Blenniidae
molly miller
Scartella cristata
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.
molly miller
Apogonidae
Moluccan cardinalfish
Ostorhinchus moluccensis
Labridae
Mombasa pencil wrasse
Pseudojuloides edwardi
Cichlidae
Mongo
Stomatepia mongo
Lophiidae
monk
Lophius piscatorius
Monodactylidae
mono
Monodactylus argenteus
Acanthuridae
Monrovia doctorfish
Acanthurus monroviae
Blenniidae
Montagu's blenny
Coryphoblennius galerita
Mormyridae
Monteiri's bulldog
Marcusenius monteiri
Citharinidae
Moon fish
Citharinus citharus
Citharinidae
Moon fish
Citharinus latus
Menidae
moonfish
Mene maculata
Carangidae
moonfish
Selene setapinnis
Cichlidae
Moore's Lamprologus
Variabilichromis moorii
Zanclidae
Moorish idol
Zanclus cornutus
Muraenidae
Moray eel
Gymnothorax reticularis
Mormyridae
Mormyrids
Mormyrus macrophthalmus
Mormyridae
Mormyrids
Mormyrus rume
Mormyridae
Mormyrids
Petrocephalus bovei
Mormyridae
Mormyrids
Petrocephalus simus
Blenniidae
Moroccan blenny
Salariopsis atlantica
Cobitidae
Moroccan Spined Loach
Cobitis maroccana
Sparidae
Moroccan white seabream
Diplodus cadenati
Cichlidae
Mortimer's happy
Sargochromis mortimeri
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.