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 | |
|---|---|
| |
| 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 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
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melanochromis.
- ^ 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.
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