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CICHLIDS
LAKE MALAWI CICHLIDS
Lake Malawi was formed 1-2 million years ago. This geologically young, rocky lake
of the East African Rift is about 375 miles (604 km) long and 53 miles (85 km) wide, making it the ninth largest
lake in the world. The lake is bordered by Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. This lake is dominated by cichlids,
most of which are endemic to the lake.
Over 280 cichlid species have been described, although estimates of
up to 500 cichlid species have been made.
The largest group of Cichlids found in this lake is the Haplochromines
with over 120 species and 48 genera.
Among the Haplochromines, are the Peacock Cichlids of the genusAulonocara;the
Mbuna, a large group, including the genera,Cynotilapia, Labeotropheus, Labidochromis,Melanochromis, andPseudotropheus; and the larger piscivores of the generaCyrtocara, Nimbochromis,and Sciaenochromis.
Lake Malawi Biotope Setup
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Recent news
Sushi lovers may be eating Critically Endangered species without knowing it
(11/24/2009)
Restaurants sampled in New York and Colorado are serving up bluefin tuna without informing their customers know they are dining on an endangered species, according to a new study in PLoS ONE. Using DNA barcoding researchers from the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History found that nearly a third of tuna sampled in one restaurant in Colorado and thirty restaurants in New York served bluefin tuna, and nine of the restaurants did not label the tuna as bluefin.
Videos and Photos: over 17,000 species discovered in waters beyond the sun's reach
(11/23/2009)
Deep, deep below the ocean's surface, in a world of ever-present darkness, one would expect few, if any, species would thrive. However, recent expeditions by the Census of Marine Life (CoML) have found an incredible array of strange, diverse, and amazing creatures. To date a total of 17,650 species are now known to live in frigid, nearly lightless waters beyond the photic zone—where enough light occurs for photosynthesis—approximately 200 meters deep. Nearly 6,000 of these occur in even harsher ecosystems, below depths of 1,000 meters or 0.62 miles down.
Using fish as livestock feed threatens global fisheries
(11/18/2009)
Fish doesn't just feed humans. Millions of tons of fish are fed every year to chickens, pigs, and even farmed fish even in the midst of rising concerns over fish stocks collapses around the world. Finding an alternative to fish as livestock feed would go a long way toward preventing the collapse of fish populations worldwide according to a new paper in Oryx.
ICCAT fails to protect critically endangered tuna—again
(11/15/2009)
The International Commissions for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) ignored the advice of its scientists to end fishing of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Instead ICAAT set a quota of 13,500 tons of fish. This is not the first time ICCAT has flouted its own researchers' advice: it has repeatedly set quotas well-above its researchers' recommendations.
Governments, public failing to save world's species
(11/04/2009)
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) 2008 report, released yesterday, 36 percent of the total species evaluated by the organization are threatened with extinction. If one adds the species classified as Near Threatened, the percentage jumps to 44 percent—nearly half.
Atlantic bluefin tuna should be banned internationally: ICCAT scientists
(10/29/2009)
Scientists with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) have said in a new report that a global ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing is justified. ICCAT meets in November to decide if they will follow their scientist's recommendations.
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