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Malawi
Fish of Lake Malawi
March 21, 1994
Pseudotropheus socolofi
Melanochromis auratus
Pseudotropheus lombardoi
Labeotropheus trewavasae
Pseudotropheus zebra
Pseudotropheus elongatus
The cichlids of the African Rift lakes are extraordinary. These very deep lakes have a higher density of life than any other body of fresh water, approaching that of salt water coral reefs.
The scientific names of many of these
fish was in constant flux for many years. Due to sexual dimorphism, the differences in appearance between males and females of the same species were sometimes classified as two distinct species.
There are also many species with very subtle differences. This is due to the way they evolved and the lake bed topology. The lakes often have large rock outcroppings separated by expansive areas of open water. This prohibited
fish from moving up and down the coastline, instead keeping the gene pool restricted to localized areas. This often lead to highly specialized feeding habits and behaviors.
For example, the Malawi eyebiter (Dimidiochromis compressiceps), ws long believed to eat the eyeballs of other
fish. (While this behavior has never been observed in the wild, many
fish have been found to have eyeballs in their stomachs.)
Don
APS #094826
Posted 04/18/2016 8:40 pm
