Review of the African catfish genus Andersonia (Teleostei: Siluriformes)

Abstract

Fishes of the catfish genus Andersonia (Amphiliidae, Doumeinae) are distributed widely across the northern sub-Saharan portion of Africa that is called the Nilo-Sudan Bioregion. Recent literature indicated that either one or two species of Andersonia occur in the four drainage basins (upper Niger, upper Nile, Omo, and Lake Chad) in which the genus has been found. Our study failed to find any differences in the samples from those basins, as we therefore treat them as populations of a single species, A. leptura, which is redescribed based on extensive series of specimens from across its range. The genus Andersonia is retained as valid at this time, based on the lack of clear evidence of the phylogenetic position of A. leptura within the Doumeinae. However, a broader sampling of taxa, especially among species currently placed in the genus Phractura, may require a change to that assignment. Copyright © 2012 Magnolia Press.