Poeciliidae
guppy
Poecilia reticulata
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.
guppy
Carangidae
gwelly
Pseudocaranx dentex
Exocoetidae
gyre flyingfish
Prognichthys gibbifrons
Nothobranchiidae
Gérys killi
Scriptaphyosemion geryi
Tetrarogidae
Günther's waspfish
Snyderina guentheri
Alepocephalidae
Hairfin smooth-head
Talismania homoptera
Bythitidae
Hairlip brotula
Cataetyx messieri
Trichiuridae
hairtail
Aphanopus carbo
Blenniidae
Hairtail blenny
Xiphasia setifer
Caulophrynidae
Hairy angler
Caulophryne polynema
Labrisomidae
hairy blenny
Labrisomus nuchipinnis
Blenniidae
Hairy bleny
Cirrisalarias bunares
Congridae
Hairy conger
Bassanago albescens
Scorpaenidae
hairy scorpionfish
Scorpaenodes hirsutus
Batrachoididae
Hairy toadfish
Batrachoides liberiensis
Merlucciidae
hake
Merluccius capensis
Merlucciidae
hake
Merluccius merluccius
Merlucciidae
hake
Merluccius paradoxus
Merlucciidae
hake
Merluccius polli
Apogonidae
Half-barred cardinal
Fibramia thermalis
Tetraodontidae
Half-smooth golden pufferfish
Lagocephalus spadiceus
Hemiramphidae
Halfbeak
Hemiramphus convexus
Epinephelidae
halfmoon grouper
Epinephelus rivulatus
Balistidae
Halfmoon triggerfish
Sufflamen chrysopterum
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.