Melanochromis mpoto at Chitande Island, Lake Malawi (Adrianus Konings / Jay Stauffer / Zootaxa)
Small, slim, muscular and very aggressive can be used to describe this Haplochromine from Lake Malawi. On April 5th of this year, Dr. Jay Stauffer from Penn State University and Adrianus Konings from Cichlid Press announced the discovery of Melanochromis mpoto. Measuring up to 9 cm in length, males have a cyan blue coloration and females are brown with a hint of blue. M. mpoto has a wide distribution in the northern part of Lake Malawi. For more information on this species visit Sci-News.com.
20,000 gallon aquarium with African cichlids and hippos?
Lepidiolamprologus kamambae has only been found around Kamamba and Kerenge islands in the southern part of Lake Tanganyika. L. kamambae is a predator which judging from pictures and descriptions, appears to reach a good size. For more information and pictures, you can download a paper in pdf format from Zootaxa.
Update: The mysterious softball-sized eyeball has been identified as belonging to a swordfish. For more information on the identification of the eyeball visit the Cosmic Log at NBCnews.com.
The mystery of the giant eyeball that washed ashore on a Florida beach continues. It is unknown what type of animal the eyeball belongs to, but testing is being done. For more information on this story visit the Cosmic Log at NBCnews.com.
Axel Meyer, Heiko Bleher & companions doing some research in the crater lake Laguna de Apoyeque (Lake Apoyeque) in Honduras. They found some interesting forms of Amphilophus not found elsewhere.
Researchers have found the the fish equivalent of oxytocin, a hormone associated with human love, drives social behavior in fish. Neolamprologus pulcher were used to study why some fish develop social behaviors while others live their lives in solitude. Doses of isotocin, the fish version of oxytocin, where given to N. pulcher with some interesting results. For more information about the study, visit Science 2.0 and Discover Magazine.
Short video of a brackish biotope in Mexico. In it you will see Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Mayan cichlid), Rocio octofasciata (Jack Dempsey) and many mollies among other fish.
Oil exploration, border disputes threaten Lake Malawi
With the discovery of potential oil and natural gas reserves, the stakes for who owns Lake Malawi have risen. At odds are Malawi and Tanzania and talks between the two countries have gone nowhere. There have even been allegations of military deployments. If not done carefully, oil drilling poses an environmental threat to the lake. However, a border dispute can quickly escalate out of control and have tragic results for the region. Lake Malawi is the sole source of food, drinking water, irrigation and hydroelectricity for many communities around the lake.
