Fish fossils from Miocene palaeolakes in the East African Rift valley in Kenya

古湖泊的沉积物可以比河流沉积物更详细地记录古代鱼类动物群的分类多样性，因为选择性破坏不像河流或洪泛平原那样突出。然而，古湖泊沉积物中鱼类的保存质量取决于一定的物理和化学条件，这类档案在世界范围内并不多见。位于东非裂谷系东部分支内的肯尼亚图根丘陵中新世古湖泊沉积物提供了一个独特的、亚连续的中中新世和上中新世鱼类化石（真骨鱼类）记录，该化石大部分尚未勘探。这就提出了一个问题，即这种特殊的鱼类化石记录是否可以用来更好地了解东非裂谷系中新世的环境和气候变化。然而，该项目被设计为一个试点项目，因为在项目的准备阶段没有鱼类化石。它的重点是从图根山的露头中系统地收集鱼类化石，已知这些露头含有丰富的鱼类化石，并对多样性进行初步调查，至少在家庭层面上。与已经活跃在图根山的法国研究人员（他们对哺乳动物的研究感兴趣）的合作为这个试点项目提供了完美的背景。如果鱼类化石如预期的那样丰富和多样，则将设计后续项目，以进一步评估图根山鱼类化石组合提供的古生态信息。

Sediments of palaeolakes can record the taxonomic diversity of ancient fish faunas in greater detail than river sediments because selective destruction is less prominent than in rivers or floodplains. However, the preservation quality of fishes in sediments of palaeolakes depends on certain physical and chemical conditions and such archives are rare throughout the world. The Miocene palaeolake deposits in the Tugen Hills in Kenya, within the eastern branch of the East African Rift System, offer a unique, sub-continuous record of fish fossils (Teleostei) from the middle and upper Miocene, which is largely unexplored. This raises the question as to whether this exceptional record of fish fossils can be used to better understand the Miocene environmental and climate changes within the East African Rift System. However, the project is designed as a pilot project because no fish fossils were available to me during the preparation phase of the project. It focuses on systematic collections of fish fossils from outcrops in the Tugen Hills that are known to bear abundant fish fossils, and a preliminary survey of the diversity, at least down to the family level. The collaboration with French researchers that are already active in the Tugen Hills (they are interested in the study of mammals) provides a perfect background for this pilot project. If fish fossils are as abundant and diverse as expected, a follow up project will be designed to further assess the palaeoecological information provided by the fossil fish assemblages from the Tugen Hills.