Melanochromis auratus. Melanochromis auratus strain:Domwe Island

Wild sample individual from Domwe Island, Lake Malawi. Cichlid fishes from East Africa are remarkable for phenotypic and behavioral diversity on a backdrop of genomic similarity. Lake Malawi is home to the most species rich assemblage of African cichlids; as many as 800 - 1000 species are thought to have evolved from a common ancestor in the last 500K - 1MY. The sequencing of several Lake Malawi cichlid fish will contribute to major advances in our understanding of evolution in Lake Malawi cichlids and other closely related species flocks.