A new adaptive radiation of cichlid fish in a poorly known African Great Lake: Mweru

Authors

Cyprian Katongo1,2,3, Vicky Schneider1,2 , Rike Stelkens1,2, Domino A. Joyce 1,2,4and Ole Seehausen1,2
1 Institute of Zoology, Aquatic Ecology and Macroevolution, University of Berne, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH 3012, Berne,
Switzerland
2 EAWAG , Ecology Research Centre, Fish Ecology and Evolution, Seestrasse 79, CH 6047, Kastanienbaum, CH
3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, P.O. Box 31379, Lusaka, Zambia
4School of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, UK



Abstract

Pseudocrenilabrus are little haplochromine cichlids with a Panafrican distribution. The genus occupies every large lake in East Africa, but in remarkable contrast to some other haplochromine lineages, was thought not to have radiated into species flocks in any of these lakes. Speciation into the 5 to 10 hitherto known species has been reported to be classical allopatric speciation between river basins, with only one species found in a given geographic area (1). In this study we demonstrate the first evidence of a large-scale adaptive radiation, involving intralacustrine, perhaps sympatric speciation in Lake Mweru of the Luapula-Congo system (Zambia/DRC).

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