Africa · Fish by region
Fish of Nile & North Africa
The Nile, the Sahel and the Maghreb — the rivers of the Sahara's margins.
136 species across 13 families
The Nile system and the North-African (Maghreb) and Saharan drainages: Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Western Sahara. A depauperate, relict-rich fauna shaped by the Sahara.
136 of 136 species
Cichlids · 16
- Astatotilapia desfontainii · Blue lip cichlid
- Coptodon dageti
- Coptodon guineensis · Guinean tilapia
- Coptodon ismailiaensis
- Coptodon zillii · Banded tilapia
- Haplochromis loati
- Hemichromis fasciatus
- Oreochromis aureus
- Oreochromis ismailiaensis
- Oreochromis niloticus · Nile mouthbreeder
- Oreochromis niloticus x Oreochromis aureus
- Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor · Egyptian mouthbrooder
- Rubricatochromis letourneuxi
- Sarotherodon galilaeus
- Thoracochromis wingatii
- Tylochromis sudanensis
Arowanas & Oddballs · 25
- Brevimyrus niger · Baby whale
- Campylomormyrus tamandua · Worm-jawed mormyrid
- Gnathonemus petersii · Peter's elephantnose
- Gymnarchus niloticus · Aba
- Heterotis niloticus · African arowana
- Hippopotamyrus pictus · Marcusen's mormyrid
- Hyperopisus bebe · Bebe mormyrid
- Marcusenius cyprinoides · Thicklipped trunkfish
- Marcusenius senegalensis
- Mormyrops anguilloides · Cornish jack
- Mormyrus caschive · Eastern bottlenose
- Mormyrus dequesne
- Mormyrus hasselquist · Elephant-snout fish
- Mormyrus hasselquistii · Elephant-snout fish
- Mormyrus joannisii
- Mormyrus kannume · Elephant-snout fish
- Mormyrus niloticus · Elephant-snout fish
- Mormyrus rume · Elephant-snout fish
- Mormyrus thomasi
- Pantodon buchholzi · African butterflyfish
- Petrocephalus bane
- Petrocephalus bovei · Baby whale
- Petrocephalus keatingii
- Pollimyrus isidori · speckled stonebasher
- Xenomystus nigri · African knifefish
Barbs · 31
- Atlantor reinii
- Carasobarbus fritschii
- Carasobarbus harterti
- Carasobarbus moulouyensis
- Enteromius deserti
- Enteromius holotaenia · Spotscale barb
- Enteromius leonensis
- Enteromius neglectus · Southern sidespot barb
- Enteromius punctitaeniatus
- Enteromius stigmatopygus · Midspot barb
- Enteromius tongaensis
- Enteromius yeiensis
- Labeobarbus beso
- Labeobarbus bynni · Nile barb
- Luciobarbus biscarensis · Sahara barbel
- Luciobarbus callensis · Algerian barb
- Luciobarbus chelifensis
- Luciobarbus guercifensis · Guercif barbel
- Luciobarbus lanigarensis
- Luciobarbus maghrebensis · Maghreb barbel
- Luciobarbus magniatlantis · Tensift riffle barbel
- Luciobarbus mascarensis
- Luciobarbus nasus
- Luciobarbus numidiensis
- Luciobarbus pallaryi · Zousfana barb
- Luciobarbus rabatensis · Rabat barbel
- Luciobarbus rifensis · Rifian barbel
- Luciobarbus setivimensis · Algerian barb
- Luciobarbus yahyaouii · Yahyaoui barbel
- Luciobarbus zayanensis · Zayan barbel
- Pterocapoeta maroccana
Bichirs & Ropefish · 3
- Polypterus bichir · Nile bichir
- Polypterus endlicherii · Saddled bichir
- Polypterus senegalus · Senegal bichir
Catfish · 14
- Auchenoglanis biscutatus · Yellow giraffe catfish
- Auchenoglanis occidentalis · Giraffe Catfish
- Bagrus bajad · Bajad catfish
- Bagrus docmak · Semutundu
- Chiloglanis batesii
- Chiloglanis benuensis · Benue suckermouth catfish
- Chiloglanis niloticus
- Clarias albopunctatus
- Clarias anguillaris · Mudfish
- Clarias camerunensis
- Clarias engelseni
- Clarias gariepinus · African sharptooth catfish
- Malapterurus electricus · Electric catfish
- Synodontis ocellifer · Ocellated squeaker
Eels · 4
- Anguilla anguilla · European eel
- Mastacembelus cryptacanthus · West African spiny eel
- Mastacembelus decorsei
- Mastacembelus loennbergii
Gobies & Gudgeons · 1
- Bathygobius fuscus · Dusky frillgoby
Gouramis · 3
- Ctenopoma muriei · Ocellated labyrinth fish
- Ctenopoma petherici · Petheric's Ctenopoma
- Microctenopoma pekkolai
Killifish · 15
- Aphaniops dispar · Arabian killifish
- Aphanius fasciatus · Mediterranean toothcarp
- Aphyosemion bualanum · Bouala Lyretail
- Apricaphanius saourensis · Saoura toothcarp
- Epiplatys bifasciatus · Two-striped panchax
- Epiplatys spilargyreius
- Lacustricola hutereaui
- Micropanchax kingii · King's lampeye
- Micropanchax loati · Loat's lampeye
- Nothobranchius nubaensis
- Nothobranchius rubroreticulatus
- Nothobranchius virgatus · Virgated notho
- Poropanchax normani · Norman's lampeye
- Pronothobranchius kiyawensis
- Tellia apoda
Loaches · 1
- Cobitis maroccana · Moroccan spined loach
Piranhas & Pacus · 14
- Citharinops distichodoides
- Citharinus citharus · Moon fish
- Citharinus latus · African moon fish
- Distichodus brevipinnis · Short-finned distichodus
- Distichodus engycephalus · Grass-eater
- Distichodus nefasch · Nefasch distichodus
- Distichodus rostratus · Grass-eater
- Ichthyborus besse
- Nannaethiops unitaeniatus · One-striped African characin
- Nannocharax fasciatus · Barred nannocharax
- Nannocharax niloticus
- Nannocharax occidentalis
- Neolebias unifasciatus · One-banded Neolebias
- Paradistichodus dimidiatus
Pufferfish · 1
- Tetraodon lineatus · Fahaka puffer
Tetras · 8
- Alestes baremoze · Silversides
- Alestes dentex · Sickle-fin Alestes
- Brachyalestes nurse · Nurse Tetra
- Brycinus macrolepidotus · True big-scale tetra
- Hydrocynus brevis · Blunt-toothed African Tiger Fish
- Hydrocynus forskahlii · Elongate Tigerfish
- Hydrocynus vittatus · Tigerfish
- Micralestes humilis
A fish appears here when its recorded range includes Nile & North Africa; wide-ranging species also appear under other regions. Prefer to browse by the water itself? Explore the waters →
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