The Cape kurper (''Sandelia capensis'') is a species of

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...

in the family Anabantidae, the climbing gouramis or climbing perches. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

Description

The Cape kurper can grow to 25 cm in length and weigh up to 200g. It has a mainly yellow to golden brown colouration with dark markings on the dorsal part of the body which extend onto the dorsal and anal fins. Males are more colourful than females.

Distribution

The Cape kurper is endemic to the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

and Eastern Cape, where it is found in coastal rivers from the Coega River, which flows into

Algoa Bay Algoa Bay is a maritime bay in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is located in the east coast, east of the Cape of Good Hope. Algoa Bay is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to deep. The harbour ...

through the

Cape Flats The Cape Flats ( af, Die Kaapse Vlakte) is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. The Cape Flats is also the name of an administrative region of the City of Cape Town, which li ...

and north to the

Verlorevlei River Verlorevlei River is a river in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Lying on the Sandveld of the West Coast, the river runs past Eendekuil, Het Kruis, and Redelinghuys. The river mouth is located at Elands Bay. Its tributaries include th ...

. It has been introduced into the Clanwilliam Olifants River system.

Habitat

The Cape kurper is an adaptable species and occurs in various habitats from rocky, faster flowing streams to more slower, heavily-vegetated waters. It shows a preference for quieter marginal areas, where it finds shelter among rocks, submerged roots and branches of trees or in aquatic plants.

Habits

Cape kurpers feed on insects and other invertebrates as well as small fish and crabs. Cape kurpers breed during the southern summer; the male chooses a site on the substrate, which he defends aggressively from other males. He also develops a breeding pattern of dark vertical bars with black fins, and a darkening of the lower mandible. Females are displayed to by the male blowing bubbles. Later courtship involves quite vigorous chasing and biting, climaxing when the pair spawn. The female appears to lay the eggs which adhere to the substrate and them the male moves in and releases his

milt Milt is the seminal fluid of fish, mollusks, and certain other water-dwelling animals which reproduce by spraying this fluid, which contains the sperm, onto roe (fish eggs). It can also refer to the sperm sacs or testes that contain the seme ...

After spawning the male chases the female away, and assumes sole responsibility for guarding and tending the eggs and the young fry, which also adhere to substrate, in typical fashion for the Anabantidae. The Cape kurper occasionally plays dead when caught by anglers, only to slip out of the hands as soon as the hook has been removed.

Conservation

The Cape kurper is threatened by introduced fish especially the

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, b ...

, smallmouth bass and

spotted bass The spotted bass (''Micropterus punctulatus''), also called spotty, or spots in various fishing communities, is a species of North American freshwater fish belonging to the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Perciformes. It is noted ...

, which have been introduced into many of the waters where the Cape kurper occurs. Other threats include damming, pollution and climatic changes.

Taxonomy

The Cape kurper is currently considered to be a single species, however, recent genetic studies have revealed that there are no fewer than two, and possibly more lineages. This may mean that there are at least two separate species but further study is required.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3320696 Sandelia Fish described in 1829 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier Taxonomy articles created by Polbot