Africa (Ecology)
The inland waters of tropical Africa : an introduction to tropical limnology - 1st Edition
by L. C. Beadle. 1974
London; Longman: 1974. viii, 365 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. Cloth covered boards in dust jacket
ISBN 0-582-44852-2
The inland waters of tropical Africa : an introduction to tropical limnology - 2nd Edition
by L. C. Beadle. 1981
London; Longman, 1981. x, 475 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. 2nd ed. Hardcover in dust jacket
ISBN 0-582-46341-6
This is not exactly a fish book, but it sure is useful as one starts to delve into African ichthyology. Beadle provides a survey to tropical limnology - which is not always the same as the temperate limnology learned in lakes and streams in Wisconsin. Then we get a system-by-system survey of African waters and habitats. Works like this give the entrance into the topic, providing an overview and an entrance into the literature. Literature such than on African freshwaters can be highly scattered, often in very difficult to locate journals or reports - a survey is much appreciated. The Second Edition is quite a bit thicker than the first, with numerous updates, clarifications and corrections. Africa (General)
Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa - Cloffa 1
edited by J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, D.F.E. Thys van den AudenaerdeCheck-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa - Cloffa 2
edited by J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde
Paris: ORSTOM; 1986. Vol. 2. 520 pp.; 25 cm. Softcover
Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa - Cloffa 3
Paris: ORSTOM; 1986. Vol. 3. 273 pp ; 25 cm. Softcover
ISNB 2-87177-003-4
It often all starts with the inventory – the checklist. The most comprehensive coverage of African fishes was for many decades Boulenger’s Catalogue of the fresh-water fishes of Africa in the British Museum (Natural History) (1909 - 1916). It was out-of-date long before any replacements were available. Cloffa started us on the road to a modern cataloging of the African ichthyolofauna. Various authorities provided synonymies for various genera and families – if an authority wasn’t available, one of the series editors compiled the data as best they could from existing literature. Vols 1 and 2 comprise the family accounts (minus Cichlidae); Vol. 3 is the bibliography. What a treat having all that literature in one place. Starting with an unworked genus or family – these volumes are an enormously helpful tool. I used my copy of Volume 3 so heavily that the spine is discolored from skin oil along the lower margin where my hand gripped it during use; the edge of the text block shows a pronounced smudge where my thumb ran along the pages during perusal. Cichlidae / Great Lakes
Pierre Brichard's book of cichlids and all the other fishes of Lake Tanganyika
by Pierre Brichard. 1989
Tropical Fish Hobbyist, Neptune City, N.J. 544 pp. Illus. in color. Glossy pictorial boards, no dust jacket.ISBN 0-86622-667-2
Here is one of TFH’s large, heavy lavishly presented volumes; this one on the fishes of Lake Tanganyika. Pierre Brichard worked with these fishes for many years. This volume presents his observations and photographs. Extensive, illustrated front matter introduces Lake Tanganyika and its fishes. This is followed by species descriptions, keys and information on care and breeding. Most of the book is devoted to cichlids; the tail end covers non-cichlids.
The cichlid fishes of the great lakes of Africa: their biology and evolution
by Geoffrey Fryer and T. D. Iles. 1972.
Edinburgh, Oliver and Boyd, 1972. xvi, 641, [12] p. illus. (some col.), maps. 25 cm. Hardcover in dust jacket.
ISBN 0-05-002347-0
Darwin’s Dreampond – Drama in Lake Victoria
by Tijs Goldscmidt (translated by Sherry Marx-Macdonald)
The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusettes. 1996. 274 pp., illus. Cloth boards with DJ
ISBN 0 262 07178 9
An alien species was introduced to the intricate ecosystem of Lake Victoria. This invader, the Nile perch (Lates niloticus) has wrought increasable damage to the existing ichthyofauana and broader lake ecology and human economies.
The destruction of the Lake Victoria biota can be taken as a parable…a story with a message. As the introduction was contemplated, biologists explained the potential negative impacts. Following the introduction, these negative outcomes were realized – along with others that no one foresaw.
I find this a hard read, but an important one.Ad Konings's Book of Cichlids and all the other Fishes of Lake Malawi
by Ad Konings. 1990
Neptune City, NJ : T.F.H. Publications,, 495 pp., illus. in color, glossy pictorial boards
ISBN 0-86622-527-7
A large format glossy book on the cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi. Over the years, TFH has issued a number of such books. It includes discussion of the lake and its habitats (with many photos), and then launches into 100s of species accounts. The accounts give general information on diet, range, breeding and general biology. Most are illustrated with color photographs, most of living individuals, some in vivo, others tank held. Some are illustrated with color paintings. Numerous unnamed species are illustrated and discusssed. There certainly is a lot of experience with this fauna demonstrated in works such as this. But generally, these works (and many of the publications cited there-in) are not peer reviewed by trained authorities and I interact with their content with that understanding. The “all the other fishes” section is largely a checklist of non-cichlid fishes known from the lake. A handful are illustrated and give species accounts.Exploration hydrobiologique du lac Tanganika, 1946-1947: Résultats Scientifiques -- Poissons non-Cichlidae, Vol. III, Fasc 5A, 251 pp., illus., plates, maps, text figs.
Poissons Cichlidae, Vol. III, Fasc. 5B, 619 pp., illus., plates, maps, text figs.
by Max Poll. 1956
Institute Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles, 1956. Vol. III.
Max Poll, prolific Belgian ichthyologist and African specialist, provides for us here a detailed accounting of the fishes collected during the survey of the great lake just following World War II. These two volumes cover the ichthyofauna, one for cichlids and the other for the rest of the fishes. The reports start with basic introductions to the fishes – in depth coverage of the Survey Mission is found in other volumes – followed by fairly detailed species accounts. Taxa are described and diagnosed with information on their distributions and life history provided. Text figures illustrate key species and a gallery of plates in each volume shows habitat, collecting activities and more fishes. The cichlid volume comes with a fold out map of Lake Tanganika. A series of similar surveys of African wildlife and habitats were conducted in the 1930s and 1940s. Voluminous documentation (such as these volumes) were published as result.
These two were issued in paper wrappers with pages uncut. My set was later trimmed and bound.
I always enjoy Dr. Poll’s work. He worked a fauna that is of great interest to me, and, a skilled ichthyologist, his work is carefully done and clearly presented.
The haplochromines (Teleostei, Cichlidae) of Lake Kivu (East Africa) : a taxonomic revision with notes on their ecology
by Jos Snoeks. 1994
Tervuren, Belgium: Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika, 1994. 221 pp. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 30 cm. Soft cover, issued with dust jacket.Lake Kivu is a natural dam lake in east Africa along the border of Congo and Rwanda. It is home to a radiation of cichlids of the genus Haplochromis, a taxonomic revision of which forms the focus of this report. Fifteen species are recognized by Dr. Snoeks; they can be quite difficult to separate and diagnose. Highly detailed observations in the field and in the museum allowed the author to resolve the species and describe them. A tremendous amount of careful and skilled work goes into a study of this sort; it is exhaustively reported here.
East Africa (general)
Common Freshwater Fishes of East Africa
by Hugh Copley. 1958.
H. F. & G. Witherby Ltd (1958), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, illustrated with text figures and a few photographs
Hugh Copley was a colonial game official in East Africa. He has several works on East African and African fishes. This one is a naturalist’s or angler’s guide to East African fishes. As discussed in the preface...identification of African fishes requires access to scientific literature. Imagine trying to access 80-100 years worth of African ichthyological literature in an era before photocopy machines and before the internet – and all this in East Africa. The literature is scattered, out-of-print and often with a fairly narrow distribution to museums and universities. Until fairly recently (and certainly in the time frame of this little volume), the essential guide to African fishes as Georges Boulenger’s Catalogue of African Fishes in the British Museum from the first decades of the 20th Century – a scarce and expensive work.In any case, this guide offers a summary of common East African fishes – almost 200 species are included with 89 of the author’s simple but useful outline drawings. A key in the front matter assists in guiding the use to the correct section where basic details on the fish’s distribution, habitats and habits are to be found. Red cloth boards; issued with a dust jacket.
Southern Africa
Fishes of Lake Kariba, Africa: length-weight relationship, a pictorial guide
by Eugene K. Balon. 1974
Dr. Balon provides here with an overview of the larger fishes of Lake Kariba, on the Zambezi River in Zambia, from a fisheries perspective. Drawings or photographs are presented of this fishes, along with length and weight and growth data, the latter being topics more of interest to fishers and fishery managers than to non-applied ichthylogists or aquarium hobbyists. The author notes that publications of this report was originally planned by a government agency for local use. TFH offered to publish it (with color photographs), making it one of a number of scientific reports that TFH published in the 1960s and 1970s, with this one perhaps being one of the more eccentric ones. It includes a drawing and color photograph of the electric catfish, Malapterurus zambeziensis Norris. It is fairly rare that any species of electric catfish is illustrated by anything other than a drawing of Malapterurus electricus, usually one copied from Boulenger {1907, Zoology of Egypt}, no matter what the species.
Revision of the Indingenous Freshwater Fishes of the S.W. Cape Region
by K. H. Barnard. 1943
Annals of the South African Museum 36: (3): 101-262, 33 figs. Wrappers.This is the earliest (I believe) detailed accounting of the Cape ichthyofauna. The front matter provides and introduction to the region and to the fauna. The systematic sections contains species accounts as detailed as available information allowed. Diagnostic information is given, sometimes with detailed tables. Many species are illustrated, spot maps of distribution are given for many. The accounts discuss distributions and often life history or ecological information as observed by Barnard or other workers. This is an interesting fish fauna, with a number of unique elements.
A pictorial guide to South African fishes marine and fresh-water
by K. H. Barnard (illustrated by the author). 1947
Cape Town, M. Miller, xvii + 226 pp., 25 black and white pls. Hard cover in dust jacket.This book is directed at the interested naturalist or angler. It mixes marine and freshwater fishes, giving basic details of a few hundred species. Most of the information is regarding identification and range. An introductory chapter lays the groundwork with some basic ichthyology and description of the region. The drawings are arranged on 25 plates (20 or so drawings per plate). The nicely rendered, sadly very small (I wonder if the originals still exist).
Keppel Harcourt Barnard (1887-1964) was long time director of the South African Museum of Captetown.
An illustrated guide to the freshwater fishes of the Zambezi River, Lake Kariba, Pungwe, Sabi, Lundi, and Limpopo Rivers
by R. A. Jubb. 1961
Bulawayo: S. Manning. 1961. 171 p., illus. Decorated green boards in dustjacket.
Rex Jubb was the dean of the freshwater ichthyology of southern Africa. The African ichthyofauna is vast, but by breaking it up into small bits – as we do with other land masses – it begins to become comprehensible. Starting with less diverse temperate areas certainly helps. This book had identification keys, a check list of species and species accounts that include the standard details, including a bit on angling. Species accounts are illustrated by black and white photographs, there are also color plates by Hilda Jubb, which appear to be colorized black and white photographs. Sections on species suitable for aquarium keeping and preservation of specimens for later study close out the volume. Figure 67 portrays a southern African specimen of an electric catfish, species Malapterurus zambeziensis Norris, which is the species found on this area. This is worth noting, because it’s relatively rare to find an account of electric catfishes that is not illustrated with a photograph or drawing of the Nilotic, Malapterurus electricus Bonnaterre. J.L.B. Smith provides a gracious forward to this volume. My fine copy in dj was discarded by the library of the California Academy of Sciences – presumably it was a duplicate.Freshwater Fishes of the Volta & Kainji Lakes
by R. H. Lowe-McConnell; illustrated by A.A. Wuddah
Ghana Universities Press, Accra. 1972. 22 pp., 30 plates (line drawings), paper wrappers. 23 x 19.
Full title on title page: Keys for the Field Identification of Freshwater Fishes likely to occur in or above the New Man-made Lakes, Lake Volta in Ghana and the Kainji Lake on the River Niger in Nigeria.
An excellent and useful tool for those working with fishes of West Africa (Volta and Niger drainages). It concentrates on the larger species and species more likely to be encountered in fishery or management situations. Until fairly recently keys to regional African fish faunas have been rather scarce. For some taxa and regions, Boulenger’s keys from the early 20th century (Catalogue of the fresh-water fishes of Africa in the British museum (Natural history)) have been the main tool. This work is doubly fun because works such as this published in Africa can be rather difficult to acquire.
County by Country
Angola
Contribution à la faune ichthyologique de l'Angola
by Max Poll. 1967
Lisboa, Companhia de Diamantes de Angola, Serviços Culturais Dundo - Lunda- Angola. 1967. 381 pp., illus.
Here Dr. Poll offers us an overview of the Angolan ichthyofauna based on a large series of specimens collected through the Museo do Dundo in Angola. The front matter contains ichthyological, historical and zoogeographic introductions to the fish fauna of Angola, including two drainage maps (such is always useful when one is trying to sort out localities is remote parts of the world). The main body of the book is comprised of detailed species accounts. Some 161 species are described and illustrated. The illustrations are high quality and each is given an full page. The book closes with a series of photographic plates illustrating habitat, fisheries methods, and more fishes. This is all done with Dr. Poll systematic attention to detail.Burundi
Les poissons du Parc national de la Ruvubu (Burundi)
by Luc De Vos. 1991
Tervuren, België : Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika, Annales (Zool.) No. 265, 25 p., illus. Soft cover
Rubuvu National Park is situated in NE Burundi in the Lake Tanganika Drainage, between Lake Tangankia and Lake Victoria. It’s a long, narrow part, running along the Ruvubu River and home to good numbers of crocodiles and hippos. Some 14 species of freshwater fishes were collected from the park (or in the case of Tilapia sp., known to exist there, but unobserved during the present study). Most of species present are Ostariophysians – 6 catfishes (Siluriformes) and 4 minnows (Cyprinidae). A mormyrid, 2 cichilds and a mastacembelid fill out the fauna. One of the cichlids apparently belongs to the genus Haplochromis, but could not be identified with confidence at the time of this study. This short report gives an identification guide, with a key. Each species account is illustrated (some with the excellent work of Alain Reygel).Congo
La Pêche en Eau Douce au Congo Belge
by A. Duren, H. Gillet, M. Huet and M. Poll. 1943
Bruxelles, Bulletin Agricole du Congo Belge, Vol. 34 (1-2): 111-162, illus. WrappersA series of articles cover the sport and general fisheries of the Belgian Congo (now just the Congo), essentially the Congo River drainage. An introduction to tropical limnology opens the volume. Max Poll gives us a systematic summery of the ichthyofauna, and there’s also a section on fishes of sporting value. A series of black and white plates illustrate key members of the fauna in photographs and drawings.
Les poissons du Lac Tumba et de la region d'Ikela; étude systématique, écologique et zoogeographique
by H. Matthes. 1964
Annales du Musee Royal de l’Afrique Centrale Série 8 (Zoologie) 126, 1-204, Pls. 1-6, fold out maps. Also published as a separate.
This report, the doctoral dissertation of Dr. Matthes, is the result of extensive surveys in the region of Ikela and Lake Tumbe. Fishes were collected, the taxonomy evaluated and ecology observed and recorded. Well ov er 100 species are covered. The species account for each discussed taxonomy and identification, distribution and ecology. It is these ecological observations that are of such great interest, because such were for so long so very scarce for African fishes. There are lengthy sections on ecology and zoogeography. Several new species are described. The copy illustrated here is a printed version of the dissertation; this work was also issued as a number in the Annales du Musee Royal de l’Afrique Centrale.
South Africa
Freshwater Fishes of the Cape Province
by R. A. Jubb. 1956
Annals of the Cpe Provincial Museums, Vol., 4, 72 pp, illus. in black and white, with 8 color plates, map,
wrappers.
The native and introduced species found in waters of South Africa’s Cape Province are covered here. The introduction covers the basics of the regions and offers a standard fish identification guide. A key to families follows. Within the species accounts are further keys at the family or genus level. The species accounts summarize each species’ distribution, identification and basic biology. This fishes are illustrated with black and white photographs and drawings as appropriate. Eight pages of plates of color photographs or paintings are included. The color paintings, rendered by Hilda M. Jubb, wife of the author, are a little stylized (flat) (but having said that, I feel I should add that they are far better than anything I can accomplish). There is a literature cited, but no distribution maps. This is a very useful little guide, building on Barnard (1943) and Gilchrist and Thompson’s earlier contributions to South African ichthyology. It is one of the very first technical fish books that I added to my collection.Fishes of the Transvaal
by Pieter Le Roux and Louis Steyn. 1968
Johannesburg, South African Breweries Institute, 108 pp., illus. in color. Hardcover pictorial boards, no
dust jacket (apparently)
Forty or fifty species (native and non-native) in 15 families are covered in this small, nicely produced book. It’s production was sponsored by a Brewery Institute - this is likely the only fish book I have with this distinction. A brief introduction opens the book. There’s also a key to families. The species accounts are brief (mostly descriptive), but set off with good quality color paintings of each species. A shaded area range map for each is also provided. My copy has a fitted clear plastic cover; I’m guessing this book was not issued with a dust jacket.The freshwater fishes of the Kruger National Park: a guide to a group of vertebrate animals from the superclass Pisces of the Chordate Phylum.
by U. De V. Pienaar. 1978
Pretoria: National Parks Board, 1978. ix, 91 p. col. illus. 22 cm. Hardcover (pictorial boards, no dust jacket) and soft cover.
ISBN 0-86953-025-9 and 0-86953-026-7
This is a very nicely done guide to the native fishes of Kruger National Park in South Africa. A short introduction introduces the park, it’s fishes and their general biology and management. There’s a key to species provided. Each species account (48 in all) comes with a color photograph of a living for freshly preserved specimen (these are well done). A spot map of the park gives the distribution, and the text covers the basics. It’s a good window into an interesting fish fauna – more book like this are needed for African freshwater fishes.
South African Red Data Book – Fishes
by Paul H. Skelton. 1987
Pretoria, South Africa: Foundation for Research Development, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South African National Scientific Programmes Report No. 137. vi + 199, illus. in black and white, maps. Soft cover.
ISBN 0-7988-4107-9
Fifty of South Africa’s native fishes are covered in this volume. They are laid out using IUCN categories and terminology. A lengthy introduction covers the basics of South African ichthyodiversity and conservation. Species accounts follow. For each species there is an illustration (excellent stippled dot drawings by Elizabeth Tarr) and a map. Text includes summaries of biology and life history, threats and recommendations. An extensive literature cited concludes the volume. This is exactly the type of report that managers and conservation workers need for any and all regions.A taxonomic revision of the redfin minnows (Pisces, Cyprinidae) from southern Africa
by Paul H. Skelton. 1988
Annales of the Cape Provincial Museums (Natural History) 16(10): 201-307, 46 figs. WrappersYou give a skilled and dedicated ichthyologist time and resources, and reports such as this are the result. Dr. Skelton has given us a detailed review of the taxonomy and biology of this group of South African cyprinids. Tables, maps, drawings illustrate the differences and similarities among these species and are used to support the taxonomic alterations recommended. Students undertaking their first revisionary study are well advised to study works such as this as examples of how to conduct the research and how to present it. Excellent ichthyology - and not a molecular gel in sight.
Tanzania
Field guide to the freshwater fishes of Tanzania
by David H. Eccles. 1992
Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, v +145 pp., illus. in black and white. Soft cover.
Identification of the units in a flora or fauna is key to understanding just about any aspect of that fauna. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Administration sponsors many applied fishery projects and research. Also - towards the goal of sound management and utilization, the FAO also produces works such as this - a guide to all the fishes of Tanzania, not just those of actual or potential use. Over 200 species are covered in this guide. They are all presented in a standard fashion. A quality black and white illustration is accompanied by the basics of biology and identification in telelgraphic style. Keys to species are not provided, but rather diagnostic traits are detailed for each taxon.The fishes of the Lake Rukwa drainage
by Lothar Seegers. 1996
Tervuren, België: Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika, Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen, 1996. Vol. 278, 407 pp., ill. (some col.), maps ; 30 cm. Stiff wrappers in dust jacket.ISBN 90-75894-03-1
This volume documents the ichthyofauna of Lake Rukwa, and isolated lake basin in Tanzania. Seegers provides an extensive introduction and discussion of the lake and its fishes. The main body of the book is comprised of detailed species accounts. These are illustrated, often in color; identification keys are provided.
My copy is bound in stiff wrappers, typical of the MRAC/KMMA monograph series. I’ve also seen a hardbound copy.Zambia (Northern Rhodesia)
Fishes of Northern Rhodesia - a checklist of indigenous species
by P. B. N. Jackson. 1961
Government Printer, Lusaka, xv + 140 pp, illus. in black and white, map on rear end sheet, hard cover in dust jacket
This is the only near comprehensive work of which I am aware covering this region, then known as Northern Rhodesia, now the independent nation of Zambia. Works on the fishes of the Zambezi River and Lake Kariba would cover some of this fauna. The region and its geography and history are covered in the introduction. A key to species is offered (with a pair of illustrations). One hundred and fifty-five species are covered. Each species is given a synonymy and then a quick account which details on distribution and status in the region of interest. A bibliography and appendix of species of uncertain status close out the book. A note from the author thanks Mrs. Jennifer Hill for the drawing on the jacket and frontispiece. My copy does not have a frontispiece (and it doesn’t look like one has been removed). A mystery that surely will keep us all awake tonight.
