Melanochromis auratus
No common name
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Cichlidae (Cichlids)
Melanochromis
Melanochromis auratus
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal.
Distribution
Africa: endemic to Lake Malawi (Ref. 5663, 89864).
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. demersal. Found in: lakes.
Biology
Found in rocky habitats. Feeds from the biocover by nibbling and picking on the algae (Ref. 5595). Aquarium keeping: aggressive towards conspecifics; many females for one male; minimum aquarium size 100 cm (Ref. 51539).
Max length: 11.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: in mouth; bearers (external brooders). Lays up to 40 eggs. Female takes brood into her mouth and takes care of the young.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2018-06-20. Resilience: High (tm<1).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: highly commercial; aquarium: highly commercial.
References
Riehl, R. and H.A. Baensch (1991) Aquarien Atlas. Band. 1. Melle: Mergus, Verlag für Natur-und Heimtierkunde, Germany. 992 p.
Maréchal, C. (1991) Melanochromis. p. 258-265. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, G.G. Teugels and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 4.
Reinthal, P.N. (1990) The feeding habits of a group of herbivorous rock-dwelling cichlid fishes (Cichlidae: Perciformes) from Lake Malawi, Africa. Environ. Biol. Fishes 27(3):215-233.
Konings, A.F. and J.R. Stauffer Jr. (2012) Review of the Lake Malawi genus Melanochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) with a description of a new species. Zootaxa 3258:1-27.
Comments On Melanochromis auratus