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Dr. Michael K. Oliver
Connecticut
I'm a professionally trained biologist with a primary interest in the systematics of African cichlid fishes, particularly those of Lake Malawi, to which I have made three research visits totaling more than 8 months. I have described six new species of cichlid, and coauthored a new genus, Iodotropheus. My Web site is The Cichlid Fishes of Lake Malawi, Africa. The most satisfying of my few discoveries was being the first person to recognize the unexpectedly primitive phylogenetic position of a large, poorly known West African cichlid, Heterochromis multidens, previously thought to be a specialized relative of Tilapia. I found it to be the sister group of all other African cichlids. Although my conclusion was derived mainly from a study of the osteology of this fish, other scientists have repeatedly corroborated and refined it with molecular genetics studies in recent years.
My secondary research interest is in beetles, especially those of Connecticut. I have coauthored a book (2001) on the ground beetles (family Carabidae) of Connecticut. I collect beetles of all families, delighting in their diversity, which far exceeds even that of the cichlids.
