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SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish

Cichlids

Tilapia, the pearlspot (karimeen), angelfish, discus and the cichlids of the African lakes. 60 fish on EveryFish so far.

Cichlids are a family of perch-like fish of fresh and brackish water in Africa, the Americas and South Asia. With more than 1,700 described species and many more awaiting names, they are one of the largest families of vertebrates. They have a second set of jaws in the throat that lets them handle many foods, and nearly all of them care for their eggs and young, many by carrying them in their mouths.

Evolution's showcase

In the great lakes of East Africa, Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria, cichlids have split into hundreds of species each, with jaws and teeth shaped for scraping algae, crushing snails, eating fish, plucking scales from other fish or sifting sand. Lake Victoria's cichlids evolved in roughly 15,000 years, a blink in evolutionary time. Many were lost after the Nile perch was introduced, a famous case of the harm an introduced predator can do.

Tilapia and karimeen

Tilapias, especially the Nile tilapia, are among the most farmed fish in the world, raised in more than a hundred countries because they grow fast and tolerate poor water. India has its own cichlids: the green chromide or pearlspot, karimeen, of Kerala's backwaters, Kerala's state fish, and the small orange chromide. The angelfish, discus and oscar of South America and the mbuna of Lake Malawi are favourites of aquarists.

Famous cichlid fish

Nile tilapiaFarmed in more than a hundred countriesDiscusA disc-shaped Amazon cichlidOscarA large South American aquarium cichlidZebra mbunaA rock-dwelling cichlid of Lake MalawiElectric yellow cichlidThe electric yellow cichlidFrontosa cichlidA banded cichlid of Lake Tanganyika

Still to be written: Green chromide, Pterophyllum scalare.

Further reading

WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
🇹🇿 Tanzania and 2 moreSingida tilapia A cichlid fish native to the Lake Victoria basin in East Africa.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreNile tilapia A hardy cichlid farmed globally for food.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇭🇳 Honduras and 3 moreJaguar cichlid Large predatory cichlid from Central American lakesCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 morePeacock bass Large predatory cichlids from South American rivers known for sport fishing and invasive impact.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇮 Burundi and 3 moreGiant cichlid The largest living cichlid species, native to Lake Tanganyika in Africa.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1899 Karonga tilapia 🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreKaronga tilapia Endangered cichlid from Lake Malawi and the Shire River.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldCichlid Diverse freshwater fish family known for parental care and rapid evolution.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1835 🇨🇷 Costa Rica and 1 moreMidas cichlid Large aggressive cichlid from Central AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreTexas cichlid The only cichlid native to the United StatesCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreMayan cichlid A hardy cichlid from Mesoamerica with a distinctive tail spot.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldUaru A large South American cichlid from clear Amazon streams.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1840 Sub-Saharan AfricaJewel cichlid Brightly colored African cichlids kept in aquariums for their vivid breeding colours and parental care.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldMango tilapia A large cichlid native to Africa and the Levant.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreBlue tilapia Hardy cichlid native to Africa and the Middle EastCichlid · Rivers and lakes Middle EastRedbelly tilapia A hardy cichlid from Africa and the Middle East.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreOscar Large South American cichlid popular in aquariumsCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1831 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreSpeckled peacock bass A large South American cichlid prized for sport and food.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreButterfly peacock bass Large South American cichlid prized for sport fishingCichlid · Rivers and lakes Livingston's cichlid Sub-Saharan AfricaLivingston's cichlid A predatory cichlid from Lake Malawi that feigns death to hunt.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaRedbreast tilapia Herbivorous cichlid from southern African freshwatersCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1897 Sub-Saharan AfricaVictoria tilapia A cichlid native to Lake Victoria with unique colour patterns.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreMozambique tilapia A hardy cichlid from southeastern Africa, now farmed globally and listed as a major invasive species.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.