Melanochromis

Melanochromis
Male Golden Mbuna (Melanochromis auratus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Cichlidae
Subfamily:	Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe:	Haplochromini
Genus:	Melanochromis Trewavas, 1935
Diversity
27 species

Melanochromis is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in Eastern Africa. It was established by Ethylwynn Trewavas in 1935. 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. They are very aggressive, particularly amongst conspecifics and similarly patterned heterospecifics (such as Julidochromis). Thus, though they are popular aquarium fishes, they are not suited for beginners and community tanks.

Species

The genus contains 27 species at present:^[1]

• Melanochromis auratus – Golden Mbuna, Auratus Cichlid, Malawi Golden Cichlid
• Melanochromis baliodigma
• Melanochromis benetos
• Melanochromis brevis
• Melanochromis chipokae
• Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos – Maingano
• Melanochromis dialeptos
• Melanochromis elastodema
• Melanochromis heterochromis
• Melanochromis interruptus
• Melanochromis joanjohnsonae – Pearl of Likoma
• Melanochromis johannii – Bluegrey Mbuna, Johanni Mbuna, electric blue johanni
• Melanochromis kaskazini Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer Jr, 2009
• Melanochromis lepidiadaptes
• Melanochromis loriae
• Melanochromis melanopterus
• Melanochromis mellitus
• Melanochromis mossambiquensis Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer Jr, 2009
• Melanochromis parallelus – Parallel-striped Mbuna
• Melanochromis perileucos
• Melanochromis perspicax Trewavas, 1935^{[verification needed]}
• Melanochromis robustus
• Melanochromis simulans
• Melanochromis vermivorus – Purple Mbuna
• Melanochromis wochepa Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer Jr, 2009
• Melanochromis xanthodigma

Footnotes

1. ^ FishBase [2009]

References

• FishBase [2009]: Melanochromis species. Retrieved 2009-OCT-03.

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