| Melanochromis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male Golden Mbuna (Melanochromis auratus) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Tribe: | Haplochromini |
| Genus: | Melanochromis Trewavas, 1935 |
| Type species | |
| Melanochromis melanopterus Trewavas, 1935
| |
Melanochromis is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in Eastern Africa. Ecologically, they belong to the rock-dwelling mbuna cichlids of Lake Malawi.
Melanochromis are typically small, slim but muscular fishes with lengthwise stripes of black, yellow and blue. They usually display strong sexual dichromatism.
Species[edit]
There are currently 15 recognized species in this genus:[1]
- Melanochromis auratus (Boulenger, 1897) (Golden Mbuna, Auratus Cichlid, Malawi Golden Cichlid)
- Melanochromis baliodigma Bowers & Stauffer, 1997
- Melanochromis chipokae D. S. Johnson, 1975
- Melanochromis dialeptos Bowers & Stauffer, 1997
- Melanochromis heterochromis Bowers & Stauffer, 1993
- Melanochromis kaskazini Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009
- Melanochromis lepidiadaptes Bowers & Stauffer, 1997
- Melanochromis loriae D. S. Johnson, 1975
- Melanochromis melanopterus Trewavas, 1935
- Melanochromis mossambiquensis Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009
- Melanochromis mpoto Konings & Stauffer, 2012.[1]
- Melanochromis robustus D. S. Johnson, 1985
- Melanochromis simulans Eccles, 1973
- Melanochromis vermivorus Trewavas, 1935 (Purple Mbuna)
- Melanochromis wochepa Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009
References[edit]
- ^ a b Konings, Adrianus F.; Stauffer Jr., Jay R. (2012). "Review of the Lake Malaŵi genus Melanochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) with a description of a new species" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3258: 1–27. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3258.1.1.