Peer-reviewed publications by SAIAB Scientists, Honorary Research Associates and Postgraduate Students using SAIAB’s address – 2026.
Open Access
Abreo, N. A., Tibo, J., Nogueira, A. B., Nikolaou, A., Kaya, C., Tarkan, A. S., Kurtul, I., Katsanevakis, S., Sousa, R., Everts, T., García‐Berthou, E., Hargrove, J. S., Franco, A. C. S., Herder, J. E., Olden, J. D., Woodford, D. J., Kouba, A., Britton, J. R., Soto, I., & Haubrock, P. J. (2026). Worldwide Invasions of Centrarchidae: The Dark side of the Sunfish family. Fish and Fisheries.
https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70083
Allen, J. R., Firth, L. B., Bishop, M. J., Dafforn, K. A., Grasselli, F., Hanley, M. E., Knights, A. M., Mayer-Pinto, M., McQuatters-Gollop, A., O’Shaughnessy, K. A., Porri, F., Smith, R. K., Strain, E. M., & Lemasson, A. J. (2026). Global evidence for the ecological effects of greening of grey infrastructure: a systematic review protocol. Environmental Evidence, 15(1).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-026-00382-z
Azevedo-Santos, V. M., Uzeda, P. L. C., Costa, W. J. E. M., Katz, A. M., & Ottoni, F. P. (2026). Choosing the type locality of a species. BioScience.
https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biag015
Barnard, M., Codron, D., Dutton, H. R., Bullard, S. A., Du Preez, L. H., & Netherlands, E. C. (2025). Life in cold blood: Exploring the cryptic diversity of species of Haemogregarina in Southern Africa’s terrapins. International Journal for Parasitology Parasites and Wildlife, 29, 101179.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2025.101179
Bogorodsky, S. V., Silas, M. O., & Reddy, S. (2026). New record of Epigonus pectinifer Mayer, 1974 (Pempheriformes: Epigonidae) from Tanzania, with the first phylogenetic analysis of the species. Zootaxa, 5777(3), 587–596. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5777.3.11
Bogorodsky, S. V., Matiku, P., & Reddy, S. (2026). A new species of Hapalogenys (Lobotiformes: Lobotidae) from the Western Indian Ocean. Zootaxa, 5760(4), 467–480.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5760.4.3
Carneiro, L., Pincheira-Donoso, D., Leroy, B., Bertolino, S., Camacho-Cervantes, M., Cuthbert, R. N., Bang, A., Catford, J. A., South, J., Cooke, S. J., Angulo, E., & Courchamp, F. (2026). Expanding invasive species impact assessments to the ecosystem level with EEICAT. PLoS Biology, 24(3), e3003665.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003665
Choppy, M. T., Duncan, M. I., Gordon, N., Pouponeau, D. K., Bullock, R. W., Grimmel, H. M., & Rajkaran, A. (2026). A microplastic meal: A baseline assessment of microplastic polymer presence within manta-ray (Mobula alfredi) feeding grounds at D’Arros Island and the St. Joseph Atoll. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 230, 119790.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2026.119790
Cochran, J. E. M., Charles, R., Temple, A. J., Kyne, P. M., García‐Rodríguez, E., Gonzalez‐Pestana, A., Batlle‐Morera, A., Mouton, T. L., Armstrong, A. O., Rohner, C. A., Coker, D. J., Hardenstine, R. S., Kattan, A., McIvor, A. J., Peinemann, V. N., O’Toole, K. A., Palm, L., Richardson, E. B., Akhilesh, K. V., . . . Ostrovski, R. L. (2026). Only one percent of important shark and ray areas in the Western Indian Ocean are fully protected from fishing pressure. Ecology and Evolution, 16(1), e72690.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72690
Conradie, W., Keates, C., & Brammer, T. (2026b). The phylogenetic status of Dipsadoboa flavida (Serpentes: Colubridae). Zootaxa, 5763(4), 597–600.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5763.4.10
Cottrant, E., Morrison, J., Elston, C., Murray, T., Drobniewska, N., Underhill, L., Hammerschlag, N., Albano, P., McCord, M., Cowley, P., Fallows, C., & Paulet, T. (2026). Residency, site affinity and coastal movements of the southern African endemic spotted gully shark Triakis megalopterus. African Journal of Marine Science, 48(1), 115–125.
https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232x.2025.2605156
Cuthbert, R. N., Baso, N., Chikodza, T., Coombes, C., Doherty, J., Githae, M., Griffith, T. C., Hernandez, M. R., Jaschke, K. M., Jukes, M. D., Kinsler, D., MacIsaac, H. J., Mantshi, H. T., Muskett, P., Mutamiswa, R., Ricciardi, A., Sutton, G. F., Tanka, D. V., Van Dyk, J., . . . Coetzee, J. (2026). Parallel concepts and future opportunities across the biological control and invasion sciences. Journal of Environmental Management, 402, 128931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.128931
Dutton, H. R., Jacobs, F. J., Beytell, P. C., Netherlands, E. C., DuPreez, L. H., & Bullard, S. A. (2026). New Genus and Species of Liolopidae Odhner, 1912 (Platyhelminthes: Digenea) Infecting Nile Crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus (Laurenti, 1768) (Crocodilia: Crocodylidae) in the Kavango River, Namibia. Journal of Parasitology, 112(1), 21–27.
https://doi.org/10.1645/25-36
Fanomenzana, T., Razafindrakoto, C., Diamant, S., & Ebert, D. A. (2026). Lost and found: Madagascar’s walking shark Chiloscyllium caeruleopunctatum. Oryx, 1.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0030605326103147
Gennari, E., Cowley, P. D., & Bernal, D. (2026). Post-prandial visceral warming in free-swimming white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias. Wildlife Research, 53(3).
https://doi.org/10.1071/wr25164
Groeneveld, M. J., Klein, J. D., Van Staden, M., Bennett, R. H., Dicken, M. L., Ebert, D. A., Mann, B. Q., Perumal, K., Watson, R. G. A., & Merwe, A. E. B. D. (2026). Molecular taxonomy of the guitarfish genus Acroteriobatus (Rhinopristiformes: Rhinobatidae). Marine Biodiversity, 56(1).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-025-01617-x
Harwood, M., Broom, C. J., Van Wyk, A., Castañeda, R. A., Wong, M. Y., Bernard, A. T., Stebbing, P. D., Dunn, A. M., & South, J. (2026). Application, development and opportunities of Remote Underwater Video for freshwater fisheries management. Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, 427, 5.
https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae/2026001
Henschel, E., Baskin, J. N., & Lujan, N. K. (2026). Two new species of the vampire catfish genus Paracanthopoma (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae: Vandelliinae) from Brazil and Venezuela with comments on generic diagnostic characters. Zootaxa, 5793(2), 529–546.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5793.2.9
Holmes, M., Taylor, J., & Linol, B. (2026). Comparing fixed count and observed/expected taxa approaches in diatom-based water quality assessment: implications for monitoring efficiency and accuracy. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 51(1), 48–58.
https://doi.org/10.2989/16085914.2026.2631724
Hüsken, A., Truter, M., Schwelm, J., Sures, B., Smit, N. J., & Malherbe, W. (2026). Bridging knowledge gaps in two trematode life cycles: insights from southern African freshwater ecosystems. International Journal for Parasitology Parasites and Wildlife, 29, 101205.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2026.101205
Jimenez, P. J., Vorsatz, L. D., & Cannicci, S. (2026). Divergent respiratory modes drive differences in heat tolerance and habitat use among tropical intertidal crabs. Journal of Experimental Biology, 229(8). https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.251854
Judah, A. B., Jamieson, A. J., Bingo, S. R. D., Cundy, M. E., Ebert, D. A., Auscavitch, S., Carlson, H. K., Cunanan, T. N. G., Sims, H. B., & Putts, M. (2026). First in situ observations of the goblin shark Mitsukurina owstoni. Journal of Fish Biology.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70505
Keneni, D. A., Swart, T., Bennett, A., Isaacs, M., & Dorrington, R. (2026). Secondary Metabolites Isolated from the Genus Psammocinia Sponges: Mapping Their Chemistry and Biological Activities. Marine Drugs, 24(4), 132.
https://doi.org/10.3390/md24040132
Kgatla, M. M., Barker, C., Baxter, J. R., Merwe, A. E. B. D., Chaisi, M., Chakona, A., Cherry, M. I., Daniels, S. R., Du Preez, L. H., Haddad, C. R., Hawkes, P. G., Ho, C., Hoareau, T. B., Jacobs, A., Jacobs, K., Janion-Scheepers, C., Van Vuuren, B. J., Kabongo, R. M., Khoza, T. T., . . . Mwale, M. (2026). An overview of DNA barcoding of biodiversity in South Africa. PLoS ONE, 21(4), e0345173.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0345173
Konings, A. F., Geerts, M., & Stauffer, J. R. (2026). Maylandia (Teleostei: Cichlidae) remains a nomen nudum. Taxonomy, 6(1), 3.
https://doi.org/10.3390/taxonomy6010003
Luck, E., Reeves, I., Terrapon, M., Wellard, R., Venables, S. K., Towner, A., Kock, A. A., Hussian, C., Altschwager, M., Ballard, R., Baudin, E., Black, N., Brodsky, E., Cantrall, J., Cardoso, J., Carter, M. I., Clarke, O., Pazmino, S. D., Donnelly, D., . . . Meyer, L. (2026). A global image-based data repository of killer whale interactions with elasmobranchs – Metadata [Dataset]. In Figshare.
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30170305
Matiku, P., Bogorodsky, S. V., Samucidine, K. E., Matcher, G., & Bills, R. (2026). Nemipterid fishes (Spariformes, Nemipteridae) of Tanzania, with description of a new species of Parascolopsis and new records of Nemipterus elaine and Parascolopsis akatamae. Zootaxa, 5785(1), 103–133.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5785.1.4
Matiku, P., Bogorodsky, S. V., Samucidine, K., Matcher, G., Bills, R., & Tighe, K. A. (2026). Unexpected record of Meadia roseni Mok, Lee & Chan, 1991 (Anguilliformes: Synaphobranchidae) from the Western Indian Ocean, with comments on its ontogenetic changes. Zootaxa, 5777(1), 169–183.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5777.1.8
Message, H. J., Ota, R. R., Deprá, G. C., Morales, B. F., Ota, R. P., Oliveira, R. C., Fabrin, T. C., Skelton, P. H., & Pavanelli, C. S. (2026). Investigating Africa’s freshwater fish diversity through the lens of species description trends: How many species are there? Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 207(1).
https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlag074
Mpopetsi, P. P., Nyundu, Z., Masina, F. M., Munyai, L. F., & Dalu, T. (2026). Taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities between urbanised and protected subtropical streams. Ecohydrology, 19(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.70223
Mulelenu, C. M., Snoeks, J., Manda, A. C., & Vreven, E. J. W. M. N. (2025). The African weakly electric fish, Gnathonemus petersii (Günther, 1862) (Osteoglossiformes: Mormyridae): a first morphometric exploration into a hidden species complex. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 206(3).
https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf187
Mutambala, P. K., Kalumba, L. N., Cerwenka, A. F., Brecko, J., VandenSpiegel, D., Schedel, F. D. B., Bragança, P. H. N., Da Costa, L. M., Manda, B. K., Abwe, E., Mulelenu, C. M., Mathys, A., Chakona, A., Manda, A. C., & Vreven, E. J. M. W. N. (2026). Fish climbing in the upper Congo Basin (Central Africa), first report for the shellear Parakneria thysi on the Luvilombo Falls. Scientific Reports, 16(1).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42534-8
Mutshekwa, T., Mlambo, M. C., Naidoo, T., Kolisi, S., Odume, O. N., Mudzielwana, R., & Motitsoe, S. N. (2026). Plastic particles in pristine waters? Investigating microplastic contamination in natural springs. Water Air & Soil Pollution, 237(8).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-026-09081-4
Nawa, N., South, J., Ellender, B. R., Pegg, J., Madzivanzira, T. C., & Wasserman, R. J. (2026). The economic impact of redclaw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus on the Barotse floodplain artisanal fishery. Biological Invasions, 28(5).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-026-03799-2
Da Silva Oliveira, E., Ottoni, F. P., & South, J. (2026). Publication lags are barriers to conservation in South American ichthyology. Journal of Fish Biology.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70424
Da Silva Oliveira, E., South, J., De Oliveira Vieira, L., & Ottoni, F. P. (2026). Dry season feeding profiles of a characiformes assemblage in a Brazilian tropical stream. PubMed, 65, e3.
https://doi.org/10.6620/zs.2026.65-03
Samucidine, K., Bogorodsky, S. V., Hibino, Y., Matiku, P., Matcher, G., & Bills, R. (2026). A new species of snake eel of the genus Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Mozambique. Zootaxa, 5793(2), 496–508.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5793.2.7
Sardenne, F., Van Der Lingen, C. D., Vagner, M., Geja, Y., Puccinelli, E., Mathieu-Resuge, M., Grand, F. L., Munaron, J., Buscaglia, M., Serre, S., Soudant, P., & Pecquerie, L. (2026). Resource partitioning among small pelagic fish remains stable regardless of food availability in a seasonally pulsed upwelling system. Progress in Oceanography, 242, 103678.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2026.103678
Schenekar, T., Baxter, J., Sedlmayr, I., Gladitsch, J., Mahlangu, S., & Mwale, M. (2026b). Unveiling vertebrate biodiversity in arid and Semi‐Arid terrestrial ecosystems through eDNA metabarcoding at Savanna Waterholes. Evolutionary Applications, 19(2), e70200.
https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70200
Schmidt, R. C., Skelton, P. H., & Page, L. M. (2026b). A note on the recognition of genera Amphilius and Anoplopterus within mountain catfishes (Amphiliidae: Amphiliinae) of Africa. Zootaxa, 5741(1), 197–200. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5741.1.10
Serejo‐Saraiva, A. C., Piorski, N. M., Ottoni, F. P., Sabaj, M. H., & Lima, S. M. Q. (2026). Integrative taxonomy reveals two new species of whiptail catfishes Loricaria (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from northeastern Brazil. Journal of Fish Biology.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70395
Shabangu, F. W., Van Der Heever, G., Von Der Meden, C., Truter, H., Lamberth, S. J., & Gon, O. (2026). Rhyming in the cold: first evidence of soniferous fishes in the Southern Ocean. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation.
https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.70065
Sharma, K., Brothers, S., Bernal, S., Catalán, N., Keller, P., Koschorreck, M., Kosten, S., Leigh, C., Von Schiller, D., Pastor, A., Larrañaga, A., Arı, A., Camacho‐Santamans, A., Grinham, A., Lupon, A., Linkhorst, A., Elosegi, A., Obrador, B., Eyre, B. D., . . . Marcé, R. (2026). Net CO 2 emissions from dry inland waters persist in the presence of vegetation. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 40(3).
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gb008801
Sitoe, J. C., Rusikoza, G. F., Sithole, Y., Matcher, G., & Psomadakis, P. N. (2026). First record and expanded description of Scalicus orientalis (Teleostei: Peristediidae) from Mozambique, southwestern Indian Ocean. Zootaxa, 5759(3), 321–332.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5759.3.5
Straube, N., Hallfredsson, E. H., Schmid, S., Pogonoski, J. J., & Gon, O. (2026). First record of an ilyophine eel (Anguilliformes, Synaphobranchidae) from the Southern Ocean. Antarctic Science, 38(3), 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954102025100564
Tapfuma, D. T., Chakona, A., & Naik, Y. (2026). Synergistic effects of metal pollution and habitat degradation from artisanal gold mining drive species-specific oxidative stress and biodiversity loss in a semi-arid river catchment. Environmental Pollution, 393, 127683.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.127683
Taylor, R., Whitfield, A., Fox, C., & Adams, J. (2026). Marine–estuarine connectivity, salinity and sedimentation in the St Lucia system, South Africa, following reconnection with the uMfolozi River. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 51(1), 1–24.
https://doi.org/10.2989/16085914.2026.2616055
Themba, N. N., Themba, S. T., Cuthbert, R. N., Moyo, S., Mofu, L., Munyai, L. F., Wu, N., & Dalu, T. (2025). Microplastic assessment approaches for African freshwater biota: a review. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management.
https://doi.org/10.1093/inteam/vjaf195
Truter, M., Přikrylová, I., & Smit, N. J. (2026). A new species of Paradiplozoon (Polyopisthocotyla: Diplozoidae) from two near threatened endemic cyprinid hosts in South Africa’s Cape Fold freshwater ecoregion. International Journal for Parasitology Parasites and Wildlife, 30, 101231.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2026.101231
Uzeda, P. L. C., Sartori, L. J., Katz, A. M., Ottoni, F. P., Costa, W. J. E. M., Langeani, F., & Azevedo‐Santos, V. M. (2026). Integrative taxonomy reveals four new species of the armoured catfish genus Pareiorhina ( Siluriformes: Loricariidae ) from the upper Paraná River basin, Brazil. Journal of Fish Biology.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70319
Van Wyk, A. J., Stuart‐Smith, R. D., Goetze, J. S., Maire, E., Heyns‐Veale, E., Smit, K., Langlois, T. J., MacNeil, M. A., Matus, A. P., Lombard, A. T., Carolina, A., Semmens, C., Clausius, E., Rolim, F. A., Lefcheck, J. S., Monk, J., Schmid, J. K., Tattersall, K., Ghigliotti, L., . . . Bernard, A. (2026). Global Analysis of Shallow Underwater Fish observation Research: 70 years of progress, persistent geographic biases and a Path forward. Fish and Fisheries.
https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70072
VanCompernolle, M., Morris, J., Calich, H. J., Rodríguez, J. P., Marley, S. A., Pearce, J. R., Abrahms, B., Abrantes, K., Afonso, A. S., Aguilar, A., Agyekumhene, A., Akamatsu, T., Åkesson, S., Alawa, N. G., Alfaro‐Shigueto, J., Anderson, R. C., Anker‐Nilssen, T., Arata, J. A., Araujo, G., . . . Finucci, B. (2025). Vulnerability of marine megafauna to global at‐sea anthropogenic threats. Conservation Biology, 40(1), e70147. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70147
Venables, S. K., Müller, L., Rohner, C. A., Marshall, A. D., Van Rijn, J., De Catarina, N., Filmalter, J. D., & Daly, R. (2026). Habitat Use, Residency, and Connectivity of Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in the Bazaruto Seascape, Mozambique. Fishes, 11(5), 291.
https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11050291
De Oliveira Vieira, L., Kuranaka, M., Garcia-Ayala, J. R., De Carvalho Deprá, G., Crispim, J. L., De Oliveira, R. F., Guimarães, E. C., De Brito, P. S., Oliveira, C., & Ottoni, F. P. (2026). Unveiling fish diversity in the Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses and adjacent areas through DNA barcoding, Northeastern Brazil. Biologia, 81(6).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-026-02217-1
Walsh, G., South, J., Woodford, D. J., Stiassny, M. L. J., Gaugris, J. Y., Boukaka‐Mikembi, V. N., & Pease, A. A. (2026). Trophic diversity in aquatic food webs along a tropical coastal river continuum in West‐Central Africa. Freshwater Biology, 71(4).
https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.70197
Wansell, S. N., Geerts, S., Paterson, I. D., & Coetzee, J. A. (2026). Population genetics and invasion history of the invasive pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) in South Africa. Weed Science, 74(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1017/wsc.2026.10103
Whitfield, A. K. (2026). Review of the biology and ecology of the bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), an important global species in temperate and subtropical coastal waters. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 109(2).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-026-01828-6
Whitfield, A. K. (2026a). A review of the Indo-Pacific mangrove red snapper Lutjanus argentimaculatus with particular emphasis on its ability to cope with future global changes. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 109(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-026-01830-y
Whitfield, A. K. (2026a). A review of the tripletail Lobotes surinamensis (Family: Lobotidae), with particular emphasis on its eurytopic adaptability to global coastal environments. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 109(1).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-026-01824-w
Whitfield, A. K. (2026). Adapted to past, present and future aquatic environments: a review of the biology and ecology of the eurytopic Indo-Pacific tarpon Megalops cyprinoides. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 109(1).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-026-01809-9
Yang, L., Skelton, P. H., & Naylor, G. J. (2025). Polyploid evolution, phylogenetic relationships, and biogeography of sub-Saharan Africa’s only tetraploid fish group – Pseudobarbus and allies (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 216, 108526.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2025.108526
Zarei, F., Bills, R., Motomura, H., Kovačić, M., & Chakona, A. (2026). Systematic revision of east African Oligolepis (Oxudercidae: Gobionellinae) reveals a distinct species, Oligolepis goni sp. nov., formerly assigned to Oligolepis acutipennis (Valenciennes, 1837). Journal of Fish Biology.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70498
Zarei, F., Motomura, H., & Chakona, A. (2026). Taxonomic revision of two Indo-Pacific species of Valenciennea (Teleostei: Gobiidae) reveals two new species from the Indian Ocean. Zootaxa, 5807(2), 351–389. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5807.2.6
Zaza, S., Atemkeng, M., Murray, T. S., Filmalter, J. D., & Cowley, P. D. (2026). Unsupervised-explainable anomaly detection in large-scale estuarine acoustic telemetry data. Ecological Informatics, 94, 103672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2026.103672
Ziko, B., Childs, A., Mukhari, D., & Murray, T. (2026). Will I survive? Assessing the thermal tolerance of an estuary-dependent mugilid, Chelon dumerili , in a changing climate. African Journal of Marine Science, 48(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232x.2025.2601081