Range Description

This is a very wide-ranging species with an almost Pan Africa distribution.

Central Africa: Heterobranchus longifilis is known from throughout the Congo River basin. In Lower Guinea, it occurs in the Cross and Sanaga in Cameroon, and the Ogowe in Gabon.

Eastern Africa: This species is present in Lake Tanganyika, Malagarasi River, Lake Rukwa drainage, Rufiji and Wami, Lower Shire River, Lake Rukwa system, Lake Edward, Murchision Nile, and Lake Turkana (Seegers et al. 2004).

Northern Africa: It is present but rare in Lower Egyptian Nile (Cairo) and sometimes from This species is known from upper Egyptian Nile (Luxor and Aswan), as well as Lake Nasser (also known as Lake Nubia).

Northeast Africa: This species is found in Ghazal and Jebel systems, White Nile, Nile and Lake Nasser, Sudan. It is also known from Baro and Omo Rivers, Ethiopia.

Southern Africa: It is known from middle and lower Zambezi and north into central Africa. There are also new records of a Heterobranchus from the Rovuma River.

Western Africa: This species is known from the Gambia, This species is known from upper Senegal, Niger, Benue, Lake Chad, Volta and coastal basins from Guinea to Nigeria, including the delta of Niger and the Cross River.