COMMENTS
v. 8.0 – 13 March 2024 view/download PDF
Family CICHLIDAE Cichlids (part 2 of 7)
Subfamily PSEUDOCRENILABRINAE African Cichlids (Abactochromis through Greenwoodochromis)
Abactochromis Oliver & Arnegard 2010 abactus, driven away, banished or expelled, referring to both the solitary, wandering and apparently non-territorial habits of living individuals, and to the authors’ removal of its one species from Melanochromis, the genus in which it was originally described, where it mistakenly remained for 75 years; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Abactochromis labrosus (Trewavas 1935) thick-lipped, referring to lips produced into pointed lobes
Allochromis Greenwood 1980 allos, different or strange, referring to unusual tooth shape and dental pattern, and to its lepidophagous habits; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Allochromis welcommei (Greenwood 1966) in honor of Robin Welcomme, fisheries biologist, East African Freshwater Fisheries Research Organization (Jinja, Uganda), who collected type and supplied ecological and other data
Alticorpus Stauffer & McKaye 1988 altus, deep; corpus, body, referring to relatively deep body of all species
Alticorpus geoffreyi Snoeks & Walapa 2004 in honor of British carcinologist, ecologist and ichthyologist Geoffrey Fryer (b. 1927), who worked on several aspects of the fishes of Lake Malawi (where this species is endemic), but is “most renown for his pioneering work” on the lake’s communities of rock-dwelling cichlids
Alticorpus macrocleithrum (Stauffer & McKaye 1985) macro-, large, referring to “large and distinctive nature” of the cleithrum, which has elongated tips that cause an unusual ventral protrusion below posterior part of head
Alticorpus mentale Stauffer & McKaye 1988 mentum, chin, referring to prominent mental process
Alticorpus peterdaviesi (Burgess & Axelrod 1973) in honor of Peter Davies, fish exporter of Lake Malawi, for his help in securing many fishes of the lake for photography and study
Alticorpus profundicola Stauffer & McKaye 1988 profundus, deep; –cola, dweller or inhabitant, referring to deepwater habitat (type specimen captured at 159 m)
Altolamprologus Poll 1986 altus, high, referring to high dorsal profile of both species; Lamprologus, original genus of both species
Altolamprologus calvus (Poll 1978) bald, referring to scaleless area on forehead between the eyes
Altolamprologus compressiceps (Boulenger 1898) ceps, head, referring to its “very strongly compressed head”
Altolamprologus fasciatus (Boulenger 1898) banded, referring to 11 dark-brown bars on a yellowish body
Anomalochromis Greenwood 1985 anomalus, irregular, referring to unusual condition of preopercular-mandibular lateral-line canal, which lacks a passage through the anguloarticular bone; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Anomalochromis thomasi (Boulenger 1915) in honor of anthropologist Northcote W. Thomas (1868-1936), who collected type
Aristochromis Trewavas 1935 aristos, the best, referring to “aristocratic” profile of head (per Eccles & Trewavas 1989); chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Aristochromis christyi Trewavas 1935 in honor of Cuthbert Christy (1863-1932), physician (specializing in sleeping sickness), zoologist, explorer, and Director of the Congo Museum (Tervuren, Belgium), who collected type
Asprotilapia Boulenger 1901 aspro-, etymology not explained, possibly referring to slender, ventrally-flattened body shape and down-turned mouth, superficially resembling the European percid Aspro apron (=Zingel asper); Tilapia, presumed to be “allied” with that genus
Asprotilapia leptura Boulenger 1901 leptos, thin; oura, tail, referring to thin caudal peduncle
Astatoreochromis Pellegrin 1904 combination of the names Astatotilapia and Oreochromis, believed to be intermediate between those two genera
Astatoreochromis alluaudi Pellegrin 1904 in honor of entomologist and explorer Charles A. Alluaud (1861-1949), who collected type
Astatoreochromis straeleni (Poll 1944 )in honor of paleontologist-carcinologist Victor van Straelen (1889-1964), Director, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Astatotilapia Pellegrin 1904 astatos, unstable (i.e., variable), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to Pellegrin’s observation that teeth in specimens of this genus change as the fish grows (bi- or tricuspid at a young age, probably because they are not yet strong enough to take animal food, becoming conical as adults when they are capable of grasping larger living prey); Tilapia, described as intermediate between that genus and Paratilapia
Astatotilapia bloyeti (Sauvage 1883) in honor of Capt. A. Bloyet, chief of the French station for scientific observations at Kandôa, Tanzania, who collected type
Astatotilapia burtoni (Günther 1894) patronym not identified but probably in honor of Capt. Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890), English explorer, geographer and diplomat, who, with John Hanning Speke, discovered Lake Tanganyika (type locality) in search of the source of the Nile (also occurs in Lake Kivu)
Astatotilapia calliptera (Günther 1894) calli-, beautiful; pterus, fin, referring to anal fin “ornamented” by 2-4 large milky-white ocelli; in addition, dorsal fin in the largest specimen Günther examined described as “ornamented with round light-coloured spots”
Astatotilapia desfontainii (Lacepède 1802) in honor of friend and colleague René Louiche Desfontaines (1750-1833), botanist and ornithologist, who found this cichlid in the thermal waters of Tunisia (also occurs in Algeria)
Astatotilapia flaviijosephi (Lortet 1883) in honor of Titus Flavius Josephus (37-c. 100), Romano-Jewish scholar, historian and hagiographer, who is mentioned several times in Lortet’s study of Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee in Israel); Flavius reported a thriving fishing industry on the lake and believed the occurrence of a catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in the lake was due to underground connections to the Nile
Astatotilapia fuelleborni (Hilgendorf & Pappenheim 1903) in honor of Friedrich Fülleborn (1866-1933), who collected type during his travels as a parasitologist and military physician [placed in Haplochromis by some workers]
Astatotilapia gigliolii (Pfeffer 1896) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of zoologist-anthropologist Enrico Hillyer Giglioli (1845-1909), director of the Royal Zoological Museum (Florence, Italy), who is cited in Pfeffer’s monograph
Astatotilapia stappersii (Poll 1943) in honor of physician-biologist Louis Stappers (1883-1916), head of the Belgian colony in the Congo, who led an expedition to Lake Tanganyika, collecting type in 1912
Astatotilapia swynnertoni (Boulenger 1907) in honor of Charles Francis Massy Swynnerton (1877-1938), an English naturalist noted for his contributions to tsetse fly research, who “obtained” type from his farm in Mozambique
Astatotilapia tchadensis Trape 2016 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Chad, type locality, and fossil Lake Chad basin, where this species originated
Aulonocara Regan 1922 aulos, pipe or tube; kara, head, referring to enlarged sensory canals in head
Aulonocara aquilonium Konings 1995 northern, referring to its northerly distribution in Lake Malawi
Aulonocara auditor (Trewavas 1935) hearer, presumably referring to expanded sensory canals in head (“Otic region of ear slightly swollen”)
Aulonocara baenschi Meyer & Riehl 1985 in honor of Ulrich Baensch (Nassau, Bahamas), inventor of Tetramin dried flake food and founder of Tetra GmbH, whose “pioneering work” made “modern” tropical fishkeeping possible (translation)
Aulonocara brevinidus Konings 1995 brevis, short or shallow; nidus, nest, referring to shallow spawning pit constructed by the male
Aulonocara ethelwynnae Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche 1987 in honor of Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993), British Museum (Natural History), who described three species in this genus
Aulonocara gertrudae Konings 1995 in honor of Konings’ wife, Gertrud Dubin, for her “moral support, her interest in cichlids, and her patience”
Aulonocara guentheri Eccles 1989 in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist Albert Günther (1830-1914), who first recognized the remarkable diversity of the Malawian fish fauna
Aulonocara hueseri Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche 1987 in honor of cichlid aquarist Eberhard Hüser (Hildesheim, Germany)
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (Johnson 1974) in honor of Jacob Freiberg, African Fish Imports (Verona, New Jersey, USA), who co-collected type
Aulonocara kandeense Tawil & Allgayer 1987 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Kande Island, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality
Aulonocara koningsi Tawil 2003 in honor of Adrianus (“Ad”) F. Konings (b. 1956), ichthyologist, cichlid aquarist and publisher, whose field work on Lake Malawi cichlids in general and Aulonocara in particular have contributed considerably to our knowledge of these fishes
Aulonocara korneliae Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche 1987 in honor of Kornelia Meyer, wife of first author
Aulonocara maylandi Trewavas 1984 in honor of cichlid enthusiast and aquarium-fish author Hans-Joachim Mayland (ca. 1928-2004), who brought this species to Trewavas’ attention
Aulonocara nyassae Regan 1922 of Lake Nyassa (usually spelled Nyasa), Tanzanian name for Lake Malawi, where this cichlid is endemic
Aulonocara rostratum Trewavas 1935 beaked, referring to longer snout compared to A. nyassae
Aulonocara saulosi Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche 1987 in honor of Saulos Mwale (Salima, Malawi), diver and mechanic working for cichlid exporter Stuart M. Grant and discoverer of many Malawian cichlids
Aulonocara stonemani (Burgess & Axelrod 1973) in honor of John Stoneman, Chief Fisheries Officer, Malawi, for help in making the authors’ expedition a success
Aulonocara stuartgranti Meyer & Riehl 1985 in honor of Stuart M. Grant (1937-2007), exporter of cichlids from Lake Malawi, where this species is endemic
Aulonocara trematocephalum (Boulenger 1901) trematos, hole; cephalum, head, referring to sensory pores in head with “very wide openings”
Aulonocranus Regan 1920 aulos, pipe or tube; cranus, head, referring to enlarged sensory canals in the head
Aulonocranus dewindti (Boulenger 1899) in memory of the “distinguished young” geologist Jean Charles Louis De Windt (1876-1898), who accidentally drowned in Lake Tanganyika (type locality)
Baileychromis Poll 1986 in honor of ichthyologist Reeve M. Bailey (1911-2011), University of Michigan, who co-described type species in 1977; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Baileychromis centropomoides (Bailey & Stewart 1977) –oides, having the form of: referring to superficial resemblance of head and body (but not dorsal fin) to American snooks, genus Centropomus (Carangiformes: Centropomidae)
Bathybates Boulenger 1898 bathys, deep; bates, one that treads or haunts, probably referring to deepwater habitat (122 m) of B. ferox
Bathybates fasciatus Boulenger 1901 banded, referring to series of round blackish blotches (which look like short stripes or bands) above upper lateral line
Bathybates ferox Boulenger 1898 fierce, probably referring to long, sharp and fang-like teeth
Bathybates graueri Steindachner 1911 in honor of Austrian explorer and zoologist Rudolf Grauer (1870-1927), who collected type
Bathybates hornii Steindachner 1911 patronym not identified, probably in honor of one or both of the Horn brothers, Adolf and Albin Horn, who explored German East-Africa (present day Burundi and Tanzania) collecting specimens for the Vienna Museum, where Steindachner was curator of fishes and reptiles
Bathybates leo Poll 1956 lion, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to large teeth used to catch clupeids and other cichlids
Bathybates minor Boulenger 1906 small, at up to 205 mm TL, smallest member of genus
Bathybates vittatus Boulenger 1914 banded, referring to 4-5 dark brown longitudinal bands along sides
Benitochromis Lamboj 2001 Benito, named for Benito River, Equatorial Guinea, type locality of type species, B. batesii; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Benitochromis batesii (Boulenger 1901) in honor of George Latimer Bates (1863-1940), farmer and ornithologist who lived in Cameroon and collected specimens for the Natural History Museum (London), including type of this species from Equatorial Guinea
Benitochromis conjunctus Lamboj 2001 joining or meeting together, referring to two horizontal bands that conjoin with vertical bands on middle of body
Benitochromis finleyi (Trewavas 1974) in honor of American aquarist Lee Finley, who “generously” provided the photograph used in the description
Benitochromis nigrodorsalis Lamboj 2001 nigro-, black; dorsalis, dorsal, referring to black coloration of dorsal fin
Benitochromis riomuniensis (Thys van den Audenaerde 1981) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Río Muni (Equatorial Guinea), between Cameroon and Gabon, type locality
Benitochromis ufermanni Lamboj 2001 in honor of German aquarist Alfred Ufermann (d. 2002), who played a significant role in getting Lamboj involved with the cichlids of West and Central Africa; in addition, “one turns to him—mostly successfully—when it comes to unusual literature on cichlids” (translation)
Benthochromis Poll 1986 benthos, deep, referring to deepwater habitat (10-125 m) of B. melanoides and B. tricoti; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Benthochromis horii Takahashi 2008 in honor of fish ecologist Michio Hori, Kyoto University (Japan), the first to identify this fish as an undescribed species
Benthochromis melanoides (Poll 1984) melanos, black; eidos, shape, presumably referring to black blotch on nape of males
Benthochromis tricoti (Poll 1948) in honor of M. (probably Monsieur) Tricot, director of the Great Lakes Railroad Company (Albertville), for his interest in and concern for the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946-1947), during which type was collected
Boulengerochromis Pellegrin 1904 in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858-1937), British Museum (Natural History), who described B. microlepis in 1899 (earlier in the paper, Pellegrin described the pleasant time he had and the kind welcome he received from Boulenger while visiting his musuem); chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Boulengerochromis microlepis (Boulenger 1899) micro-, small; lepis, scale, presumably referring to relatively small scales, 80-90 along lateral line
Buccochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 bucca, mouth, presumably referring to their large mouths; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Buccochromis atritaeniatus (Regan 1922) atri-, black; taeniatus, banded, referring to blackish band from nape to caudal fin
Buccochromis heterotaenia (Trewavas 1935) hetero-, different; taenia, band, referring to oblique band below posterior half of upper lateral line, different from band on the similar B. rhoadesii, which covers upper lateral line
Buccochromis lepturus (Regan 1922) leptos, thin; oura, tail, presumably referring to slender caudal peduncle, described as “1⅔ to 2 as long as deep”
Buccochromis nototaenia (Boulenger 1902) notos, back; taenia, band, referring to conspicuous dark diagonal stripe from nape to base of caudal fin
Buccochromis oculatus (Trewavas 1935) eyed, perhaps referring to larger eye diameter in length of head compared to the similar B. atritaeniatus
Buccochromis rhoadesii (Boulenger 1908) in honor of Capt. Edmund L. Rhoades, commander of the British gunboat Gwendolen, who presented a large collection of well-preserved fishes from Lake Malawi (including type of this one), to the British Museum, with sketches of their coloration in life made by Rhoades himself
Buccochromis spectabilis (Trewavas 1935) notable or showy, allusion not explained, probably referring to bright blue color of breeding males
Callochromis Regan 1920 callos, beautiful, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to attractive coloration of all three species in life; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Callochromis macrops (Boulenger 1898) macro-, large; ops, eye, referring to large eye, exceeding interorbital width, larger than eye of Gnathochromis pfefferi, its presumed closest congener at the time
Callochromis melanostigma (Boulenger 1906) melano-, black; stigma, mark or spot, referring to any or all of the following: regular longitudinal series of small black spots on back and sides, a blackish opercular spot, a reddish spot below eye, black spots on dorsal fin sometimes forming an oblique series
Callochromis pleurospilus (Boulenger 1906) pleuro-, side; spilos, spot, referring to black opercular spot followed by six black spots along sides
Caprichromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 capra, Latin for goat, referring to its butting behavior, which these paedophages use to force females of other cichlids to relinquish their broods; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Caprichromis liemi (McKaye & MacKenzie 1982) in honor of ichthyologist Karel F. Liem (1935-2009), for his “pioneering” studies and insight into the feeding mechanism of cichlids
Caprichromis orthognathus (Trewavas 1935) orthos, straight; gnathus, jaw, referring to its “nearly vertical” mouth
Cardiopharynx Poll 1942 cardio, heart; pharynx, throat, referring to heart-shaped lower pharyngeal bone
Cardiopharynx schoutedeni Poll 1942 in honor of zoologist Henri Schouteden (1881-1972), director of Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (Tervuren, Belgium), and one of the first to collect this species
Champsochromis Boulenger 1915 champsos, crocodile, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to large conical teeth in some of the species originally included in this genus, such as Rhamphochromis ferox; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Champsochromis caeruleus (Boulenger 1908) blue, referring to its greenish-blue coloration
Champsochromis spilorhynchus (Regan 1922) spilos, spot; rhynchus, snout, presumably referring to large black spot on preorbital (from anterior eye to upper jaw)
Cheilochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 cheilos, lip, referring to lips produced into median lobes; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852 [not to be confused with Chilochromis Boulenger 1902]
Cheilochromis euchilus (Trewavas 1935) eu-, very; cheilos, lip, referring to lips produced into median lobes
Chetia Trewavas 1961 from Cheti, local Malawian name for a yellow weaver-bird, referring to yellow color of C. flaviventris
Chetia brevicauda Bills & Weyl 2002 brevis, short; cauda, tail, referring to low number of caudal vertebrae and short caudal peduncle compared to congeners
Chetia brevis Jubb 1968 short, referring to small maximum size, shorter snout, shorter lower jaw, and shorter premaxillary pedicels compared to P. flaviventris
Chetia flaviventris Trewavas 1961 flavus, yellow; ventris, belly, referring to coloration of adult males
Chetia gracilis (Greenwood 1984) slender or simple, referring to body proportions of type specimens, and to the “relatively unspecialized nature” of its pharyngeal dentition
Chetia mola Balon & Stewart 1983 mill or millstone, referring to its “massive” pharyngeal tooth plates
Chetia welwitschi (Boulenger 1898) in honor of the late Friedrich Martin Joseph Welwitsch (1806-1872), Austrian explorer and botanist, who collected type
Chilochromis Boulenger 1902 cheilos, lip, referring to rami of lower jaw connected to upper jaw by a “broad, thin” lip; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852 [not to be confused with Cheilochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989]
Chilochromis duponti Boulenger 1902 in honor of geologist Édouard Dupont (1841-1911), “eminent” director of the Brussels Museum and “one of the pioneers in the geological exploration of the Congo Basin” (where this cichlid occurs)
Chilotilapia Boulenger 1908 cheilos, lip, referring to its thick lips; tilapia, latinization of !api, !Kung word for fish (“!” pronounced as a click, transcribed as “ti”), often used as a catch-all term for African cichlids
Chilotilapia rhoadesii Boulenger 1908 in honor of Capt. Edmund L. Rhoades, commander of the British gunboat Gwendolen, who presented a large collection of well-preserved fishes from Lake Malawi (including type of this one), to the British Museum, with sketches of their coloration in life made by Rhoades himself
Chindongo Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016 local name for “small, rock-dwelling fish” at Lake Malawi
Chindongo ater (Stauffer 1988) black, referring to overall appearance of territorial males and coloration of all preserved specimens
Chindongo bellicosus Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016 war-like or fond of war, referring to its aggressive behavior (per Ribbink et al. 1983, males, females and juveniles larger than 60 mm hold territories which they defend fiercely against all intruders)
Chindongo cyaneus (Stauffer 1988) blue, referring to coloration of fresh specimens
Chindongo demasoni (Konings 1994) in honor of Laif DeMason (Homestead, Florida, USA), importer, exporter, and breeder of cichlids, who has “greatly stimulated” the keeping of cichlids in the USA, and without whom the authors’ preliminary survey of rock-dwelling cichlids of the Tanzanian coast of Lake Malawi could not have been completed
Chindongo elongatus (Fryer 1956) elongate, referring to more elongate body compared to Pseudotropheus fuscus and other presumed congeners at the time
Chindongo flavus (Stauffer 1988) yellow, referring to coloration of fresh specimens
Chindongo heteropictus (Staeck 1980) hetero-, different; pictus, painted, referring to sexual dichromatism (males are bright blue, females are bright yellow)
Chindongo longior (Seegers 1996) longer, referring to longer body in relation to depth than that of the syntopic C. elongatus
Chindongo minutus (Fryer 1956) minute, referring to small size, 50-63 mm TL
Chindongo saulosi (Konings 1990) in honor of Saulos Mwale, (Salima, Malawi), diver and mechanic working for cichlid exporter Stuart M. Grant, who “caught more than 3000 specimens single-handed during a ten-week collecting expedition in Lake Malawi”
Chindongo socolofi (Johnson 1974) in honor of Ross Socolof (1925-2009), aquarium fish exporter, breeder and wholesaler, “who has contributed so much to [the] knowledge of aquarium fishes over the years”
Chromidotilapia Boulenger 1898 etymology not explained, presumably a combination of –ido, form, i.e., having the form of chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Hemichromis (1857) and Haplochromis (1888), and tilapia, latinization of !api, !Kung word for fish (“!” pronounced as a click, transcribed as “ti”), often used as a catch-all term for African cichlids
Chromidotilapia cavalliensis (Thys van den Audenaerde & Loiselle 1971) –ensis, suffix denoting place, Cavally River, Sahibly, Ivory Coast, type locality
Chromidotilapia elongata Lamboj 1999 referring to its more elongate body compared to congeners
Chromidotilapia guntheri (Sauvage 1882) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist Albert Günther (1830-1914), British Museum (Natural History), who is cited multiple times [since Sauvage did not place an umlaut over the “u” the spelling should not be emended to “guentheri”]
Chromidotilapia kingsleyae Boulenger 1898 in honor of writer and explorer Mary Henrietta Kingsley (1862-1900), who collected fishes for the British Museum (but apparently not this one)
Chromidotilapia linkei Staeck 1980 in honor of German aquarist, photographer and author Horst Linke, who collected type
Chromidotilapia mamonekenei Lamboj 1999 in honor of Congolese ichthyologist Victor Mamonekene (b. 1959), who was mainly responsible for the maintenance of the Biosphere Reserve in Dimonika, Republic of the Congo (type locality), and without whom Lamboj’s collections would not have been possible
Chromidotilapia melaniae Lamboj 2003 in honor of Melanie Stiassny (b. 1953), Curator of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History (New York)
Chromidotilapia mrac Lamboj 2002 abbreviation for Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (Tervuren, Belgium); for “more than a hundred years this museum has been one of the most important institutions working on African fishes”
Chromidotilapia nana Lamboj 2003 dwarf, referring to relatively small adult size when compared with congeners
Chromidotilapia regani (Pellegrin 1906) in honor of ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878-1943), Natural History Museum (London), who had just published his revisions of South American cichlids (1905, 1906), mentioned by Pellegrin
Chromidotilapia schoutedeni (Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde 1967) in honor of zoologist Henri Schouteden (1881-1972), director of Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (Tervuren, Belgium); he collected many new species in the Belgian Congo (but not this one)
Coelotilapia Dunz & Schliewen 2013 named coined (but not made available) by Mayland (1995) in an aquarium book, presumably from koiloma, cavity, referring to its cave-breeding behavior; Tilapia, original genus of C. joka
Coelotilapia joka (Thys van den Audenaerde 1969) probably a nickname, “dedicated to my young son Joris”
Congochromis Stiassny & Schliewen 2007 Congo, with the exception of C. sabinae, all species are restricted to the central Congo basin; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Congochromis pugnatus Stiassny & Schliewen 2007 to contend or fight, referring to its “heavy-jawed, pugnacious aspect”
Congochromis robustus Lamboj 2012 heavy or strong, referring to large size (75.6 mm SL) and overall robust body shape
Congochromis rotundiceps Wingi, Schedel & Schliewen 2022 rotundus, round; ceps, headed, referring to its “widely rounded” head
Congochromis sabinae (Lamboj 2005) in honor of the author’s daughter, Sabina
Congochromis squamiceps (Boulenger 1902) squamus, scale; ceps, head, referring to scaled head compared to scaleless head of Nanochromis nudiceps, its presumed congener at the time
Congolapia Dunz, Vreven & Schliewen 2012 Congo, referring to all species only known from central Congo basin; Tilapia, previous genus of C. bilineata and C. crassa
Congolapia bilineata (Pellegrin 1900) bi-, two; lineata, lined, referring to black stripes along its two lateral lines
Congolapia crassa (Pellegrin 1903) thick or stout, referring to stockier body compared to C. bilineata
Congolapia louna Dunz, Vreven & Schliewen 2012 named for River Louna, Republic of the Congo, only known area of occurrence
Copadichromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 kopadi, Greek for a shoal of fish, referring to shoaling habit of most of its species; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Copadichromis atripinnis Stauffer & Sato 2002 atri-, black; pinnis, fin, referring to solid black pigmentation of pelvic fins, black anal fins, and broad black bands on caudal fins of breeding males
Copadichromis azureus Konings 1990 latinization of the French l’azure (blue), referring to sky-blue color of breeding males
Copadichromis borleyi (Iles 1960) in honor of H. John H. Borley, Director of the Game Fish & Tsetse Control Department of Nyasaland (Malawi), member of the 1939 Fishery Survey Team to Lake Malawi
Copadichromis chizumuluensis Stauffer & Konings 2006 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Chizumulu Island, Mkanila Bay, Lake Malawi, where it is endemic
Copadichromis chrysonotus (Boulenger 1908) chryso-, gold; notus, back, referring to golden yellow streak from top of head, across nape and along distal part of dorsal fin of breeding males
Copadichromis cyaneus (Trewavas 1935) blue, allusion not explained, probably referring to bright blue color of territorial males
Copadichromis cyanocephalus Stauffer & Konings 2006 cyano-, greenish blue; cephalus, head, referring to green highlights on head of breeding males
Copadichromis diplostigma Stauffer & Konings 2006 diplo-, double; stigma, spot, referring to two lateral spots on body
Copadichromis geertsi Konings 1999 in honor of Martin Geerts, Dutch Cichlid Association, for his “knowledge of the scientific aspects of cichlids and for his support of the author during several expeditions to Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika”
Copadichromis ilesi Konings 1999 in honor British fisheries biologist and ichthyologist Thomas Derrick Iles (1927-2017), for his work on the “Utaka” cichlids of Lake Malawi
Copadichromis insularis Stauffer & Konings 2006 of an island, referring to fact that all known populations occurs at island on Lake Malawi
Copadichromis jacksoni (Iles 1960) patronym not identified but probably in honor of ichthyologist Peter B. N. Jackson (1924-2007), Joint Fisheries Research Organisation of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Nkata Bay (type locality), Lake Malawi
Copadichromis likomae (Iles 1960) of Likoma Island, Lake Malawi, type locality
Copadichromis mbenjii Konings 1990 of Mbenji Island, Lake Malawi, type locality
Copadichromis melas Stauffer & Konings 2006 black, referring to entirely black coloration of breeding males
Copadichromis mloto (Iles 1960) common name for this cichlid among local fishermen at Lake Malawi
Copadichromis nkatae (Iles 1960) of Nkata Bay, Lake Malawi, type locality
Copadichromis parvus Stauffer & Konings 2006 small, referring to its size compared to congeners
Copadichromis pleurostigma (Trewavas 1935) pleuro-, side; stigma, mark, referring to single dark spot on each side of body
Copadichromis pleurostigmoides (Iles 1960) –oides, having the form of: allusion not explained, presumably referring to similarity to and/or previous misidentification as C. pleurostigma
Copadichromis quadrimaculatus (Regan 1922) quadri-, four; maculatus, spotted, referring to a blackish spot on operculum, a second under lateral line below spinous dorsal fin, usually a third between lateral lines, and a fourth at base of caudal fin
Copadichromis trewavasae Konings 1999 in honor of the late Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993), British Museum (Natural History), “in grateful acknowledgment of her life-long work on Malawi cichlids and her enthusiasm in supporting the author in his research on these cichlids”
Copadichromis trimaculatus (Iles 1960) tri-, three; maculatus, spotted, referring to two spots just below lateral line on trunk and one at caudal peduncle
Copadichromis verduyni Konings 1990 in honor of cichlid retailer and wholesaler Dirk Verduyn (also spelled Verduijn, 1942-2018), who “considerably advanced the aquarium hobby in Holland and across its borders”
Copadichromis virginalis (Iles 1960) virginal, i.e., pure, probably referring to its placement in a species group called “pure Utaka” (a local name for cichlids along Lake Malawi), referring to their lack of spots
Coptodon Gervais 1853 copto-, split or divided; odon, tooth, presumably referring to bifid maxillary teeth of C. zillii
Coptodon bakossiorum (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) –orum, commemorative suffix, plural: named for the Bakossi people of Lake Bermin, Cameroon, where it is endemic
Coptodon bemini (Thys van den Audenaerde 1972) of Lake Bermin (sometimes spelled Bemin), Cameroon, where it is endemic
Coptodon bythobates (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) bythos, the deep; bates, walker or goer, referring to its deepwater habitat (never captured at less than 8 m)
Coptodon cameronensis (Holly 1927) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Cameroon, where it is endemic [not to be confused with C. camerunensis]
Coptodon camerunensis (Lönnberg 1903) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Cameroon, where it is endemic [not to be confused with C. cameronensis]
Coptodon coffea (Thys van den Audenaerde 1970) Latin for coffee, referring to Mount Coffee Dam Lake, St. Paul River, Liberia, type locality
Coptodon congicus (Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde 1960) –ica, belonging to: the Congo, proposed as a subspecies of C. tholloni from the forests of equatorial Congo
Coptodon dageti (Thys van den Audenaerde 1971) in honor of Jacques Daget (1919-2009), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), “who contributed much to the knowledge of this species”
Coptodon deckerti (Thys van den Audenaerde 1967) in honor of Kurt Deckert (1907-1987), Curator of Fishes, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, who helped the author during his visit to the Museum, and who afterwards spent many hours providing necessary and useful data for his cichlid research
Coptodon discolor (Günther 1903) dis-, different, referring to its “variable” color: “the whole fish may be brownish-black, the vertical and ventral fins and the base of each scale being deep black; or it may be of a uniform light colour, with some irregular black blotches on the opercle and throat”
Coptodon ejagham (Dunz & Schliewen 2010) named for Lake Ejagham, Cameroon, only known area of occurrence, and for the Ejagham people, whose major sacred site is this lake
Coptodon flavus (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) yellow, referring to “striking” yellow body coloration of breeding pairs
Coptodon fusiforme (Dunz & Schliewen 2010) fusus, spindle; formis, shape, referring to its slender fusiform body (a noun, not an adjective)
Coptodon guineensis (Günther 1862) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ashantee, Guinea, type locality (but widely occurring in west-central Africa and introduced elsewhere)
Coptodon gutturosus (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) with an enlarged throat, referring to its hypertrophied pharyngeal jaw
Coptodon imbrifernus (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) imbrifer, rainy; –ernus, pertaining to time, referring to its local designation in Cameroon as “rainy season fish”
Coptodon ismailiaensis (Mekkawy 1995) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ismailia, Egypt, where type locality (Ismailia Canal) is situated
Coptodon konkourensis (Dunz & Schliewen 2012) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Konkouré River basin, Guinea, where it appears to be endemic
Coptodon kottae (Lönnberg 1904) of Lake Barombi-ba-kotta (now Barombi Koto), Cameroon Mountain, Cameroon, where it is endemic
Coptodon louka (Thys van den Audenaerde 1969) “dedicated to my wife Lou [short for Louka], who since many years has been assisting me in my Tilapia-research” (Tilapia was original genus)
Coptodon margaritaceus (Boulenger 1916) pearly, referring to mother-of-pearl spots on sides of head and lower half of body of adults
Coptodon nigrans Dunz & Schliewen 2010 darkly colored, presumably referring to black color of breeding adults and/or 7-8 dark black vertical bars on body
Coptodon nyonganus (Thys van den Audenaerde 1971) –ana, belonging to: Nyong River, Cameroon, type locality
Coptodon polycentra (Duméril 1861) poly, many; kentron, thorn or spine, referring to more dorsal-fin spines than its presumed congeners in Tilapia
Coptodon rendalli (Boulenger 1897) in honor of zoologist Percy Rendall (1861-1948), who collected type
Coptodon rheophilus (Daget 1962) rheos, stream; philos, loving, referring to occurrence in of Konkoure River rapids in Guinea [often spelled “rheophila” but name is an adjective (stream-loving), not a noun (stream lover), and must agree with masculine gender of Coptodon]
Coptodon snyderae (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) in honor of museum collection manager Alexandra Snyder (b. 1953), for her contribution (field assistance) to the success of the third author’s 1985 expedition to Lake Bermin, Cameroon, where it is endemic
Coptodon spongotroktis (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) spongia, a spongy substance; troktes, gnawer or nibbler, referring to its diet
Coptodon tholloni (Sauvage 1884) in honor of François-Romain Thollon (1855-1896), Muséum d’histoire naturelle (Paris), botanist on expedition that collected type
Coptodon thysi (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) in honor of ichthyologist Dirk Thys van den Audenaerde (b. 1934), “whose pioneering studies of tilapines have laid the foundation for this, and many other studies of African freshwater fishes”
Coptodon walteri (Thys van den Audenaerde 1968) in honor of Belgian mammalogist Walter N. Verheyen (1932-2005), member of expedition that collected type, for photographing holotype and other help in the field
Coptodon zillii (Gervais 1848) in honor of M. (probably Monsieur) Zill, the “distinguished naturalist” (translation) who collected type and sent it to Gervais
Corematodus Boulenger 1897 korema, Greek for broom; odous, teeth, presumably referring to “extremely broad bands of innumerable minute club-shaped teeth” on both jaws of C. shiranus, i.e., close-set like the bristles of a broom
Corematodus shiranus Boulenger 1897 –anus, belonging to: upper Shiré River, between lakes Malawi and Malombe, type locality (also occurs in both lakes)
Corematodus taeniatus Trewavas 1935 banded, referring to oblique dark band from nape to base of caudal fin
Ctenochromis Pfeffer 1893 cteno-, proposed as a new genus of Chromis with ctenoid instead of cycloid scales on body (but cycloid on head and neck) of C. pectoralis; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Ctenochromis pectoralis Pfeffer 1893 etymology not explained, perhaps pectoral, i.e., chest region, referring to “very small” (translation) scales on breast, which abruptly transition to larger scales on lower sides of body
Ctenochromis scatebra Genner, Ngatunga & Turner 2022 Latin for a spring or a “gush of water from the ground,” referring to its type locality, a spring in northern Tanzania
Ctenopharynx Eccles & Trewavas 1989 cteno– comb; pharynx, throat, referring to close-set gill rakers of C. pictus and C. intermedius
Ctenopharynx intermedius (Günther 1864) described as intermediate between Chromis (damselfishes, then believed to include cichlids) and Hemichromis, “having the general habit of the former genus, and the conical teeth of the latter”
Ctenopharynx nitidus (Trewavas 1935) neat, elegant or shining, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to appearance of “very conspicuous” dark patches on sides and/or bright blue color of territorial males
Ctenopharynx pictus (Trewavas 1935) painted or colored, referring to its “very conspicuous” color pattern
Cunningtonia Boulenger 1906 –ia, belonging to: William Alfred Cunnington (1877-1958), British zoologist and anthropologist, who led expedition to Lake Tanganyika during which type was collected; Boulenger complimented him on the size of the fish collection, the excellent state of preservation and careful labeling of the specimens, and helpful sketches or notes on coloration in life
Cunningtonia longiventralis Boulenger 1906 longus, long; ventralis, ventral, referring to long and filamentous ventral fin, nearly twice as long as head
Cyathochromis Trewavas 1935 cyathos, cup, referring to spoon-like crowns on outer teeth; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Cyathochromis obliquidens Trewavas 1935 obliquus, slanting or sideways; dens, teeth, referring to oblique tip of teeth in outer row of jaws
Cyathopharynx Regan 1920 cyathos, cup; pharynx, throat, referring to “nearly circular, slightly concave” pharyngeal teeth
Cyathopharynx foae (Vaillant 1899) in honor of French geographer Edouard Foà (1862-1901), who collected type [Vaillant later attempted to correct spelling (“foai”) to reflect gender, but since name was published before the first edition of the Code (1906), original spelling stands]
Cyathopharynx furcifer (Boulenger 1898) furca, fork; fero, to bear, presumably referring to its “deeply emarginate, crescentic” caudal fin
Cyclopharynx Poll 1948 cyclo, circle; pharynx, throat, referring to “perfectly rounded and concave” (translation) lower pharyngeal bone of C. fwae
Cyclopharynx fwae Poll 1948 of the Fwa River, Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is endemic
Cyclopharynx schwetzi (Poll 1948) in honor of Russian-born Belgian physician-entomologist Yakov (later Jacques) Schwetz (1847-1957), who, while studying schistosomiasis and other diseases, also collected fishes, inluding type of this one
Cynotilapia Regan 1922 cyno-, dog, referring to large canine teeth; tilapia, latinization of !api, !Kung word for fish (“!” pronounced as a click, transcribed as “ti”), often used as a catch-all term for African cichlids
Cynotilapia afra (Günther 1894) African (a rather unimaginative name considering all members of original genus [Hemichromis] known at the time are endemic to Africa; the one exception is Hemichromis [now Tristramella] sacra of Israel)
Cynotilapia aurifrons (Tawil 2011) aureus, gold; frons, brow, referring to frontal coloration of males [sometimes placed in Microchromis, treated here as a synonym of Cynotilapia]
Cynotilapia axelrodi Burgess 1976 in honor of pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927-2017), whose “encouragement and help (including a trip to Lake Malawi to collect these fishes) has made [Burgess’] study of mbuna possible”
Cynotilapia chilundu Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016 Chichewa word for reef, referring to its only known habitat (Taiwanee Reef, Lake Malawi, type locality)
Cynotilapia zebroides (Johnson 1975) –oides, referring to “startling resemblance” to Pseudotropheus (now Maylandia) zebra [sometimes placed in Microchromis, treated here as a synonym of Cynotilapia]
Cyphotilapia Regan 1920 cypho-, bent or hunchbacked, referring to bulbous forehead in older specimens; tilapia, latinization of !api, !Kung word for fish (“!” pronounced as a click, transcribed as “ti”), often used as a catch-all term for African cichlids
Cyphotilapia frontosa (Boulenger 1906) with a broad head, referring to bulbous forehead in older specimens
Cyprichromis Scheuermann 1977 cypri-, referring to morphological similarity (slender body form) to the killifish family Cyprinodontidae (which at the time contained nearly all killifishes, including slender ones, but today is restricted to the stout-bodied pupfishes); chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Cyprichromis coloratus Takahashi & Hori 2006 colored, referring to the colorful (some specimens purple, some yellow) fins of the males
Cyprichromis leptosoma (Boulenger 1898) leptos, thin; soma, body, referring to elongate body, its depth 4 to 4⅓ times in TL
Cyprichromis microlepidotus (Poll 1956) micro-, small; lepidotus, scaled, presumably referring to 63-71 scales along lateral line, smaller and therefore more numerous than the scales of Limnochromis auritus, its presumed congener at the time
Cyprichromis pavo Büscher 1994 peacock, referring to the “magnificent” (translation) coloring of the males
Cyprichromis zonatus Takahashi, Hori & Nakaya 2002 banded, referring to vertical bands on dorsal half of body of males
Cyrtocara Boulenger 1902 cyrto-, curved; cara-, head, referring to hump on forehead (dermal frontal gibbosity) of adults and subadults of both sexes
Cyrtocara moorii Boulenger 1902 in honor of cytologist and zoologist John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870-1947), who collected type
Danakilia Thys van den Audenaerde 1969 -ia, belonging to: Danakil Depression, Ethiopia, where type locality (Lake Afdera) of T. franchetti is situated
Danakilia dinicolai Stiassny, De Marchi & Lamboj 2010 in memory of Ernesto Di Nicola (1969-2001), member of expedition to Lake Abaeded (Eritrea, only known area of occurrence), who died in a car accident while returning from the lake
Danakilia franchettii (Vinciguerra 1931) in honor of Italian explorer Raimondo Franchetti (1889-1935), who organized expedition (at his own expense) that collected type
Dimidiochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 dimidiatus, divided in two, referring to how prominent mid-lateral band appears to divide body into two equal halves; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Dimidiochromis compressiceps (Boulenger 1908) compressus, compressed; ceps, head, referring to its “very strongly compressed” head
Dimidiochromis dimidiatus (Günther 1864) dimidiatus, divided in two, referring to narrow black band running from upper part of gill opening to root of caudal fin, “dividing the body into two equal halves”
Dimidiochromis kiwinge (Ahl 1926) local name for this cichlid, or for fishes in general, at Lumbila, Tanzania [may date to 1927, more research needed]
Dimidiochromis strigatus (Regan 1922) streaked, referring to “blackish stripe, half as broad as a scale, from operculum to base of caudal”
Diplotaxodon Trewavas 1935 diplos, double; taxis; arrangement; odon, tooth, referring to double series of unicuspid teeth in jaws of D. argenteus
Diplotaxodon aeneus Turner & Stauffer 1998 bronze, referring to bronzy iridescence of “ripe” males
Diplotaxodon altus Stauffer, Phiri & Konings 2018 deep or high, referring to both its deep body and deepwater habitat (40-70 m and, although rare, in trawls between 110-130 m)
Diplotaxodon apogon Turner & Stauffer 1998 referring to general similarity of body form to some cardinalfishes of the genus Apogon; name “strictly means ‘lacking barbels’ which is true, but not exactly relevant”
Diplotaxodon argenteus Trewavas 1935 silvery, referring to its color
Diplotaxodon dentatus Stauffer & Konings 2021 toothed, referring to caniniform teeth on outer margin of dentary and premaxilla which are exposed when mouth is closed
Diplotaxodon ecclesi Burgess & Axelrod 1973 in honor of David H. Eccles (b. 1932), Senior Fisheries Research Officer of Malawi, “whose work is helping to clarify the taxonomic confusion prevailing in the Lake Malawi cichlids”
Diplotaxodon greenwoodi Stauffer & McKaye 1986 in honor of Peter Humphry Greenwood (1927-1995), for his “renowned studies” of cichlid fishes, and for discovering the feeding strategy (obtaining eggs and larvae from other cichlids by ramming mouthbrooding females) that this species, which occurs in water too deep for observation, is hypothesized to practice
Diplotaxodon limnothrissa Turner 1994 named for its superficial morphological resemblance to the Lake Tanganyika clupeid Limnothrissa miodon, in which this Malawian cichlid occupies a pelagic ecological role similar to that of its Tanganyikan namesake
Diplotaxodon longimaxilla Stauffer, Phiri & Konings 2018 longus, long; maxilla, jaw, referring to its long upper jaw bone
Diplotaxodon macrops Turner & Stauffer 1998 macro-, large; ops, eye, referring to its large eyes, their diameter longer than snout, which distinguishes it from D. argenteus, D. greenwoodi and D. limnothrissa
Divandu Lamboj & Snoeks 2000 local name for Chromidotilapia-like cichlids in Congo (Brazzaville), type locality
Divandu albimarginatus Lamboj & Snoeks 2000 albus, white; marginatus, edged or bordered, referring to white margin on lower edge of caudal fin in preserved specimens
Docimodus Boulenger 1897 etymology not explained, perhaps dokos, spear or lance, and odous, tooth, referring to “nail-shaped” crowns on some outer teeth, or (per Eccles & Trewavas 1989), dochmos, slanting or oblique, allusion not evident
Docimodus evelynae Eccles & Lewis 1976 in honor of Evelyn Axelrod, who, in conjunction with her husband, pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927-2017), “have done so much to promote interest in the fishes of Lake Malawi”
Docimodus johnstoni Boulenger 1897 in honor of Sir Harry Johnston (1858-1927), British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator, who “presented” type to the British Museum
Ectodus Boulenger 1898 ecto-, out; odous, tooth, referring to outer mandibular teeth, which point outward, perpendicular to the others
Ectodus descampsii Boulenger 1898 in honor of Capt. Georges Descamps, Belgian commandant of the antislavery movement at Lake Tanganyika, who obtained type and sent it to Boulenger
Enantiopus Boulenger 1906 enantios, reversed; opus, foot, referring to reversed shape of pelvic fins, in which length of rays increases from front to rear (an adaptation to its benthic habitat)
Enantiopus melanogenys (Boulenger 1898) melano-, black; genys, cheek, referring to black spot on chin
Enigmatochromis Lamboj 2009 enigma, enigmatic, referring to “somewhat intermediate” characters between Pelvicachromis and Parananochromis, with pigmentation similarities to the former and anatomical similarities to the latter; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Enigmatochromis lucanusi Lamboj 2009 in honor of Oliver Lucanus (b. 1970), explorer, aquarist, tropical-fish importer, and friend, who provided information about type locality and distribution
Eretmodus Boulenger 1898 etmon, paddle or oar; odous, tooth, referring to large spatulate teeth of E. cyanostictus
Eretmodus cyanostictus Boulenger 1898 cyano-, blue; stictus, spotted, referring to scattered pale blue dots on blackish-brown body
Eretmodus marksmithi Burgess 2012 in honor of Mark Smith, “ardent cichlid fancier and breeder, photographer, and author, who was instrumental in obtaining specimens and photographs of this new species”
Etia Schliewen & Stiassny 2003 –ia, belonging to: Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993), British Museum (Natural History), known to colleagues throughout the world as “E.T.,” whose “ground-breaking work on cichlid biology spanned some 60 years,” and whose “creativity, humility and kindness are legendary”
Etia nguti Schliewen & Stiassny 2003 name of village in southwestern Cameroon, where most of type series was collected
Exochochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 exochos, projecting or lofty, referring to longer upper jaw and somewhat beaked appearance of snout; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Exochochromis anagenys Oliver 1989 ana, backward; genys, lower jaw, referring to tip of lower jaw behind tip of upper jaw, distinctly backwards (i.e., opposite) from the norm [coined by Oliver in 1984 but authorship might also involve Eccles and Trewavas, who made the name available in 1989]
Fossorochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 fossor, digger, referring to how it feeds by plunging its snout into sand, apparently sifting out small invertebrates, which it filters through its gills; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Fossorochromis rostratus (Boulenger 1899) beaked, referring to very long and pointed snout, with slightly concave upper profile
Genyochromis Trewavas 1935 genys, chin, referring to strongly projecting chin; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Genyochromis mento Trewavas 1935 mentum, chin, referring to strongly projecting chin
Gephyrochromis Boulenger 1901 gephyra, bridge, allusion not explained, possibly referring to how this genus connects (i.e., bridges the gap) between two or more related genera (although Boulenger did not make this claim); chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Gephyrochromis lawsi Fryer 1957 in honor of Robert Laws (1851-1934), Scottish missionary who headed the Livingston mission in the Nyasaland Protectorate (now Malawi), “to whose pioneering missionary endeavour the present peace and prosperity of the Nyasan peoples owe so much”
Gephyrochromis moorii Boulenger 1901 in honor of cytologist and zoologist John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870-1947), who collected type from Lake Malawi (but apparently incorrectly attributed type locality as Lake Tanganyika)
Gnathochromis Poll 1981 gnathus, jaw, presumably referring to long upper jaw and/or protractile mouth of G. permaxillaris; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852
Gnathochromis permaxillaris (David 1936) per-, very (i.e., excessive); maxillaris, of the maxillary, referring to its very long upper jaw
Gobiocichla Kanazawa 1951 gobio, goby, referring to goby-like shape of G. wonderi; cichla, from the Greek kichle, historically applied to both thrushes (Aves) and wrasses (Labridae, once thought to be closely related to cichlids), now applied only to cichlids
Gobiocichla ethelwynnae Roberts 1982 in honor of Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993), British Museum (Natural History), then “in her eighty-second year and still studying Cichlidae from all parts of Africa including Cameroon,” where this one is endemic
Gobiocichla wonderi Kanazawa 1951 in honor of Frank C. Wonder (1904-1963), taxidermist, Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago, USA), who collected type
Grammatotria Boulenger 1899 grammatos, line; tria, three, referring to three lateral lines (instead of two, which is the norm in cichlids)
Grammatotria lemairii Boulenger 1899 in honor of Lt. Charles Lemaire (1863-1925), leader of the Congo Free State Expedition, which collected fishes in Lake Tanganyika, including type of this one
Greenwoodochromis Poll 1983 named for Peter Humphry Greenwood (1927-1995), “distinguished colleague” to whom we owe “so many contributions to the knowledge of African fishes, especially Cichlidae” (translation); chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852 [replacement name for Lepidochromis Poll 1981, preoccupied by Lepidochromis Fowler & Bean 1928 (=Chromis in Pomacentridae), a fact that Greenwood brought to Poll’s attention]
Greenwoodochromis abeelei (Poll 1949) in honor of Marcel Henri Joseph Van Den Abeele (1898-1980), Administrator General of the Dutch colonies in Africa, for his support of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946-1947), during which type was collected
Greenwoodochromis bellcrossi (Poll 1976) in honor of Graham Bell-Cross (1927-1998), South African ichthyologist and Deputy Executive Director of the National Museums and Monuments of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), who collected two specimens in the type series
Greenwoodochromis christyi (Trewavas 1953) in honor of Cuthbert Christy (1863-1932), physician (specializing in sleeping sickness), zoologist, explorer, and Director of the Congo Museum (Tervuren, Belgium), who collected type
Greenwoodochromis staneri (Poll 1949) in honor of Pierre-Joseph Staner (1901-1984), Directeur d’administration au Ministère des Colonies, for “countless” (translation) services rendered on behalf of Poll’s 1946-1947 expedition to Lake Tanganyika