Iodotropheus sprengerae Oliver & Loiselle, 1972
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Iodotropheus sprengerae, the rusty cichlid, lavender mbuna or lavender cichlid, is a species of cichlid endemic to the Boadzulu and Chinyankwazi Islands and Chinyamwezi Island regions of Lake Malawi. It prefers a temperature range of 24–26 °C (75–79 °F).
Rusty cichlids are elongate fish that can grow up to 10.8 centimetres (4.3 in) SL. Juveniles and females are rusty brown color, while mature males have lavender purple hue.
Rusty cichlids are mouthbrooders. Females hold their fertilized eggs and fry, in their mouth for a few weeks before releasing the fry.
Rusty cichlids are endemic to Lake Malawi where it is apparently restricted to islands and reefs in the southeastern arm of the lake. The restricted distribution and the effects of the aquarium trade and increased sedimentation on this fish are unknown. The IUCN list this species as Near Threatened.
This species is named in honour of Kappy Sprenger, an aquarist, author and artist from Los Gatos, California, whose efforts to have this fish correctly identified led to the realisation that this was an undescribed species.
Wikipedia contributors, Iodotropheus sprengerae; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:54:53.702673+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Iodotropheus sprengerae Oliver & Loiselle, 1972
- Name authority
- Oliver & Loiselle, 1972
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Iodotropheus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCichliformes
- familyCichlidae Bonaparte, 1835
- subfamilyPseudocrenilabrinae Fowler, 1934
- genusIodotropheus Oliver & Loiselle, 1972
- speciesIodotropheus sprengerae Oliver & Loiselle, 1972
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Iodotropheus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Iodotropheus declivitas Stauffer, 1994 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Iodotropheus stuartgranti Konings, 1990 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Iodochromis sprengerae (Oliver & Loiselle, 1972) (Oliver & Loiselle, 1972) | synonym |
| Iodochromis sprengeri (Oliver & Loiselle, 1972) (Oliver & Loiselle, 1972) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Oliver, M. K., & Loiselle, P. V. (1972). A new genus and species of cichlid of the mbuna group (Pisces: Cichlidae) from Lake Malawi. Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines, 85 (3–4): 309–320. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3PTVX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.