Ichthyofauna of South African estuaries in relation to the zoogeography of the region

The fish fauna of South African estuaries are described and compared in relation to the zoogeography of the region. Estuaries within each biogeographic region were found to contain fairly distinctive fish communities. Subtropical estuaries are characterised by species of tropical origin that prefer warmer waters. South coast endemic taxa that enter warmer waters are also important, although these species seem to have a preference for warm-temperate systems. In the warm-temperate region, the fauna generally comprises endemic taxa as well as some eurythermal tropical species. The estuaries of the cool-temperate region do not contain any unique taxa, but rather comprise those south coast endemic species that are able to extend their range westwards.