Ad Konings

Ad Konings (born January 11 1956 in Roosendaal, Netherlands) is an ichthyologist originally trained in medicine and biology. Konings is best known for his research on African rift lake cichlids. After studies in Amsterdam he has spent most of his life in Rotterdam.

Early life

Konings started keeping cichlids when he was 14 years old in 1970. Soon he was breeding rare African cichlids and working as an assistant to the largest tropical fish dealer in the Netherlands.

Academic Studies and Early Career

From 1974-1980 he studied medical biology at the University of Amsterdam and was awarded his Ph.D. in 1980. He chose this field despite his love of ichthyology due to a fear that if he chose the latter field he would be unemployable. From 1980-1986. he did research on lysosomal enzymes at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Most of this was DNA-related work (molecular biology).

In 1986 Konings moved to St. Leon-Rot, Germany (near Heidelberg), where he started to write books and breed Lake Tanganyika cichlids. He also worked for 18 months at the University of Heidelberg Parasitology Department.

As Publisher and Photographer

Konings started his own publishing company, Cichlid Press, in 1991. Its first book was titled the "Cichlids Yearbook", vol. 1. The business grew and now publishes a number of cichlid guidebooks by Konings and other authors; its publications are often regarded as the standard reference works on various classes of African cichlids. Amazon booksellers list 36 different books or publications under his name.

He is also a prolific photographer, and a recent Google image search under his name yielded 6,900 images.

Two Lake Malawi cichlids have been named after him, namely "Aulonocara koningsi" by Patrick Tawil in 2003, and "Placidochromis koningsi" by Hanssens in 2004.

Late in her career famed ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas mentored Konings, providing feedback and suggestions for his research. When her eyesight failed late in her life she asked him to accept her stereo microscope as a gift from the prominent African cichlid expert of the mid-20th century to the man who succeeded her in describing a multitude of new cichlid species.

Konings also was mentored by prominent fish explorer and exporter Stuart Grant early in his career, and when Konings married his wife Gertrud in 1996 in Malawi Grant and his wife Esther were best man and maid of honor.

Konings moved to El Paso, Texas, in 1996, relocating Cichlid Press along with his family. In innterviews he has described a love of the area's climate and landscape as the reason for the move.

He leads expeditions to Lake Malawi (typically three per year) and lectures extensively around the world.

In 2003 Konings was presented with the American Cichlid Association Retrospective Award for contributions to the study of worldwide cichlids, particularly those from Lake Malawi.

Publications (Partial List)

* "Malawi Cichlids in Their Natural Habitat" by Ad Konings; Hardcover; Cichlid Press; 3rd edition (July 31, 2001); ISBN-10: 0966825535; ISBN-13: 978-0966825534
* "Enjoying Cichlids" by Kjell Fohrman, Mary Bailey, Ad Konings; Hardcover; Cichlid Press (November 30, 2002); ISBN-10: 0966825578; ISBN-13: 978-0966825572
* "Celebrating Cichlids from Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika" by Ad Konings; Hardcover; Cichlid Press (August 31, 2005); ISBN-10: 1932892028; ISBN-13: 978-1932892024
* "Tanganyika Cichlids in Their Natural Habitat" by Ad Konings; Hardcover; Cichlid Press; ISBN-10: 0966825500; ISBN-13: 978-0966825503
* "Guide to Malawi Cichlids" by Ad Konings; Hardcover; AQUALOG Verlag GmbH (January 1997); ISBN-10: 3980560538; ISBN-13: 978-3980560535
* "Guide to Tanganyika Cichlids" by Ad Konings; Hardcover; AQUALOG Verlag GmbH (January 1996); ISBN-10: 3928457373; ISBN-13: 978-3928457378
* "Konings' Book of Cichlids and All the Other Fishes of Lake Malawi" by Ad Konings; Hardcover; TFH Publications (July 1991); ISBN-10: 0866225277; ISBN-13: 978-0866225274
* "Cichlids from Central America" by Ad Konings; Hardcover; TFH Publications (February 1989); ISBN-10: 0866227008; ISBN-13: 978-0866227001
* "The Cichlid Diversity of Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa: Identification, Distribution and Taxonomy" by Jos Snoeks and Ad Konings; Hardcover; Cichlid Press (November, 2004); ISBN-10: 0966825586; ISBN-13: 978-0966825589

References

* [http://cichlidae.com/interview.php?id=270 Interview with Konings on his career and his relationship with Trewavas]
* [http://www.tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=185973&sid=31af07458e28113f96fe5e3452fe27cb Short bio from a speaking engagement]
* [http://cichlidae.com/gallery/species.php?s=416 "Aolonocara koningsi"]