Melanochromis

Melanochromis
	Male Golden Mbuna (Melanochromis auratus)
Scientific classification
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

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

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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[KS2012-1] 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.