The World's Forgotten Fishes - 15

© Camilo Diaz / WWF Colombia

There's so much we still don't know
about these incredibly diverse
freshwater creatures. Two things we
definitely do know, though, are that
healthy freshwater fish populations
are critically important for people and
nature, and that freshwater fishes are
facing an unprecedented crisis.

© Ad Konigs / Cichlid Press

know exactly how many there are:
astonishingly, there are still hundreds,
possibly thousands, of freshwater
fishes to discover. In South America
alone, more than 104 new species of
freshwater fish have been identified
every year for the past decade - an
average of two new species a week12 .
Even where species are described,
data deficiency remains a huge
barrier: at the time of writing 2,164
freshwater fishes assessed by IUCN
are classed as Data Deficient.
Since many freshwater fishes are
endemic with small geographical
ranges, such knowledge gaps can
prove particularly problematic
for conservation.

THE AMAZING RADIATIONS OF CICHLIDS
Cichlids (Cichlidae) are one of the most diverse families of freshwater fish on earth,
with almost 2000 known species. Most are found within South America and Africa.
There are at least 1600 species of cichlids in Africa's Great Lakes, including Victoria,
Tanganyika and Malawi, with hundreds of species yet to be described13. Within these
lakes, cichlids have adapted to occupy almost every niche and position in the food chain,
including carnivore, herbivore and detritivore. Some are generalists, others specialists,
and they have developed an array of morphological and behavioural adaptations to
their particular niche. The diversity of Africa's Great Lake cichlids is one of the most
spectacular examples of speciation in the world and provides scientists with a
unique opportunity to better understand the drivers of species evolution.

The World's Forgotten Fishes page 15



The World's Forgotten Fishes

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The World's Forgotten Fishes

Contents
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 1
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 2
The World's Forgotten Fishes - Contents
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 4
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 5
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 6
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 7
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 8
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 9
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 10
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 11
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 12
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 13
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 14
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 15
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 16
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 17
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 18
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 19
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 20
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 21
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 22
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 23
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 24
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 25
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 26
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 27
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 28
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 29
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 30
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 31
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 32
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 33
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 34
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 35
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 36
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 37
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 38
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 39
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 40
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 41
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 42
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 43
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 44
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 45
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 46
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 47
The World's Forgotten Fishes - 48
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