Mahale Mountains National Park | Summary of Resource Base

Comments
• Of these 127 species, 96% are endemic to Lake Tanganyika, and 80% (101
species) are cichlids.
• The BIOSS study (2000) found that sites with the greatest diversity of species
were, in the most part, located in the central portion of MMNP between
Luahagala point and Lumbiye Bay, although other locations both in the north
(Nsele) and south (Mankungwe) were also rich in species.
• The BIOSS survey of Mahale revealed a wide spectrum of aquatic littoral habitat
types, including emergent macrophytes, submerged macrophytes, stromatolite
reefs, shell beds and all combinations of soft and hard substrates.
• The majority of fish and molluscs found in Lake Tanganyika inhabit the sublittoral
zone (down to 40m), and species diversity is highest in rocky habitats.
(f) AQUATIC MOLLUSCS
The aquatic survey conducted by BIOSS (2000) confirmed the presence of all the
following 23 mollusc species within MMNP protected waters.
Class/Order Family Scientific Name
Paludomidae Tanganyicia neritinoides
Tanganycia rufofilosa
Pleuroceridae Bridouxia giraudi
Lavigeria grandis
Lavigeria paucicostata
Lavigeria species A 14
Gastropoda/
Mesogastropoda
Bivalvia/Unionoida
Lavigeria species B 14
Neothauma tanganyicensis
Paramelania crassigranulata
Reymondia horei
Reymondia minor
Reymondia species A 14
Spekia zonata
Stormsia minima
Syrnolopsis lacustris
Syrnolopsis minuta
Syrnolopsidae Anceya giraudi
Thiaridae Paramelania iridescens #2
Unknown Novel genus new species 15
Novel genus spinulosa 15
Mutelidae Cealatura burtoni
Mutela spekii
Pseudospatha tanganyicensis
14 Individual molluscs not identified to species level with certainty, but not considered to be new species
15 Thought to be a species new to science
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