Aulonocara koningsi Tawil, 2003
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
Aulonocara koningsi is a species of haplochromine cichlid which is endemic to Lake Malawi. It is restricted to the waters around Mbenji Island and is therefore endemic to Malawi too. It is common in the restricted area in which it occurs but collection for the aquarium trade does not seem to have affected the population. This species has a rounded back. The territorial males are uniformly blue with the egg spots normally shown by the males of the genus Aulonocara on the anal fin being either absent or greatly reduced. Females and non-territorial males are marked with dark vertical bars which often connect on the belly, they also have spots on their flanks. Aulonocara koningsi is found in the intermediate zone between areas of rocks and sandy substrates at depths of 3–25 metres (9.8–82.0 ft). These fish feed from the patches of sand which intersperse the rocks. The males excavate holes under the rocks and they defend a small territory while the females occur in small groups numbering 4–5.
Wikipedia contributors, Aulonocara koningsi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:06:46.100473+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aulonocara koningsi Tawil, 2003
- Name authority
- Tawil, 2003
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Aulonocara
- 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
- genusAulonocara Regan, 1922
- speciesAulonocara koningsi Tawil, 2003
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aulonocara. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Aulonocara aquilonium Konings, 1995 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aulonocara gertrudae Konings, 1995 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aulonocara guentheri Eccles, 1989 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (Johnson, 1974) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aulonocara korneliae Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche, 1987 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aulonocara rostratum Trewavas, 1935 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aulonocara saulosi Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche, 1987 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aulonocara stonemani (Burgess & Axelrod, 1973) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aulonocara brevirostre (Trewavas, 1935) | 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.
- Tawil, P. (2003). Aulonocara koningsi n. sp., un cichlidé nouveau du lac Malawi apparenté à Aulonocara stuartgranti (Pisces: Teleostei: Cichlidae). L’an Cichlidé, 3: 89–98. 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:JSPP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.