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2015 Lake Tanganyika mission

A scientific mission to survey the ecology of fish communities in lake Tanganyika (Tanzania)

About 670 km long, Lake Tanganyka is one of the largest lakes in the world. It is also a veritable laboratory of evolution inhabited by hundreds of fish species that are found nowhere else (endemic). Among them, more than 220 belong to the single Cichlidae family.

For scientists, Lake Tanganyika offers countless examples of the speciation process wich leads to the appearance of new species. The specific ecological condition of this lake with the dimensions of an inland sea gave birth to many diverse morphological types, strikingly reminding a wide variety of different marine fish families. Studying how tens of closely related species share the same habitat resources is interesting in terms of speciation (level of ecological differenciation according to kinship), and in comparison with their marine counterparts ("ecological equivalents").
...

This scientific diving mission lasted from April 11 to 27, 2015. It was held in Kipili (south of the lake, Tanzania) with a team of 8 volunteer divers. Its main goal was to assess habitat preferences of the different species sharing the same rocky environment in a given location.
After an exploration phase around several islands, we selected a survey site in Mvuna Island (see map). The survey protocol we used had already been tested during several field missions. The principle is to "quantify" as many features as possible of the close environment of a given number of fish individuals by semi-quantitatively assessing a series of variables describing the habitat (topography, living cover...) and the way the fish places itself within this context.
The results have not been completely analysed yet. However, a few graphs are provided here together with the photos.

This trip was organised in partnership with the French tour operator Blue World, and was hosted by Lake Shore Lodge in Kipili, a renowned high standard resort. The team managed by Patrick Louisy (Emmanuel Gouin, Marie Gromand, Patrick Noël, Marie-Joëlle and Pierre Rouillan, Denis Sabatier, Hervé Thédy) deserves congratulations for their hard work and enthusiasm. And many thanks to Louise and Chris Horsfall and all the Lake Shore Lodge team for their kindness and involvement in the achievement of our mission.

And to see other images of this trip, you may visit Patrick Noël's website.
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Boulengerochromis microlepis (pair with fry)-0079
Title: Boulengerochromis microlepis (pair with fry)-0079
Description: Reaching 60 to 70 cm in length the giant of the Cichlid family aggressively protect their minute fry (male above, female below).
Date: 13 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Shallow rocks in Mvuna: an aquarium in the wild
Title: Shallow rocks in Mvuna: an aquarium in the wild
Description: A school of Ophthalmotilapia boops and O. ventralis.
Date: 23 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Deep rocky habitat in Mvuna
Title: Deep rocky habitat in Mvuna
Description: Cyphotilapia gibberosa over large boulders around 25 m depth.
Date: 17 April 2015 09h01
Geopositioning: map
Informations

A school of Petrochromis fasciolatus in Mvuna
Title: A school of Petrochromis fasciolatus in Mvuna
Date: 18 April 2015 15h52
Informations

Location map
Title: Location map
Date: 12 May 2015
Informations

Map of the dive sites around Kipili
Title: Map of the dive sites around Kipili
Geopositioning: map
Informations

The survey site in Mvuna
Title: The survey site in Mvuna
Description: Our boat close to the sheltered rocky habitat where we made most of our survey.
Date: 23 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Lake Shore Lodge
Title: Lake Shore Lodge
Date: 21 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Sunset on Kipili islands
Title: Sunset on Kipili islands
Date: 20 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Chris & Louise Horsfall
Title: Chris & Louise Horsfall
Description: Louise and Chris are the owners and managers of Lake Shore Lodge. They deserve our best thanks for their kindness!
Date: 25 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

The team
Title: The team
Description: NB Marie and Emmanuel are missing because they joined us for the second week only.
Date: 18 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

The boat arriving at our survey site in Mvuna
Title: The boat arriving at our survey site in Mvuna
Date: 17 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Hard work for the team!
Title: Hard work for the team!
Description: Hervé, Denis, Pierre and Marie-Joëlle checking their photos, identifying the species and recording the observations made during the day.
A lot of work, but in a nice place...
Date: 22 April 2015
Informations

Manu and Marie recording the observations of the day
Title: Manu and Marie recording the observations of the day
Description: A serious job with a nice landscape!
Date: 22 April 2015
Informations

The slate used for underwater habitat records
Title: The slate used for underwater habitat records
Description: In order to study habitat preferences, for each individual fish observed, the underwater observers had to record 40 different parameters.
Date: 22 April 2015
Informations

Marie-Jo during habitat survey
Title: Marie-Jo during habitat survey
Date: 20 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Marie & Emmanuel observing a shell field
Title: Marie & Emmanuel observing a shell field
Date: 23 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Surveying habitat while snorkeling
Title: Surveying habitat while snorkeling
Date: 23 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Main subject of the survey: herbivorous Cichlid fish
Title: Main subject of the survey: herbivorous Cichlid fish
Description: The study of habitat preferences was performed on 17 species* of herbivorous Cichlid fish (algae grazers) in a sheltered rocky habitat between 0 and 11 m depth.
* List of species surveyed:
Tropheus brichardi, Simochromis diagramma, Pseudosimochromis curvifrons, Interochromis loocki, Petrochromis ephippium, P. famula, P. fasciolatus, P. sp. Kipili brown, P. cf. macrognathus "Rainbow", P. polyodon "Texas", Ophthalmotilapia boops, O. ventralis, Cunningtonia longiventralis, Asprotilapia leptura, Eretmodus cyanostictus, Telmatochromis cf. brachygnathus, T. vittatus.
Date: 23 April 2015
Geopositioning: map
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Tropheus brichardi
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Tropheus brichardi
Date: 14 April 2015 10h07
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Tropheus brichardi (subadult)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Tropheus brichardi...
Date: 24 April 2015 12h29
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Tropheus brichardi (juvenile)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Tropheus brichardi...
Date: 13 April 2015
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Tropheus brichard (fighting males)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Tropheus brichard...
Date: 16 April 2015 12h30
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Simochromis diagramma
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Simochromis diagramma
Date: 24 April 2015 12h57
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Simochromis diagramma (male)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Simochromis diagramma...
Date: 20 April 2015 12h27
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Pseudosimochromis curvifrons
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Pseudosimochromis...
Date: 20 April 2015 12h34
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis polyodon "Texas" (male)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis polyodon...
Date: 17 April 2015 12h38
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis polyodon "Texas"
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis polyodon...
Date: 23 April 2015 11h36
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis ephippium
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis ephippium
Date: 14 April 2015 17h43
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis cf. macrognathus "Rainbow" (male)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis cf....
Date: 14 April 2015 16h55
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis cf. macrognathus "Rainbow" (female)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis cf....
Date: 14 April 2015 16h39
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis famula
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis famula
Date: 18 April 2015 16h11
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis sp. "Kipili brown" (female)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis sp....
Date: 17 April 2015 12h36
Informations

Title: Les 17 végétariens étudiés : Petrochromis sp....
Date: 21 April 2015 09h44
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis fasciolatus
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis fasciolatus
Date: 24 April 2015 11h47
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis fasciolatus
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Petrochromis fasciolatus
Date: 24 April 2015 11h47
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Interochromis loocki
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Interochromis loocki
Description: This fish has long been called Petrochromis sp. orthognathus "tricolor" (Konings, 1998).
Date: 17 April 2015 13h14
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophtalmotilapia boops (young male)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophtalmotilapia boops...
Date: 13 April 2015
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophtalmotilapia boops (female)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophtalmotilapia boops...
Date: 16 April 2015 11h59
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophthalmotilapia boops (brooding female)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophthalmotilapia...
Date: 21 April 2015 13h03
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophthalmotilapia ventralis (male)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophthalmotilapia...
Date: 15 April 2015 18h25
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophthalmotilapia ventralis (a pair)-0095
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Ophthalmotilapia...
Date: 22 April 2015 12h28
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Cunningtonia longiventralis (male)
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Cunningtonia...
Date: 21 April 2015 10h01
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Asprotilapia leptura
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Asprotilapia leptura
Date: 13 April 2015
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Eretmodus cyanostictus
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Eretmodus cyanostictus
Date: 24 April 2015 17h50
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Telmatochromis vittatus
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Telmatochromis vittatus
Date: 13 April 2015
Informations

The 17 herbivorous species studied: Telmatochromis cf. brachygnathus
Title: The 17 herbivorous species studied: Telmatochromis cf....
Description: According to Konings (2015), this fish could be a morphological variation of Telmatochromis temporalis. However, on our survey site in Mvuna, it coexists with T. temporalis from which it differs by its morphology, colour pattern and habitat preferences.
Date: 16 April 2015 11h53
Informations

Graph: observed sizes
Title: Graph: observed sizes
Description: This graph shows the size range of the adult and subadult individuals observed for the habitat preferences survey in Mvuna.
NB Sizes were estimated underwater; the maximal sizes in the graph are not necessarily the maximum sizes reached by these species on this location.
Date: 11 May 2015
Informations

Graph: observation depths
Title: Graph: observation depths
Description: This graph shows the depth range of the 17 herbivorous species surveyed in the site called Nursery (Mvuna).
The blue bars indicate the observation depth of the adult and subadult individuals included in the habitat preferences survey in the sheltered rocky section of the site.
Date: 11 May 2015
Informations

Graph: distance from substrate
Title: Graph: distance from substrate
Description: This graph shows the results for one of the numerous parameters recorded in the habitat preferences survey of herbivorous Cichlids in Mvuna: the distance from the substrate.
- Two species (Asprotilapia leptura and Eretmodus cyanostictus) are always very close to the substrate (less than 2 cm; see dark green bars). Telmatochromis cf. brachygnathus and T. vittatus, which hide in narrow crevices, also remain almost in contact with the rock most of the time.
- Although much more mobile, Tropheus brichardi, Simochromis diagramma and Pseudosimochromis curvifrons swim very close to the substrate most of the time (about 60 %).
- On the opposite, Ophthalmotilapia boops and O. ventralis prefer clearly to swim away from the substrate (dark blue bars) although they graze algae on the rocks.
- The often larger Petrochromis (and Interochromis) species mostly hover at an intermediate distance, between 3 and 20 cm from the rock.
Date: 11 May 2015
Informations

Cyphotilapia gibberosa (juvenile)
Title: Cyphotilapia gibberosa (juvenile)
Description: Considered a synonym of C. frontosa by Konings (2015).
Date: 21 April 2015 06h27
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Cyphotilapia gibberosa (juvenile)
Title: Cyphotilapia gibberosa (juvenile)
Description: Considered a synonym of C. frontosa by Konings (2015).
Date: 21 April 2015 06h34
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Ophtalmotilapia nasuta (male)
Title: Ophtalmotilapia nasuta (male)
Description: Yellow variation from Lupita Island.
Date: 14 April 2015 16h50
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Lobochilotes labiatus (male)
Title: Lobochilotes labiatus (male)
Description: Photo from Nkondwe island.
Date: 24 April 2015 09h58
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Haplotaxodon microlepis
Title: Haplotaxodon microlepis
Description: Fry seeking shelter in the mouth of their parent.
Date: 22 April 2015 09h59
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Benthochromis horii (male)
Title: Benthochromis horii (male)
Description: This species has been encountered in several deep rocky sites, from 27-30 m depth.
Date: 18 April 2015 09h53
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Cyprichromis leptosoma (males)
Title: Cyprichromis leptosoma (males)
Description: In the Kipili area, two coulour patterns coexist in males of this species: blue tail or yellow tail.
Date: 23 April 2015 06h10
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Paracyprichromis nigripinnis (male)
Title: Paracyprichromis nigripinnis (male)
Date: 24 April 2015 09h11
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Neolamprologus brichardi
Title: Neolamprologus brichardi
Description: According to Konings (2015), this species is synonymous with Neolamprologus pulcher. However, the population in the Kipili area clearly displays the colour pattern formerly considered to be typical of N. brichardi.
Date: 16 April 2015 09h18
Informations

Neolamprologus falcicula
Title: Neolamprologus falcicula
Date: 23 April 2015 11h47
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Neolamprologus furcife
Title: Neolamprologus furcife
Description: In the Kipili area, this species has no elongated filaments on tail.
Date: 14 April 2015 09h48
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Neolamprologus timidus
Title: Neolamprologus timidus
Description: This fish is definitely different from Neolamprologus furcifer since both species can be encountered in the same sites.
Date: 14 April 2015 09h59
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Neolamprologus caudopunctatus
Title: Neolamprologus caudopunctatus
Description: In a Hydrilla verticillata meadow.
Date: 20 April 2015 13h28
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Neolamprologus sexfasciatus
Title: Neolamprologus sexfasciatus
Date: 21 April 2015 12h24
Informations

Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus (a pair)
Title: Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus (a pair)
Date: 24 April 2015 11h26
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Julidochromis marksmithi
Title: Julidochromis marksmithi
Date: 18 April 2015 10h08
Informations

Chalinochromis sp. "Bifrenatus"
Title: Chalinochromis sp. "Bifrenatus"
Date: 13 April 2015 17h37
Informations

Xenotilapia papilio "Sunflower"
Title: Xenotilapia papilio "Sunflower"
Date: 17 April 2015 09h45
Informations

Lamprichthys tanganicanus (males)
Title: Lamprichthys tanganicanus (males)
Description: Territorial fight.
Date: 18 April 2015 10h59
Informations

Synodontis dhonti
Title: Synodontis dhonti
Date: 14 April 2015 09h38
Informations

Synodontis dhonti
Title: Synodontis dhonti
Date: 14 April 2015 09h37
Informations

Auchenoglanis occidentalis
Title: Auchenoglanis occidentalis
Date: 18 April 2015 09h34
Informations

Afromastacembelus ellipsifer
Title: Afromastacembelus ellipsifer
Date: 22 April 2015 09h04
Informations

Lates angustifrons (juvenile)
Title: Lates angustifrons (juvenile)
Date: 14 April 2015 11h47
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Lates mariae (juvenile)
Title: Lates mariae (juvenile)
Date: 17 April 2015 10h58
Geopositioning: map
Informations

Crocodilus niloticus
Title: Crocodilus niloticus
Description: A young crocodile observed a few minutes before it flees away.
Date: 14 April 2015 17h18
Informations

Neothauma tanganyicense
Title: Neothauma tanganyicense
Description: One most often encounters its dead shells. Here is a live Neothauma.
Date: 14 April 2015 16h23
Geopositioning: map
Informations

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