This fish is Protomelas kirkii, one of the endemic Lake Malawi cichlids with a midlateral horizontal stripe and a less prominent one on the upper flank. The species was named for Dr. John Kirk, the naturalist who accompanied David Livingstone on his second expedition (1858-1864). Kirk was the first European to recognize that most of this lake's fishes are endemic to it, being absent from other waters. Kirk skinned and preserved some fish specimens of several species, which found their way back to the British Museum and were described by Albert Günther in 1864. These species (including the one now known as Protomelas kirkii) were the first fishes known to science from the lake. Photo copyright © 1997 by M. K. Oliver.
 

Last Update: 21 October 2001 Web Author: M. K. Oliver, Ph.D. Copyright © 1997-2008 by M. K. Oliver - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED