Gobiidae
Salamansa goby
Gobius salamansa
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
SCROLL
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.
Salamansa goby
Sparidae
salema
Sarpa salpa
Salmonidae
Salmon
Salmo macrostigma
Blenniidae
Salt Blenny
Parablennius salensis
Holocentridae
sammara squirrelfish
Neoniphon sammara
Syngnathidae
Samoan pipefish
Halicampus mataafae
Atherinidae
Samoan silverside
Hypoatherina temminckii
Holocentridae
Samurai squirrelfish
Sargocentron ittodai
Mormyridae
Sanaga Bulldog
Marcusenius sanagaensis
Trichonotidae
sand diver
Trichonotus marleyi
Synodontidae
Sand lizardfish
Synodus dermatogenys
Ginglymostomatidae
sand shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Atherinidae
sand smelt
Atherina presbyter
Creediidae
Sand submarine
Limnichthys nitidus
Cynoglossidae
Sand tonguefish
Cynoglossus capensis
Monacanthidae
sandy filefish
Thamnaconus arenaceus
Rajidae
sandy ray
Leucoraja circularis
Sparidae
Santer seabream
Cheimerius nufar
Pomacentridae
sapphire damsel
Pomacentrus pavo
Syngnathidae
Sargassum pipefish
Syngnathus pelagicus
Antennariidae
Sargassumfish
Histrio histrio
Cichlidae
Saulosi
Chindongo saulosi
Scomberesocidae
saury
Scomberesox saurus
Squatinidae
sawback angelshark
Squatina aculeata
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.