Nyassachromis purpurans (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
Nyassachromis purpurans is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi where it prefers areas with sandy substrates. This species can reach a length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Included in the group of open water mouthbrooders called "Utaka" by the native Malawians, the male is a light iridescent blue with ornate yellow fins tipped with a black stripe while the female is a drab silver-gray with yellow-tipped fins.
Wikipedia contributors, Nyassachromis purpurans; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:23:03.503855+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nyassachromis purpurans (Trewavas, 1935)
- Name authority
- (Trewavas, 1935)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Nyassachromis
- 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
- genusNyassachromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989
- speciesNyassachromis purpurans (Trewavas, 1935)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nyassachromis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Nyassachromis boadzulu (Iles, 1960) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nyassachromis breviceps (Regan, 1922) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nyassachromis leuciscus (Regan, 1922) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nyassachromis microcephalus (Trewavas, 1935) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nyassachromis nigritaeniatus (Trewavas, 1935) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nyassachromis prostoma (Trewavas, 1935) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nyassachromis serenus (Trewavas, 1935) | 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 purpurans (Trewavas, 1935) (Trewavas, 1935) | synonym |
| Haplochromis purpurans Trewavas, 1935 Trewavas, 1935 | 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=1015468 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:484RN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.