Lake Bermin
title: "Lake Bermin" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["volcanic-crater-lakes", "lakes-of-cameroon", "southwest-region-(cameroon)"] topic_path: "general/volcanic-crater-lakes" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Bermin" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox body of water"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Lake Bermin |
| coords | |
| lake_type | Volcanic crater lake |
| inflow | None |
| outflow | Cross River system |
| basin_countries | Cameroon |
| area | 144 acres |
| <ref name | Freeth1992/ |
| max-depth | 15 m |
| pushpin_map | Cameroon#Africa |
| pushpin_map_alt | Location of Lake Bermin in Cameroon. |
| :: |
| name =Lake Bermin | image = | caption = | image_bathymetry = | caption_bathymetry = | coords = | lake_type = Volcanic crater lake | inflow = None | outflow = Cross River system | catchment = | basin_countries = Cameroon | length = | width = | area = 144 acres
or
280 acres | depth = | max-depth = 15 m | volume = | shore = | elevation = | islands = | cities = | pushpin_map = Cameroon#Africa | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = Location of Lake Bermin in Cameroon. | pushpin_map_caption = | website = | reference =
Lake Bermin (sometimes spelled Bemin or Beme) is a small lake in the volcanic chain in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. It is a volcanic lake with a diameter of about 700 m and a crater rim that rises to a height of about 150 ft. This highly isolated lake is roughly circular in shape, lacks an inflow, but has an outflow into the Cross River system.
Biology
Despite its very small size, it supports nine endemic species of coptodonine cichlid fishes (C. bakossiorum, C. bemini, C. bythobates, C. flava, C. gutturosa, C. imbriferna, C. snyderae, C. spongotroktis, and C. thysi). Early genetic evidence suggested that these probably were the result of sympatric speciation. They are quite similar in their general appearance and morphology but vary greatly in feeding behavior, including specialists like C. spongotroktis that eat pieces of the large sponges that grow in the lake. At up to 5 cm in standard length, C. snyderae is the smallest known tilapia.
All the Bermin cichlids are critically endangered by pollution and sedimentation from human activities, and potentially also by large emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the lake's bottom (compare Lake Nyos), although Bermin is too shallow to contain very high amounts of this gas.
References
References
- Martin; Cutler; Friel; Touokong; Coop; and Wainwright (2015). Complex histories of repeated gene flow in Cameroon crater lake cichlids cast doubt on one of the clearest examples of sympatric speciation. Evolution 69-6: 1406–1422. {{doi. 10.1111/evo.12674
- Dickinson, C. (2005). ''[http://www.faas.info/download/pub_awards/2005/011-001.pdf The Tilapia of Lake Bernin, Cameroon.] {{webarchive. link. (2012-03-13 '' Modern Aquarium -Greater City A.S. (NY): 15–16)
- Schliewen, U.K., Tautz, D., and Pääbo, S. (1994). ''Sympatric speciation suggested by monophyly of crater lake cichlids.'' [[Nature (journal). Nature]] 368(6472): 629–632.
- link. (2011-10-05 '')
- Later studies indicate a level of secondary [[gene flow]] between the Bermin cichlids and [[Cross River (Nigeria). Cross River]] ''[[Coptodon guineensis. 1-55963-365-4
- The Lake Bermin cichlids are small fish, none surpassing {{cvt. 14. cm. (2018)
- Moelants, T.. (2010). "''Tilapia bakossiorum''".
- Moelants, T.. (2010). "''Tilapia gutturosa''".
- Moelants, T.. (2010). "''Tilapia thysi''".
- Freeth, S.J.; C.O. Ofoegbu; and K.M. Onuoha (1992). Natural Hazards in West and Central Africa, pp. 50–52. {{ISBN. 978-3-663-05239-5
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