Belonidae
Keel-jawed needle fish
Tylosurus melanotus
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.
Keel-jawed needle fish
Belonidae
Keeled needlefish
Platybelone platyura
Dorosomatidae
Kelee shad
Hilsa kelee
Scorpaenidae
Kellogg's scorpionfish
Scorpaenodes kelloggi
Clinidae
Kelp klipfish
Clinus rotundifrons
Pomacentridae
Kenyan chromis
Chromis nigroanalis
Cichlidae
Kenyi cichlid
Maylandia lombardoi
Gobiidae
key goby
Drombus key
Bothidae
Khaki flounder
Laeops natalensis
Poeciliidae
Kibiti Lampeye
Lacustricola lacustris
Bagridae
Kibonde
Chrysichthys brachynema
Nothobranchiidae
Kikambala nothobranch
Nothobranchius interruptus
Nothobranchiidae
Kilombero
Nothobranchius kilomberoensis
Nothobranchiidae
Kindia killi
Scriptaphyosemion cauveti
Cyttidae
King dory
Cyttus traversi
Scomberesocidae
King gar
Scomberesox scombroides
Ophidiidae
Kingklip
Genypterus capensis
Hepsetidae
Kingsley's African Pike
Hepsetus kingsleyae
Cichlidae
Kirondo
Tropheops macrophthalmus
Scophthalmidae
kite
Scophthalmus rhombus
Bothidae
Kithara's flounder
Laeops kitaharae
Cichlidae
Kiwinge
Dimidiochromis kiwinge
Congridae
Klausewitz' garden eel
Gorgasia klausewitzi
Soleidae
Klein's sole
Synapturichthys kleinii
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.