Melanochromis vermivorus Trewavas, 1935
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
The purple mbuna (Melanochromis vermivorus) is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi. This species can reach a length of 7.4 centimetres (2.9 in) SL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Wikipedia contributors, Purple mbuna; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:09:58.250004+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanochromis vermivorus Trewavas, 1935
- Name authority
- Trewavas, 1935
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Melanochromis
- 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
- genusMelanochromis Trewavas, 1935
- speciesMelanochromis vermivorus Trewavas, 1935
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanochromis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Melanochromis mossambiquensis Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis auratus (Boulenger, 1897) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis kaskazini Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis baliodigma Bowers & Stauffer, 1997 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis robustus Johnson, 1985 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis wochepa Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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.
- Trewavas, E. (1935). A synopsis of the cichlid fishes of Lake Nyasa. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 10), v. 16 (no. 91) (art. 6): 65–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933508655026 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:3Z8B2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.