Melanochromis auratus (Boulenger, 1897)
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
Melanochromis auratus, the auratus cichlid, is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family. It is also known as golden mbuna and Malawi golden cichlid. It is endemic to the southern region of Lake Malawi, particularly from Jalo Reef southward along the entire western coast down to Crocodile Rocks.
Wikipedia contributors, Melanochromis auratus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:09:58.249005+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanochromis auratus (Boulenger, 1897)
- Name authority
- (Boulenger, 1897)
- 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 auratus (Boulenger, 1897)
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 vermivorus Trewavas, 1935 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis mossambiquensis Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 | 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tilapia aurata (Boulenger, 1897) (Boulenger, 1897) | synonym |
| Chromis auratus Boulenger, 1897 Boulenger, 1897 | synonym |
| Pseudotropheus auratus (Boulenger, 1897) (Boulenger, 1897) | synonym |
| Chromis aurata Boulenger, 1897 Boulenger, 1897 | 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=1468426 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:72XFN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.