Lukuga

Lukuga
The Lukuga in the course of the Lualaba (lower center right)
Data
location	Democratic Republic of Congo
River system	Congo
Drain over	Lualaba  → Congo  → Atlantic
origin	Lake Tanganyika at Kalemie 5 ° 55 ′ 6 ″  S , 29 ° 11 ′ 51 ″  E
Source height	768  m
muzzle	in the Lualaba coordinates: 5 ° 39 ′ 28 "  S , 26 ° 54 ′ 56"  E 5 ° 39 ′ 28 "  S , 26 ° 54 ′ 56"  E
Mouth height	549  m
Height difference	219 m
Bottom slope	0.63 ‰
length	350 km
Catchment area	265,000 km²
The Lukuga from the bridge in Kalemie

The approximately 350 km long Lukuga is the only outflow of the East African Lake Tanganyika and a right tributary of the Congo .

course

It leaves this lake on its west bank, which belongs to the Democratic Republic of the Congo , near Kalemie . From there it flows in a breakthrough valley in a westerly direction through the Central African Sill . The Central African Sill is one of the steep borders of the East African Rift Valley . A chain of lakes extends within this rift valley, including Lake Tanganyika. Finally, the Lukuga flows into the Lualaba , a source river of the Congo, and has overcome a height of over 200 m.

The flow of the river depends heavily on the water level of Lake Tanganyika.

fauna

In Lukuga there are almost 60 species of fish, many of which come from the Congo system, while others, including all cichlids except for Nanochromis squamiceps , come from Lake Tanganyika. Which ensures certain fish are the clupeiformes Stolothrissa tanganicae , the Slim fish Kneria wittei that carp Chelaethiops congicus , Enteromius neumayeri , Enteromius taeniopleura , Enteromius apleurogramma , Enteromius holotaenia , Enteromius humeralis , Enteromius lineomaculatus , Enteromius lufukiensis , Enteromius miolepis , Enteromius oligogrammus , labeobarbus tropidolepis , labeo dhonti , labeobarbus caudovittatus , labeobarbus pojeri , Opsaridium ruisseau , ubangiense Opsaridium and raiamas salmolucius , the tetra Brycinus kingsleyae , bryconaethiops boulengeri , Micralestes acutidens , Micralestes humilis , stormsi Micralestes and Micralestes vittatus , the catfish Amphilius uranoscopus , Auchenoglanis wittei , Auchenoglanis tanganicanus , Chiloglanis lukugae , Chiloglanis pojeri , Clarias ruisseau , Clarias alluaudi , Clarias dhonti , Pareutropis debauwi , Phractura lindica , Zaireichthys heterurus and Zaireichthys rotundiceps that Cyprinodontiformes Lacustri cola pumilus and Lamprichthys tanganicanus , the spiny Mastacembelus congicus and Mastacembelus frenatus , the giant sea bass Lates microlepis , the tilapias bluelip haplo , Astatotilapia burtoni , aulonocranus , Ctenochromis horei , limnotilapia dardennii , Lobochilotes labiatus , Nanochromis squamiceps, tanganicae Oreochromis , Plecodus paradoxus , Simochromis diagramma , Telmatochromis dhonti , Tilapia zillii and Tylochromis polylepis , the bushfish Ctenopoma muriei and the Ethiopian lungfish ( Protopterus aethiopicus )

supporting documents

1. ↑ UNEP - Problematique de l'eau en République Démocratique du Congo
2. ^ Sven O. Kullander and Tyson R. Roberts: Out of Lake Tanganyika: endemic lake fishes inhabit rapids of the Lukuga River. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, Vol. 22, No. December 4, 2011 © 2011 by Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munich, Germany - ISSN  0936-9902