Phylogenetic Analysis of the Lamprologine Cichlids: Taxonomic Diversity and Morphological Exuberance in the African Cichlidae

非洲的奇鲷是一种 种类丰富、生态多样鱼类。 内湖 坦噶尼喀是大多数物种的栖息地，占世界总面积的75%。 沿岸的鱼类群落，形成了一个重要的 坦噶尼喀湖生态和经济的组成部分 生态系统 为了研究物种形成的过程， 多样化，形态和分子模式 转型，生态，营养和生殖分歧， 很难想象一个更适合慈鲷模型比 氨普罗菌素。 本研究将记录以下解剖变异： 组，确定lamprologines的系统发育位置 在非洲慈鲷科，并解决他们的物种水平 内部关系 该项目是一个重大贡献， 我们对慈鲷形态系统学的理解， 也为真正的综合研究奠定了基础， 一个主要类群的形态、分子和生态进化 鱼。 PI和她的机构有能力进行 这项研究。

The lamprologine chichlids of Africa are an extraordinarily species-rich and ecologically diverse group of fishes. Within Lake Tanganyika, where most of the species occur, they constitute 75% of the littoral fish community and form a centrally important component of the ecology and economics of the Lake Tanganyika ecosystem. For the study of processes of speciation and diversification, patterns of morphological and molecular tranformation, and ecological, trophic and reproductive divergence, it is hard to imagine a better suited cichlid model than the lamprologines. The study will document the anatomical variation exhibited by the group, determine the phylogenetic position of the lamprologines within the African Cichlidae, and resolve their species-level intrarelationships. The project represents a major contribution to our understanding of cichlid morphological systematics, and will also lay the foundation for the truly integrative study of morphological, molecular and ecological evolution in a major group of fishes. The PI and her institution are well equipped to conduct this research.