Fish biodiversity survey of small water bodies in the Nkhotakota District, Malawi.

George Francis Turner, Joe Hutchins, Daud Kassam, Salim M'balaka, Mexford Mulumpwa, Bosco Rusuwa, Hannah Thomas

We surveyed 6 small lakes and the lower reaches of the Kaombe River in Nkhotakota District of Malawi (in 2 seasons; rainy and dry hot seasons), primarily to determine if two species previously reported only from Lake Chilingali were still present in the area following the collapse of the Chilingali Dam in 2012 and failure to rediscover the species in 2016 and subsequently. We report that Lethrinops chilingali was now abundant in the northern part of Lake Chilingali. It was also found elsewhere in the Kaombe catchment, including Lake Chitenje and the main river channel, as well as in Lakes Kamphambe and Nadzenje on the Kang’ona River system to the south. Rhamphochromis sp. ‘chilingali’ was not found at any location and thus may be extinct in the wild. A total of 23 fish species were recorded, although the fishing methods used mean that it is likely to be biased towards day-active species and may under-represent catfishes and mormyrids. Brief descriptions of all sites and species are given, along with notes on fishing methods observed.