Mylochromis anaphyrmus (Burgess & Axelrod, 1973)
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
Mylochromis anaphyrmus is a species of cichlid fish endemic to southern parts of Lake Malawi. It can be found at depths of around 10 to 72 metres (33–236 ft) in waters with sandy or silty substrates. It is a deep-bodied fish that differs from closely related members of the genus by having a relatively smaller and rounded head and small mouth. This species can reach a length of 23 centimetres (9.1 in) TL.
Mylochromis anaphyrmus is a predator of mollusks, principally gastropods, which it crushes with heavy molariform teeth. Examination of their guts have also revealed they feed on copepods and other arthropods.
The specific name for the species, anaphyrmus, is from the Ancient Greek word for confusion, a reference to the uncertain taxonomy of the species. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Wikipedia contributors, Mylochromis anaphyrmus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:15:14.118175+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mylochromis anaphyrmus (Burgess & Axelrod, 1973)
- Name authority
- (Burgess & Axelrod, 1973)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Mylochromis
- 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
- genusMylochromis Regan, 1920
- speciesMylochromis anaphyrmus (Burgess & Axelrod, 1973)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Mylochromis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Mylochromis chekopae Turner & Howarth, 2001 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis ensatus Turner & Howarth, 2001 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis epichorialis (Trewavas, 1935) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis guentheri (Regan, 1922) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis mola (Trewavas, 1935) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis mollis (Trewavas, 1935) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis obtusus (Trewavas, 1935) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis plagiotaenia (Regan, 1922) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis spilostichus (Trewavas, 1935) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis durophagus Turner, 2024 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis balteatus (Trewavas, 1935) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mylochromis ericotaenia (Regan, 1922) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Cyrtocara anaphyrmus (Burgess & Axelrod, 1973) (Burgess & Axelrod, 1973) | synonym |
| Haplochromis anaphyrmus Burgess & Axelrod, 1973 Burgess & Axelrod, 1973 | synonym |
| Maravichromis anaphyrmus (Burgess & Axelrod, 1973) (Burgess & Axelrod, 1973) | 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1012980 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:4545N. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.