Soleidae
Banded sole
Microchirus wittei
FISH SPECIES
African Fish
Discover fish with recorded distributions in Africa, across inland lakes, ancient river systems and coastal waters.
FISH ATLAS / FIELD GUIDEAfrican FishIN THIS CHAPTER01 / Characteristics02 / Lifestyle03 / Species04 / Field notes
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01 / NATURAL HISTORY
Characteristics
African ichthyofauna is famous for the rapid adaptive radiation of Rift Lake cichlids alongside archaic, relic lineages like lungfish and bichirs. These species demonstrate remarkable evolutionary resilience across dramatic tropical dry and wet cycles.
- 01Rift lake cichlid radiations
- 02Ancient river basin lineages
- 03Extreme drought adaptations
02 / LIFESTYLE
Lifestyle
In the Great Rift Valley lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika, and Malawi), hundreds of cichlid species partition microscopic spatial zones—from rock-scraping mbuna to shell-dwelling dwarfs and scale-eating specialists. In contrast, riverine species navigating the Congo and Nile systems endure massive seasonal water level drops, with some surviving dry periods through aestivation or facultative air-breathing.
OBSERVATION INDEX
- Rift lake micro-niche partitioning
- Substrate scraping and brood defense
- Floodplain and dry-season aestivation
03 / SPECIES
Representative species
Discover representative species illustrating the ecological diversity, morphologies and adaptations of this group.
Banded sole
Cichlidae
Banded tilapia
Tilapia sparrmanii
Macrouridae
Banded whiptail
Coelorinchus fasciatus
Ambassidae
Banded-tail glassy perchlet
Ambassis urotaenia
Apogonidae
Bandfin cardinalfish
Pristiapogon taeniopterus
Scorpaenidae
Bandfin scorpionfish
Scorpaenopsis vittapinna
Blenniidae
bandit blenny
Omobranchus banditus
Congridae
bandtooth conger
Ariosoma balearicum
Mormyridae
Bane Mormyrid
Petrocephalus bane
Cheilodactylidae
Bank steenbras
Chirodactylus grandis
Dasyatidae
Baraka's Whipray
Maculabatis ambigua
Stomiidae
Barbate dragonfish
Eustomias enbarbatus
Cyprinidae
Barbel
Enteromius anema
Gobiesocidae
Barbel clingfish
Apletodon barbatus
Exocoetidae
barbel flyingfish
Exocoetus monocirrhus
Leptochariidae
barbeled houndshark
Leptocharias smithii
Clinidae
Barbelled klipfish
Cirrhibarbis capensis
Cyprinidae
Barbus barb
Enteromius barotseensis
Carangidae
Barcheek trevally
Craterognathus plagiotaenia
Scorpaenidae
barchin scorpionfish
Sebastapistes strongia
Gobiidae
Barehead goby
Caffrogobius nudiceps
Gobiidae
Barenape goby
Fusigobius duospilus
Gobiidae
Barhead dwarfgoby
Eviota notata
Cyprinidae
Baringo barb
Labeobarbus intermedius
04 / FIELD NOTES
A closer look
Why are African Rift Lake cichlids famous in evolutionary biology?
The Great Lakes of East Africa witnessed explosive evolutionary radiations where a few ancestral species diverged into hundreds of ecologically specialized species in remarkably short geologic time spans.
How do African freshwater fish survive seasonal droughts?
Certain species, like the African lungfish, can burrow into muddy riverbeds and secrete a protective mucous cocoon to aestivate for months until rains restore the waterway.