Lethrinops microstoma Trewavas, 1931
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 littletooth sandeater (Lethrinops microstoma) is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi where it is known from sandy areas around Cape Maclear and in Senga Bay. This species grows to a length of 14.5 centimetres (5.7 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Wikipedia contributors, Littletooth sandeater; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:03:06.572752+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lethrinops microstoma Trewavas, 1931
- Name authority
- Trewavas, 1931
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Lethrinops
- 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
- genusLethrinops Regan, 1922
- speciesLethrinops microstoma Trewavas, 1931
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lethrinops. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Lethrinops microdon Eccles & Lewis, 1977 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lethrinops mylodon Eccles & Lewis, 1979 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lethrinops macracanthus Trewavas, 1931 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lethrinops longipinnis Eccles & Lewis, 1978 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lethrinops oculatus Trewavas, 1931 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lethrinops macrochir (Regan, 1922) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lethrinops marginatus Ahl, 1926 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lethrinops micrentodon (Regan, 1922) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lethrinops gossei Burgess & Axelrod, 1973 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Lethrinops microstomus Trewavas, 1931 Trewavas, 1931 | 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.
- Trewavas, E. (1931). A revision of the cichlid fishes of the genus Lethrinops Regan. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, (Series 10) v. 7 (no. 37): 133–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933108673287 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:6Q2NK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.