Michael K. Oliver, Ph.D.
@mkocichlid.bsky.social
Ichthyology, systematics, taxonomy. #teamfish🐟 🐠 African cichlids! Curatorial affiliate at Yale Peabody Museum. Amateur coleopterist. 🪲 🐞 https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Michael_K._Oliver http://MalawiCichlids.com
Pinned
1/9
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 "𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲" 𝗰𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗱𝘀
The largest tribe of African cichlids are the "Haplochromines." Alas, as I recently showed (doi.org/10.3897/BDJ....), "Haplochromini" is a junior synonym of the correct name, 𝗣𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗶. I made new subtribes within it too: - A 🧵
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 "𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲" 𝗰𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗱𝘀
The largest tribe of African cichlids are the "Haplochromines." Alas, as I recently showed (doi.org/10.3897/BDJ....), "Haplochromini" is a junior synonym of the correct name, 𝗣𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗶. I made new subtribes within it too: - A 🧵
“Measurements were made point-to-point with digital calipers and data were recorded to an accuracy of 0.01 mm.”
Oh really? 🤣
Source: bdj.pensoft.net/article/1539...
Oh really? 🤣
Source: bdj.pensoft.net/article/1539...
Re-description of Balitora yingjiangensis (Teleostei, Cypriniformes, Balitoridae) from the upper Irrawaddy River, south-western China
The genus Balitora Grey, 1830 (Teleostei, Cypriniformes, Balitoridae) includes 20 species, with two known species distributed in the Salween River and one in the Irrawaddy River.A Balitora species fro...
bdj.pensoft.net
July 20, 2025 at 3:22 PM
“Measurements were made point-to-point with digital calipers and data were recorded to an accuracy of 0.01 mm.”
Oh really? 🤣
Source: bdj.pensoft.net/article/1539...
Oh really? 🤣
Source: bdj.pensoft.net/article/1539...
That’s a tiny adult longhorn beetle on my fingertip. 𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢. Hamden, Connecticut.
June 23, 2025 at 4:21 PM
That’s a tiny adult longhorn beetle on my fingertip. 𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢. Hamden, Connecticut.
New cichlid nomenclature paper by Chris Scharpf! One hopes it lays to rest this long-simmering issue. Paywalled but with free abstract.
doi.org/10.11646/zoo...
doi.org/10.11646/zoo...
Scantily clad but not naked: an analysis of the Metriaclima vs. Maylandia (Teleostei: Cichlidae) debate
| Zootaxa
doi.org
April 10, 2025 at 7:13 PM
New cichlid nomenclature paper by Chris Scharpf! One hopes it lays to rest this long-simmering issue. Paywalled but with free abstract.
doi.org/10.11646/zoo...
doi.org/10.11646/zoo...
How is it that, after walking on my living room carpet daily for years, I only noticed the Guinea pig today?
January 14, 2025 at 1:30 AM
How is it that, after walking on my living room carpet daily for years, I only noticed the Guinea pig today?
1/9
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 "𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲" 𝗰𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗱𝘀
The largest tribe of African cichlids are the "Haplochromines." Alas, as I recently showed (doi.org/10.3897/BDJ....), "Haplochromini" is a junior synonym of the correct name, 𝗣𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗶. I made new subtribes within it too: - A 🧵
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 "𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲" 𝗰𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗱𝘀
The largest tribe of African cichlids are the "Haplochromines." Alas, as I recently showed (doi.org/10.3897/BDJ....), "Haplochromini" is a junior synonym of the correct name, 𝗣𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗶. I made new subtribes within it too: - A 🧵
December 22, 2024 at 1:35 AM
1/9
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 "𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲" 𝗰𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗱𝘀
The largest tribe of African cichlids are the "Haplochromines." Alas, as I recently showed (doi.org/10.3897/BDJ....), "Haplochromini" is a junior synonym of the correct name, 𝗣𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗶. I made new subtribes within it too: - A 🧵
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 "𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲" 𝗰𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗱𝘀
The largest tribe of African cichlids are the "Haplochromines." Alas, as I recently showed (doi.org/10.3897/BDJ....), "Haplochromini" is a junior synonym of the correct name, 𝗣𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗶. I made new subtribes within it too: - A 🧵
Excellent review of anti-slavery efforts by a few 19th century British clerics in what is now Malawi. The lands around Lake Malawi were the chief areas raided for slaves from the East coast by Arabs and their African collaborators.
thecritic.co.uk/in-search-of...
thecritic.co.uk/in-search-of...
In search of forgotten heroes | Alexander Chula | The Critic Magazine
The grave was buried in dry silt and foliage, and it took an hour of hacking and digging in the stifling midday heat before steel chinked on stone.
thecritic.co.uk
December 2, 2024 at 2:36 PM
Excellent review of anti-slavery efforts by a few 19th century British clerics in what is now Malawi. The lands around Lake Malawi were the chief areas raided for slaves from the East coast by Arabs and their African collaborators.
thecritic.co.uk/in-search-of...
thecritic.co.uk/in-search-of...
Reposted by Michael K. Oliver, Ph.D.
Ok I’m gonna need you all to repost today’s #EtymologyEpithet far and wide because this is one of my fav fishes I’ve ever described.
November 30, 2024 at 2:26 AM
Ok I’m gonna need you all to repost today’s #EtymologyEpithet far and wide because this is one of my fav fishes I’ve ever described.
1/4:
My recent cichlid paper is open-access: doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.... It presents the first survey of variation in much of the cichlid skeleton behind the head. My data cover species in all but one of the 166 genera of African cichlids. …🧵
My recent cichlid paper is open-access: doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.... It presents the first survey of variation in much of the cichlid skeleton behind the head. My data cover species in all but one of the 166 genera of African cichlids. …🧵
November 27, 2024 at 11:04 PM
1/4:
My recent cichlid paper is open-access: doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.... It presents the first survey of variation in much of the cichlid skeleton behind the head. My data cover species in all but one of the 166 genera of African cichlids. …🧵
My recent cichlid paper is open-access: doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.... It presents the first survey of variation in much of the cichlid skeleton behind the head. My data cover species in all but one of the 166 genera of African cichlids. …🧵