| FishBase | Complete | Literature | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Families | Species | Families | |||
| Marine | No | |||||
| Freshwater | 12 | 6 | No | Daget, J., J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde, 1984 | ||
| Total | 12 | 6 | No | |||
| Conservation | The following information is to be sought: - Status of knowledge of the freshwater fauna; - Existence of conservation plans; - Information on major aquatic habitats or sites within the country; - Current major threats to species; - Future potential threats to species; - Contact(s) for further information. |
| Geography and Climate |
Lesotho is a landlocked country, primarily a highland plateau (headquarters of the Orange (=Senqu) River) with some lowlands in the south.
Lowland temperatures are generally high while upland regions are cool. Rainfall is moderate and droughts are common. Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |
| Hydrography |
Lakes: there are no natural lakes.
Rivers, floodplains and swamps: All rivers in Lesotho belong to the Orange River system. There are three river systems: the Senqu, Makhaleng and Caledon.
The Senqu River system, which is the largest, starts north of Cathedral Dome Peak an altitude of 3,050 m and runs south. When flowing out of Lesotho into Organe Free State at the southwestern border of Lesotho, the Senqu River has a catchment area of about 2,100,000 ha and an average flow rate of 100 m3/s.
The Makhaleng, which starts in the Maluti ranges, runs south through the middle of the country. It joins the Senqu at the point where the Senqu leaves Lesotho into Orange Free State. At this point Makhaleng River has a catchment area of about 300,000 ha and an average flow of about 15 m3/s. The total length of Senqu and Makhaleng and their main tributaries in Lesotho is over 1,600 km.
The Caledon River forms the western border of Lesotho and drains the lowland part of the country. At the point where the Caledon flows into the Orange Free State it has an average flow rate of about 36 m3/s and a catchment area of about 1,300,000 ha, of which 700,000 ha are in Lesotho and 600,000 ha are in South Africa. The total length of the Caledon and its main tributaries in Lesotho is about 560 km.
The flow rates of the rivers fluctuates considerably between and within years, depending on the rainfall. It is common for the Caledon to run dry in dry years. The rivers in Lesotho are in the upper reaches of the mountain zone where the flow is swift and there are no floodplains. Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |