2015-12-14

The richest lake fish fauna in the world

I’m just back from a expedition to Lake Malawi (also known as Lake Niassa or Nyasa), for The Freshwater Project, and I’d like to share some first images.
The ecoregion hosts highly endemic species flocks of fishes, which make up one of the richest lake fish faunas in the world. Lake Malawi is the southernmost lake of the Rift Valley and is bordered by the countries of Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
There are about 800 species of fishes, but in addition, there are clearly recognizable geographic sub-populations, some having economic value - such as those sold as ornamental fishes. It has been suggested that as many as 3,000 recognizable fish taxa (species and populations) might be found in the lake. The latter number probably represents the largest number of fish taxa for any lake in the world.

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