South Africa

Abstract

During the period February 1983 to November 1986 a total of 38 rivers along the south-western, southem and eastern Cape coasts and Ciskei were investigated for the occurrence of freshwater shrimps. Five species were found, namely Palaemon capensis (de Man), Macrobrachium petersii (Hilgendorf), M. rude (Heller), Caridina nilotica (Roux) and C. typus H. Milne-Edwards. The known distribution range of P. capensis was extended eastwards to the Keiskamma River in the Ciskei, and it appears to be the only freshwater shrimp occurring in the often very acid dark brown (‘black’) waters of the south-western and southern Cape rivers. M. petersii and C. nilotica occurred south-westwards as far as the Gamtoos River, whereas M. rude was found only in the Gqunube River, the easternmost river in the study area, and C. typus only in he Nahoon River, about 15 km further south-westwards. An estuarine/marine shrimp species, Palaemon pacificus, was often found in the estuarine sections of rivers, and P. concinnus, another estuarine/marine species, was collected in the Gqunube River. As far as is known this is the first published record of P. concinnus in the Cape Province.