Halosauridae
Halosaur
Halosaurus johnsonianus
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.
Halosaur
Halosauridae
Halosaur
Halosaurus ovenii
Cyprinidae
Hamilton's barb
Enteromius afrohamiltoni
Nothobranchiidae
Hannelore's killi
Aphyosemion hanneloreae
Cichlidae
Haplochromis borleyi redfin
Copadichromis borleyi
Cichlidae
Haplochromis quads
Copadichromis mbenjii
Cichlidae
Happy
Copadichromis azureus
Cichlidae
Happy
Copadichromis chrysonotus
Cichlidae
Happy
Copadichromis cyaneus
Cichlidae
Happy
Copadichromis jacksoni
Cichlidae
Happy
Copadichromis mloto
Cichlidae
Happy
Copadichromis pleurostigma
Cichlidae
Happy
Copadichromis pleurostigmoides
Cichlidae
Happy
Copadichromis quadrimaculatus
Cichlidae
Happy
Copadichromis verduyni
Cichlidae
Happy
Corematodus shiranus
Cichlidae
Happy
Corematodus taeniatus
Cichlidae
Happy
Mchenga conophoros
Cichlidae
Happy
Mylochromis anaphyrmus
Cichlidae
Happy
Mylochromis epichorialis
Cichlidae
Happy
Mylochromis ericotaenia
Cichlidae
Happy
Mylochromis formosus
Cichlidae
Happy
Naevochromis chrysogaster
Cichlidae
Happy
Placidochromis subocularis
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.