Updated 6 Nov. 2026
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Abactochromis Oliver & Arnegard 2010 abactus (L.), 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, in which it was originally described and had “mistakenly” remained for 75 years; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Abactochromis labrosus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for large-lipped, referring to lips produced into pointed lobes

Allochromis Greenwood 1980 állos (ἄλλος), other or different, referring to unusual tooth shape and dental pattern, and to its lepidophagous habits; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Allochromis welcommei (Greenwood 1966) in honor of English fisheries biologist Robin Welcomme (1938–2025), East African Freshwater Fisheries Research Organization (Jinja, Uganda), who collected holotype and supplied ecological and other data

Alticorpus Stauffer & McKaye 1988 altus (L.), high or deep; corpus (L.), body, referring to relatively deep body of all species known at the time

Alticorpus geoffreyi Snoeks & Walapa 2004 in honor of British biologist Geoffrey Fryer (1927–2024), 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-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; kleîthron (κλεῖθρον), cleithrum (main element of dermal shoulder girdle), 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 unnecessary neuterization of mentum (L.), chin, or of the anatomical adjective mental, referring to its 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 from the lake for photography and study

Alticorpus profundicola Stauffer & McKaye 1988 profundus (L.), deep; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to its deepwater habitat (holotype captured at 159 m)

Altolamprologus Poll 1986 alto, from altus (L.), high or deep, referring to high dorsal profile of all species; Lamprologus, original genus of all species

Altolamprologus calvus (Poll 1978) Latin for bald, referring to scaleless area on forehead between the eyes

Altolamprologus compressiceps (Boulenger 1898) compressus (L.), squeezed or pressed together; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “very strongly compressed head”

Altolamprologus fasciatus (Boulenger 1898) Latin for banded, referring to 11 dark-brown bars on a yellowish body

Anomalochromis Greenwood 1985 anomalus (L.), odd or irregular, referring to unusual condition of preopercular-mandibular lateral-line canal, which lacks a passage through the anguloarticular bone; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Anomalochromis thomasi (Boulenger 1915) in honor of British anthropologist Northcote W. Thomas (1868–1936), who collected holotype

Aristochromis Trewavas 1935 aristos (ἄριστοι), the best, referring to “aristocratic” profile of head (per Eccles & Trewavas 1989); chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Aristochromis christyi Trewavas 1935 in honor of Cuthbert Christy (1863–1932), English physician (specializing in sleeping sickness), zoologist, explorer, and Director of the Congo Museum (Tervuren, Belgium), who collected holotype

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 thin-tailed, from leptós (λεπτός), fine or thin, and ourá (οὐρά), 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 French entomologist and explorer Charles A. Alluaud (1861–1949), who collected holotype

Astatoreochromis straeleni (Poll 1944) in honor of Belgian paleontologist-carcinologist Victor van Straelen (1889–1964), Director, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences

Astatotilapia Pellegrin 1904 ástatos (ἄστατος), 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 holotype

Astatotilapia burtoni (Günther 1894) eponym not identified, 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

Astatotilapia calliptera (Günther 1894) pretty-winged, from kállos (κάλλος) beauty, and pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or 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), French botanist and ornithologist, who found this cichlid in the thermal waters of Tunisia

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)

Astatotilapia fuelleborni (Hilgendorf & Pappenheim 1903) in honor of German physician and parasitologist Friedrich Fülleborn (1866–1933), who collected holotype during his travels as a doctor with the German Army in East Africa

Astatotilapia gigliolii (Pfeffer 1896) eponym not identified but clearly in honor of Italian 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 Belgian physician-biologist Louis Stappers (1883–1916), head of the Belgian colony in the Congo, who led an expedition to Lake Tanganyika and collected holotype in 1912

Astatotilapia swynnertoni (Boulenger 1907) in honor of English naturalist Charles Francis Massy Swynnerton (1877–1938), noted for his contributions to tsetse fly research, who “obtained” holotype from his farm in Mozambique

Astatotilapia tchadensis Trape 2016 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chad, type locality, and fossil Lake Chad basin, where it originated

Aulonocara Regan 1922 aulós (αὐλός), flute or pipe; cara, from kára (κάρα), head, referring to enlarged sensory canals in head of A. nyassae

Aulonocara aquilonium Konings 1995 Latin for north or northerly, referring to its northerly distribution in Lake Malawi

Aulonocara auditor (Trewavas 1935) Latin for 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 (1917–2006), 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 (L.), short or shallow; nidus (L.), a nest, referring to shallow spawning pit constructed by the male

Aulonocara ethelwynnae Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche 1987 in honor of British ichthyologist 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 German-born British 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 (1943–2022), African Fish Imports (Verona, New Jersey, USA), who co-collected holotype

Aulonocara kandeense Tawil & Allgayer 1987 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kande Island, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality

Aulonocara koningsi Tawil 2003 in honor of Adrianus (“Ad”) F. Konings (b. 1956), Dutch ichthyologist, cichlid aquarist and publisher, whose “richly illustrated field guides on cichlids in general—and those of Lake Malawi and the genus Aulonocara in particular—have contributed significantly to our knowledge of these fishes” (translation)

Aulonocara korneliae Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche 1987 in honor of Kornelia Meyer, wife of first author

Aulonocara maylandi Trewavas 1984 in honor of German cichlid enthusiast and aquarium-fish author Hans-Joachim Mayland (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 Latin for beaked, referring to longer snout compared with 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), English exporter of cichlids from Lake Malawi, where this species is endemic

Aulonocara trematocephalum (Boulenger 1901) hole-headed, from trématos (τρήματος), genitive of trḗma (τρῆμα), hole or aperture, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to sensory pores in head with “very wide openings”

Aulonocranus Regan 1920 aulós (αὐλός), flute or pipe; cranus, from krános (κράνος), helmet (i.e., head), referring to enlarged sensory canals in the head

Aulonocranus dewindti (Boulenger 1899) in memory of the “distinguished young” Belgian geologist Jean Charles Louis De Windt (1876–1898), who drowned in Lake Tanganyika (type locality)

Baileychromis Poll 1986 in honor of American ichthyologist Reeve M. Bailey (1911–2011), University of Michigan, who co-described B. centropomoides in 1977; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Baileychromis centropomoides (Bailey & Stewart 1977) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: referring to superficial resemblance of head and body (but not dorsal fin) to American snooks, Centropomus (Centropomidae)

Bathybates Boulenger 1898 bathýs (βαθύς), deep; bátēs (βάτης), one who treads, probably referring to deepwater habitat (122 m) of B. ferox

Bathybates fasciatus Boulenger 1901 Latin for banded, referring to series of round blackish blotches (which look like short stripes or bands) above upper lateral line

Bathybates ferox Boulenger 1898 Latin for fierce or ferocious, probably referring to its long, sharp and fang-like teeth

Bathybates graueri Steindachner 1911 in honor of Austrian explorer and zoologist Rudolf Grauer (1870–1927), who collected holotype

Bathybates hornii Steindachner 1911 eponym 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 Latin for lion, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to large teeth used to catch clupeids and other cichlids

Bathybates minor Boulenger 1906 Latin for less, at up to 205 mm TL, smallest member of genus

Bathybates vittatus Boulenger 1914 Latin for banded, referring to 4–5 dark brown longitudinal bands along sides

Benitochromis Lamboj 2001 named for Benito River, Equatorial Guinea, type locality of B. batesii; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Benitochromis batesii (Boulenger 1901) in honor of George Latimer Bates (1863–1940), Cameroon farmer and ornithologist, who collected specimens for the Natural History Museum (London), including holotype of this species from Equatorial Guinea

Benitochromis conjunctus Lamboj 2001 Latin for a connection or conjunction, 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-, from niger (L.), dark or black; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to black color of dorsal fin

Benitochromis riomuniensis (Thys van den Audenaerde 1981) -ensis, Latin 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 bénthos (βένθος), depth (of the sea), referring to deepwater habitat (10–125 m) of B. melanoides and B. tricoti; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

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) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, 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 Belgian-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858–1937), British Museum (Natural History), who described B. microlepis in 1899 (Pellegrin also described the pleasant time he had and the kind welcome he received from Boulenger while visiting his musuem); chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Boulengerochromis microlepis (Boulenger 1899) micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; lepís (λεπίς), scale, presumably referring to relatively small scales, 80–90 along lateral line

Buccochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 bucca, from bucca (L.), cheek or cavity (i.e., mouth), presumably referring to their large mouths; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Buccochromis atritaeniatus (Regan 1922) atri-, from ater (L.), dark or black; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to blackish band from nape to caudal fin

Buccochromis heterotaenia (Trewavas 1935) héteros (ἕτερος), different; taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, 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) thin-tailed, from leptós (λεπτός), fine or thin, and urus, from ourá (οὐρά), tail, presumably referring to slender caudal peduncle, described as “12/3 to 2 as long as deep”

Buccochromis nototaenia (Boulenger 1902) nṓtos (νῶτος), back; taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to conspicuous dark diagonal stripe from nape to base of caudal fin

Buccochromis oculatus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for eyed, perhaps referring to larger eye diameter in length of head compared with 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 holotype of this one), to the British Museum, with sketches of their coloration in life made by Rhoades himself

Buccochromis spectabilis (Trewavas 1935) Latin for notable or showy, presumably referring to bright blue color of breeding males

Callochromis Regan 1920 callos, from kállos (κάλλος), beauty, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to attractive coloration of all three species in life; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Callochromis macrops (Boulenger 1898) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; ṓps (ὦψ), 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) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; stígma (στίγμα), 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-, from pleurá (πλευρά), side; spilus, from spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to black opercular spot followed by six black spots along sides

Caprichromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 capra (L.), goat, referring to its butting behavior, which these paedophages use to force females of other cichlids to relinquish their broods; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Caprichromis liemi (McKaye & MacKenzie 1982) in honor of Indonesian-born ichthyologist Karel F. Liem (1935–2009), for his “pioneering” studies and insight into the feeding mechanism of cichlids

Caprichromis orthognathus (Trewavas 1935) orthós (ὀρθός), straight; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to its “nearly vertical” mouth

Cardiopharynx Poll 1942 cardio, from kardía (καρδία), heart; phárynx (φάρυγξ), throat, referring to heart-shaped lower pharyngeal bone

Cardiopharynx schoutedeni Poll 1942 in honor of Belgian 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 chámpsos (χάμψος), crocodile, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to outer-row teeth of C. caeruleus, described as “very large and widely spaced”; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Champsochromis caeruleus (Boulenger 1908) Latin for dark- or sky-blue (but here meaning blue in general), referring to its greenish-blue coloration

Champsochromis spilorhynchus (Regan 1922) spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, presumably referring to large black spot on preorbital (from anterior eye to upper jaw)

Cheilochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to lips produced into median lobes; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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) [not to be confused with Chilochromis Boulenger1902]

Cheilochromis euchilus (Trewavas 1935) eū́- (εὖ), well or very; cheī́los (χεῖλος), 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 (L.), short; cauda (L.), tail, referring to low number of caudal vertebrae and short caudal peduncle compared with congeners

Chetia brevis Jubb 1968 Latin for short, referring to small maximum size, shorter snout, shorter lower jaw, and shorter premaxillary pedicels compared with P. flaviventris

Chetia flaviventris Trewavas 1961 flavus (L.), yellow; ventris, genitive of venter (L.), belly, referring to coloration of adult males

Chetia gracilis (Greenwood 1984) Latin for thin (Greenwood says “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 Latin for 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 holotype

Chilochromis Boulenger 1902 cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to rami of lower jaw connected to upper jaw by a “broad, thin” lip; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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) [not to be confused with Cheilochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989]

Chilochromis duponti Boulenger 1902 in honor of Belgian 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 cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to its thick lips; tilapia, Latinizationof !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 holotype 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) Latin for dark or black, referring to overall appearance of territorial males and coloration of all preserved specimens

Chindongo bellicosus Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016 Latin for war-like or fond of war, referring to its aggressive behavior (males, females and juveniles larger than 60 mm hold territories which they defend fiercely against all intruders)

Chindongo cyaneus (Stauffer 1988) from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but often used as a general term for 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) Latin for prolonged, referring to its more elongate body compared with Pseudotropheus fuscus and other presumed congeners at the time

Chindongo flavus (Stauffer 1988) Latin for yellow, referring to coloration of fresh specimens

Chindongo heteropictus (Staeck 1980) héteros (ἕτερος), different; pictus (L.), painted or colored, referring to sexual dichromatism (males are bright blue, females are bright yellow)

Chindongo longior (Seegers 1996) Latin for longer, referring to its longer body relative to its depth than that of the syntopic C. elongatus

Chindongo minutus (Fryer 1956) Latin for small, 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), American 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 chromis (see p. 1). –ido, from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape, 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, Latin suffix denoting place, Cavally River, Sahibly, Ivory Coast, type locality

Chromidotilapia elongata Lamboj 1999 Latin for prolonged, referring to its more elongate body compared with congeners

Chromidotilapia guentheri (Sauvage 1882) in honor of German-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist Albert Günther (1830–1914), British Museum (Natural History), who is cited multiple times [originally spelled “guntheri” but emended to “guentheri” per ICZN Art. 32.5.2.1]

Chromidotilapia kingsleyae Boulenger 1898 in honor of English 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 holotype

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 British-born ichthyologist 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 Latin for a nymph or an unnecessary feminization of nanus (L.), a dwarf, either way referring to its relatively small adult size when compared with congeners

Chromidotilapia regani (Pellegrin 1906) in honor of English 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 Belgian zoologist Henri Schouteden (1881–1972), director of Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (Tervuren, Belgium), who 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 coelo-, from koilía (κοιλία), cavity or hollow, referring to its cave-breeding behavior; Tilapia, original genus of C. joka

Coelotilapia joka (Thys van den Audenaerde 1969) presumably 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 (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Congochromis dimidiatus (Pellegrin 1900) Latin for halved or divided, allusion not explained nor evident, perhaps referring to how lateral line is divided into upper and lower halves, and/or to how dark longitudinal band could be said to divide the body into two halves

Congochromis pugnatus Stiassny & Schliewen 2007 Latin for fought, from pugno (L.), to contend or fight, referring to its “heavy-jawed, pugnacious aspect”

Congochromis robustus Lamboj 2012 Latin for of oak or oaken and, by extension, hard, firm or solid (but often used by ichthyologists to mean fat or stout), referring to large size (75.6 mm SL) and overall robust body shape

Congochromis rotundiceps Wingi, Schedel & Schliewen 2022 rotundus (L.), round or circular; –ceps, (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “widely rounded” head

Congochromis sabinae (Lamboj 2005) in honor of the author’s daughter, Sabina

Congochromis squamiceps (Boulenger 1902) squama (L.), scale; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to scaled head compared with 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; -lapia, from Tilapia, previous genus of C. bilineata and C. crassa

Congolapia bilineata (Pellegrin 1900) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; lineata (L.), lined, referring to black stripes along its two lateral lines

Congolapia crassa (Pellegrin 1903) Latin for thick or stout, referring to stockier body compared with 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 kopádi (κοπάδι), a shoal of fish, referring to shoaling habit of most of its species; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Copadichromis atripinnis Stauffer & Sato 2002 atri-, from ater (L.), dark or black; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin (but treated as a noun), 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 (1908–1992), 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, Latin suffix denoting place: Chizumulu Island, Mkanila Bay, Lake Malawi, where it is endemic

Copadichromis chrysonotus (Boulenger 1908) chrysós (χρυσός), gold; notus, from nṓtos (νῶτος), 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) from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but often used as a general term for blue), probably referring to bright blue color of territorial males

Copadichromis cyanocephalus Stauffer & Konings 2006 cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but said by the authors to mean greenish blue); cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to blue head with green highlights on head of breeding male

Copadichromis diplostigma Stauffer & Konings 2006 diplóos (διπλόος) or diploū́s (διπλοῦς), twofold or double; stígma (στίγμα), mark or 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 Latin for of islands, referring to fact that all known populations occurs at island on Lake Malawi

Copadichromis jacksoni (Iles 1960) eponym not identified but probably in honor of South African 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 mélas (μέλας), 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 Latin for small, referring to its size compared with congeners

Copadichromis pleurostigma (Trewavas 1935) pleuro-, from pleurá (πλευρά), side; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to single dark spot on each side of body

Copadichromis pleurostigmoides (Iles 1960) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: allusion not explained, presumably referring to similarity to and/or previous misidentification as C. pleurostigma

Copadichromis quadrimaculatus (Regan 1922) quadri-, from quattuor (L.), four; maculatus (L.), 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 British ichthyologist 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– (L.), three; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to two spots just below lateral line on trunk and one at caudal peduncle

Copadichromis verduyni Konings 1990 in honor of Dutch 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) Latin for maidenly, 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-, from koptós (κοπτός), cut or chopped small; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, presumably referring to bifid maxillary teeth of C. zillii

Coptodon bakossiorum (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) -orum (L.), 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) býthios (βύθιος), in the deep; bátēs (βάτης), one who treads, referring to its deepwater habitat (never captured at less than 8 m)

Coptodon cameronensis (Holly 1927) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cameroon, where it is endemic [not to be confused with C. camerunensis]

Coptodon camerunensis (Lönnberg 1903) -ensis, Latin 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 (L.), belonging to: Congo, proposed as a subspecies of C. tholloni from the forests of equatorial Congo

Coptodon dageti (Thys van den Audenaerde 1971) in honor of French ichthyologist 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– (L. prefix), away from, i.e., not of the same color, 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, who regard the lake as a major sacred site

Coptodon flavus (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) Latin for yellow, referring to “striking” yellow body coloration of breeding pairs

Coptodon fusiforme (Dunz & Schliewen 2010) fusus (L.), spindle; forme, unnecessary neuterization of forma (L.), shape or form, referring to its slender fusiform body

Coptodon guineensis (Günther 1862) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ashantee, Guinea, type locality

Coptodon gutturosus (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) Latin for having a swollen throat, referring to its hypertrophied pharyngeal jaw

Coptodon imbrifernus (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) imbrifer, rainy; ernus (L.), pertaining to time, referring to its local designation in Cameroon as “rainy season fish”

Coptodon ismailiaensis (Mekkawy 1995) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ismailia, Egypt, where type locality (Ismailia Canal) is situated

Coptodon konkourensis (Dunz & Schliewen 2012) -ensis, Latin 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) Neo-Latin for pearly, referring to mother-of-pearl spots on sides of head and lower half of body of adults

Coptodon nigrans Dunz & Schliewen 2010 Latin for 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 (L.), belonging to: Nyong River, Cameroon, type locality

Coptodon rendalli (Boulenger 1897) in honor of British physician-naturalist Percy Rendall (1861–1948), who collected holotype

Coptodon rheophilus (Daget 1962) rhéos (ῥέος), stream, current or rushing stream; phílos (φίλος), fond of, 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); emended to agree with masculine genus]

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 this cichlid is endemic

Coptodon spongotroktis (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) spongia (L.), sponge (or spongy substance); trṓktēs (τρώκτης), 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 during which holotype was collected

Coptodon thysi (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey 1992) in honor of Belgian 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), 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 holotype and sent it to Gervais

Corematodus Boulenger 1897 coremato, from kórēmatos (κορήματος), genitive of kórēma (κόρημα), broom; odus, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, 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 (L.), belonging to: upper Shiré River, between lakes Malawi and Malombe, type locality (also occurs in both lakes)

Corematodus taeniatus Trewavas 1935 Latin for banded, referring to oblique dark band from nape to base of caudal fin

Ctenochromis Pfeffer 1893 cteno-, from ktenós (κτενός), comb, 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 (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Ctenochromis pectoralis Pfeffer 1893 Latin for pectoral (i.e., chest region), presumably 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-, from ktenós (κτενός), comb; phárynx (φάρυγξ), throat, referring to close-set gill rakers of C. pictus and C. intermedius

Ctenopharynx intermedius (Günther 1864) Latin for intermediate, 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) Latin for handsome or good-looking, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “very conspicuous” dark patches on the side

Ctenopharynx pictus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for painted or colored, referring to its “very conspicuous” color pattern

Cunningtonia Boulenger 1906 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: William Alfred Cunnington (1877–1958), British zoologist and anthropologist, who led expedition to Lake Tanganyika during which holotype 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 (L.), long; ventralis (L.), of the belly, referring to long and filamentous ventral fin, nearly twice as long as head

Cyathochromis Trewavas 1935 cyatho, from kýathos (κύαθος), cup, referring to spoon-like crowns on outer teeth; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Cyathochromis obliquidens Trewavas 1935 obliquus (L.), slanting or sideways; dens (L.), tooth, referring to oblique tip of teeth in outer row of jaws

Cyathopharynx Regan 1920 cyatho, from kýathos (κύαθος), cup; phárynx (φάρυγξ), throat, referring to “nearly circular, slightly concave” pharyngeal teeth

Cyathopharynx foae (Vaillant 1899) in honor of French geographer Edouard Foà (1862–1901), who collected holotype [Vaillant later attempted to correct spelling (“foai”) to reflect masculine gender but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]

Cyathopharynx furcifer (Boulenger 1898) furca (L.), two-pronged fork; -ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, presumably referring to its “deeply emarginate, crescentic” caudal fin

Cyclopharynx Poll 1948 cyclo, from kýklos (κύκλος), ring or circle; phárynx (φάρυγξ), 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 the 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, including holotype of this one

Cynotilapia Regan 1922 cyno-, from kynós (κυνός), genitive of kýōn (κύων), 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) feminine form of afer (L.), 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 (L.), golden; frons (L.), brow or forehead, referring to frontal coloration of males [sometimes placed in Microchromis, treated here as a synonym of Cynotilapia]

Cynotilapia axelrodi Burgess 1976 in honor of American pet-book publisher and aquarist 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, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: referring to “startling resemblance” to Pseudotropheus (now Maylandia) zebra [sometimes placed in Microchromis, treated here as a junior synonym]

Cyphotilapia Regan 1920 cypho-, from kyphós (κυφός), bent forwards 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) Latin for many-browed or with a large forehead, referring to bulbous forehead in older specimens

Cyphotilapia gibberosa Takahashi & Nakaya 2003 Latin for hunchbacked (authors say “humped”), referring to hump on forehead, developing with growth

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 (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Cyprichromis coloratus Takahashi & Hori 2006 L atin for colored, referring to the colorful (some specimens purple, some yellow) fins of the males

Cyprichromis leptosoma (Boulenger 1898) leptós (λεπτός), thin or slender; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to elongate body, its depth 4 to 4-1/3 times in TL

Cyprichromis microlepidotus (Poll 1956) micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; lepidōtós (λεπιδωτός), scaly, 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 Latin for peacock, referring to the “magnificent” (translation) coloring of the males

Cyprichromis zonatus Takahashi, Hori & Nakaya 2002 Latin for banded, referring to vertical bands on dorsal half of body of males

Cyrtocara Boulenger 1902 cyrto-, from kurtós (κυρτός), hooked or curved; cara, from kára (κάρα), head, referring to hump on forehead (dermal frontal gibbosity) of adults and subadults of both sexes

Cyrtocara moorii Boulenger 1902 in honor of British biologist John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870–1947), who collected holotype

Danakilia Thys van den Audenaerde 1969 -ia (L. suffix), 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) during which holotype was collected

Dimidiochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 dimidiatus (L.), halved or divided, referring to how prominent mid-lateral band appears to divide body into two equal halves; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Dimidiochromis compressiceps (Boulenger 1908) compressus (L.), squeezed or pressed together; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “very strongly compressed” head

Dimidiochromis dimidiatus (Günther 1864) Latin for halved or divided, 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) Latin for furrowed or grooved, referring to “blackish stripe, half as broad as a scale, from operculum to base of caudal”

Diplotaxodon Trewavas 1935 diplóos (διπλόος) or diploū́s (διπλοῦς), twofold or double; táxis (τάξις), row; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to double series of unicuspid teeth in jaws of D. argenteus

Diplotaxodon aeneus Turner & Stauffer 1998 Latin for brazen, referring to bronzy iridescence of “ripe” males

Diplotaxodon altus Stauffer, Phiri & Konings 2018 Latin for 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 Apogon cardinalfishes (Apogonidae); name “strictly means ‘lacking barbels’ which is true, but not exactly relevant”

Diplotaxodon argenteus Trewavas 1935 Latin for silvery, referring to its color

Diplotaxodon dentatus Stauffer & Konings 2021 Latin for 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 British ichthyologist David H. Eccles (1932–2021), 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 British ichthyologist 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 (L.), long; maxilla (L.), jaw, referring to its long upper jaw bone

Diplotaxodon macrops Turner & Stauffer 1998 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; ṓps (ὦψ), 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 (L.), white; marginatus (L.), 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 odoús (ὀδούς), 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 (1928–2020), who, with her husband, American 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 Harry Johnston (1858– 1927), British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator, who “presented” holotype to the British Museum

Ectodus Boulenger 1898 ektós (ἐκτός), outer; odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to outer mandibular teeth, which point outward, perpendicular to the others

Ectodus descampsii Boulenger 1898 in honor of Capt. Georges Descamps (1855–1938), Belgian commandant of the antislavery movement at Lake Tanganyika, who obtained holotype and sent it to Boulenger

Enantiopus Boulenger 1906 enantios (ἐναντίος), opposite or contrary; opus, from poús (πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins), referring to reversed shape of ventral fins, in which length of rays increases from front to rear (an adaptation to its benthic habitat)

Enantiopus melanogenys (Boulenger 1898) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; génys (γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), referring to black spot on chin

Enigmatochromis Lamboj 2009 enigmaticus (L.), eneigmatic, referring to “somewhat intermediate” characters between Pelvicachromis and Parananochromis, with pigmentation similarities to the former and anatomical similarities to the latter; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Enigmatochromis lucanusi Lamboj 2009 in honor of Oliver Lucanus (b. 1970), German-born Canadian explorer, aquarist, tropical-fish importer, and friend, who provided information about type locality and distribution

Eretmodus Boulenger 1898 eretmón (ἐρετμόν), oar or paddle; odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to large spatulate teeth of E. cyanostictus

Eretmodus cyanostictus Boulenger 1898 cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but often used as a general term for blue); stictus, from stiktós (στικτός), spotted, referring to scattered pale blue dots on blackish-brown body

Eretmodus marksmithi Burgess 2012 in honor of American aquarist 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 (L. suffix), belonging to: British ichthyologist 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 the type series was collected

Exochochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 éxochos (ἔξοχος), standing out or jutting, referring to longer upper jaw and somewhat beaked appearance of snout; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Exochochromis anagenys Oliver 1989 ana- (ἀνα-), backward; génys (γένυς), referring to tip of lower jaw behind tip of upper jaw, distinctly backwards (i.e., opposite) from the norm

Fossorochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 fossor (L.), digger, referring to how it feeds by plunging its snout into sand, apparently sifting out small invertebrates, which it filters through its gills; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Fossorochromis rostratus (Boulenger 1899) Latin for beaked, referring to very long and pointed snout, with slightly concave upper profile

Genyochromis Trewavas 1935 génys (γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), referring to its strongly projecting chin; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Genyochromis mento Trewavas 1935 from mentum (L.), chin, referring to its strongly projecting chin

Gephyrochromis Boulenger 1901 géphyra (γέφυρα), 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 (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

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 British biologist John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870–1947), who collected holotype from Lake Malawi (but apparently incorrectly attributed type locality as Lake Tanganyika)

Gnathochromis Poll 1981 gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, presumably referring to long upper jaw and/or protractile mouth of G. permaxillaris; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Gnathochromis permaxillaris (David 1936) per– (L.), very (i.e., excessive); maxillaris (L.), of or belonging to the jaw, referring to its very long upper jaw

Gobiocichla Kanazawa 1951 gobio, from the goby genus Gobius, referring to goby-like shape of G. wonderi; cichla, from kíchle (κίχλη), historically applied to both thrushes (Aves) and wrasses (Labridae, once thought to be related to cichlids due to a similar body profile), now applied only to cichlids, i.e., a “goby cichlid”

Gobiocichla ethelwynnae Roberts 1982 in honor of British ichthyologist 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 holotype

Grammatotria Boulenger 1899 grámmatos (γράμματος), genitive singular of grámma (γράμμα), that which is written or drawn (but here meaning line); tría (τρία), 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 holotype of this one

Greenwoodochromis Poll 1983 named for English ichthyologist Peter Humphry Greenwood (1927–1995), “distinguished colleague” to whom we owe “so many contributions to the knowledge of African fishes, especially Cichlidae” (translation); chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

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 holotype 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), English physician (specializing in sleeping sickness), zoologist, explorer, and Director of the Congo Museum (Tervuren, Belgium), who collected holotype

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

Haplochromis Hilgendorf 1888 haplós (ἁπλός), single or simple, proposed as a subgenus of Chromis (then a catch-all genus that included cichlids, damselfishes and other perch-like fishes) with unnotched teeth (i.e., flattened and obliquely truncated teeth of H. obliquidens)

Haplochromis acidens Greenwood 1967 aci-, from akís (ἀκίς), sharp edge or point; dens (L.), tooth, referring to its sharp, needle-like teeth

Haplochromis adolphifrederici (Boulenger 1914) in honor German explorer Adolf Friederich (1873–1969), Duke of Mecklenburg, leader of the Deutsche Zentral-Afrika Expedition (1907–1908), during which holotype was collected

Haplochromis aelocephalus Greenwood 1959 aiólos (αἰόλος), shifting, changing or variable; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to wide range of variation in head shape [probably extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis aeneocolor Greenwood 1973 aeneus (L.), brazen, referring to “brassy appearance” or coloration of adult males, a possible double entendre referring to both “dull bronze” color exhibited by some specimens and to what Greenwood described as the “brassyness” of newly caught males (in this case, brassy meaning “tastelessly showy or loud in appearance”), which exhibit a gaudy array of colors, including yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, crimson, and puce [sometimes placed in Astatotilapia]

Haplochromis akika Lippitsch 2003 named for Akika Island, Lake George, Uganda, type locality

Haplochromis albertianus Regan 1929 -ianus (L.), belonging to: Lake Albert, east-central Africa, where it is endemic

Haplochromis altigenis Regan 1922 alti-, from altus (L.), high or deep; génys (γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), presumably referring to depth of preorbital “considerably greater” than diameter of eye (in one specimen, 220 mm TL) [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis ampullarostratus Schraml 2004 ampulla (L.), small bottle; rostratus (L.), beaked, referring to its bottleneck-like snout

Haplochromis angustifrons Boulenger 1914 angustus (L.), narrow; frons (L.), brow or forehead, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to interorbital width smaller or equal to diameter of eye

Haplochromis annectidens Trewavas 1933 annectens (L.), linking or joining; dens (L.), tooth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to how this species, based on its dentition, “represents the stock from which H. obliquidens and H. plagiodon of Lake Victoria appear to have diverged in separate directions,” thus linking the three species together

Haplochromis antleter Mietes & Witte 2010 Greek (άντλητήρ) for scooper or dredger, referring to how it feeds mainly on detritus from muddy substrate

Haplochromis apogonoides Greenwood 1967 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: referring to “fancied resemblance” with cardinalfishes of the genus Apogon [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis aquila Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 Latin for eagle, referring to its “predatory morphology and large eyes”

Haplochromis arcanus Greenwood & Gee 1969 Latin for secret, referring to the authors’ uncertainty about its relationships within the Lake Victoria Haplochromis species flock

Haplochromis argens de Zeeuw, Westbroek & Witte 2013 nickname for this cichlid, given under the false assumption it is Latinized Greek for silver (that would be argentum for a noun, argenteus for an adjective), referring to silver coloration of males; since “this species is well known under its cheironym, we think it is best to upgrade the nickname to the species’ epithethon”

Haplochromis argenteus Regan 1922 Latin for silvery (but with a darker back), referring to its coloration [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis artaxerxes Greenwood 1962 named for Artaxerxes, King of Persia, also known as Longimanus (longus = long; manus = hand), alluding to its extremely long pectoral fins

Haplochromis aureus Vranken, van Steenberge, Mbalassa & Snoeks 2023 Latin for golden, referring to yellow chest, cheeks, and snout in dominant males and yellow pelvic fins in females

Haplochromis astatodon Regan 1921 ástatos (ἄστατος), variable or unstable; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to “bicuspid teeth very variable in form, the cusps nearly equal in some specimens, in others the posterior cusp reduced and the anterior cusp long, oblique, and curved inwards”

Haplochromis avium Regan 1929 Latin for of birds, all specimens known at the time collected from the stomachs of cormorants

Haplochromis bakongo Thys van den Audenaerde 1964 alternate name of Kongo, referring to its distribution in the lower Congo River system

Haplochromis barbarae Greenwood 1967 in honor of Barbara Williams, whose drawings illustrate fishes in many of Greenwood’s papers, including this one [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis bareli van Oijen 1991 in honor of Dutch ichthyologist Cornelis Dirk Nico Barel (b. 1942), Leiden University, initiator of the Haplochromis Ecology Project, who helped collect type and whose research has “contributed much” to our knowledge of the Lake Victoria haplochromine cichlids; in addition, his “stimulating enthusiasm and interest in all aspects of biology engaged many biology students in cichlid research” [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis bartoni Greenwood 1962 named for its resemblance to H. worthingtoni, which was named in honor of British zoologist Edward Barton Worthington (1905–2001) pioneer explorer of African lakes and their fisheries [possibly extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis bayoni (Boulenger 1909) in honor of Enrico Pietro (later Henry Peter) Bayon (1876–1952), Italian-born British physician and entomologist who studied sleeping sickness in West Africa and collected specimens for the Natural History Museum in Genoa, including holotype of this cichlid

Haplochromis beadlei Trewavas 1933 in honor of Leonard C. Beadle (1905-1985), chemist and zoologist on the 1930–1931 Cambridge Expedition to the East African Lakes, during which holotype was collected

Haplochromis bicolor Boulenger 1906 bi-, from bis (L.), twice, presumably referring to two colors on body, described as “Bright yellow, irregularly blotched or marbled with black, the black sometimes forming irregular crossbands on the body”

Haplochromis boops Greenwood 1967 bo, from boū́s (βοῦς), bull, metaphorically used to mean big; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, presumably referring to its eye diameter, 23.9–25.7% of head (but smaller than H. thuragnathus, its presumed closest congener [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis brauschi Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde 1965 in honor of Georges Brausch (1915–1964), British-born Belgian colonial administrator in the Congo, who collected holotype

Haplochromis brownae Greenwood 1962 eponym not identified but according to Rosemary Lowe-McConnell (pers. comm. with Erwin Schraml) in honor of fish ecophysiologist Margaret “Peggy” Brown (later Varley, 1918–2009), a visiting scientist with the East African Freshwater Fisheries Research Organization (Jinja, Uganda, on the shore of Lake Victoria) in 1950 or 1951, where Greenwood worked from 1950 to 1957 [extinct in the wild]

Haplochromis bullatus Trewavas 1938 Latin for provided with a bulla or bullae (i.e., blistered or bubbled), referring to enlarged mucous channels on head

Haplochromis bwathondii Niemantsverdriet & Witte 2010 in honor of Philip O. J. Bwathondi (b. 1952), Director General of the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (1983–2006), who supported the research of the Haplochromis Ecology Survey Team (HEST) in many ways

Haplochromus callichromus Poll 1948 calli-, from kállos (κάλλος), beauty; chromus, unnecessary masculinization of chrṓma (χρῶμα), color, probably the most colorful cichlid in the Fwa River, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Haplochromis cassius Greenwood & Barel 1978 derived from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (Act I, Scene II), “Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look,” probably referring to its “‘predatory’ facies” [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis cavifrons (Hilgendorf 1888) cavus (L.) concave; frons (L.), brow or forehead, referring to concave profile of head above eye

Haplochromis chilotes (Boulenger 1911) chilo, from cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip; -ōtēs (-ώτης), genitive suffix, i.e., one with lips, referring to its “very thick” lips, “both produced into a globular swelling projecting beyond the mouth

Haplochromis chlorochrous Greenwood & Gee 1969 chlōrós (χλωρός), green; chrous, from chrṓs (χρώς), skin color, referring to distinctive green color of adult males

Haplochromis chromogynos Greenwood 1959 chrṓma (χρῶμα), color; gynos, from gynḗ (γυνή), female, referring to most (if not all) females having a piebald (black and yellow) coloration

Haplochromis chrysogynaion van Oijen 1991 chrysós (χρυσός), gold or golden; gýnaoin (γύναιον), diminutive of gynḗ (γυνή), female, referring to golden color of females in life

Haplochromis cinctus Greenwood & Gee 1969 Latin for girded or girdled, referring to 3–5 dark vertical bars on sides of males

Haplochromis cinereus (Boulenger 1906) Latin for ash-colored or gray, referring to gray color above and below (darker on back) with dark gray fins

Haplochromis cnester Witte & Witte-Maas 1981 from knēstōr (κνήστωρ), scraper, referring to scraper-like outer teeth in its jaws, which it apparently uses to feed on parasites (carplice and leeches) from other fishes [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis commutabilis Schraml 2004 Latin for mutable or changeable, referring to how scales and teeth of males change during growth

Haplochromis concilians Vranken, van Steenberge & Snoeks 2020 Latin for uniting or bringing together, referring to part of skin covering snout that is fused with upper lip

Haplochromis coprologus Niemantsverdriet & Witte 2010 koprológos (κοπρολόγος), dung-gatherer (authors say dustman, i.e., trash collector), referring to its detritivorous feeding habits, collecting detritus from muddy bottoms [possibly extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis crassilabris Boulenger 1906 crassus (L.), fat or stout; labris, plural of labrum (L.), lip, referring to its “very thick” lips, thicker than those of the related H. retrodens [possibly extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis crebridens Snoeks, de Vos, Coenen & Thys van den Audenaerde 1990 creber (L.), thick, numerous or pressed together; dens (L.), tooth, referring to large number of teeth on oral jaws

Haplochromis crocopeplus Greenwood & Barel 1978 crocatus (L.), saffron; peplus, from péplos (πέπλος), robe or tunic, i.e., dressed in saffron, referring to “basically ochrous-yellow” coloration in life

Haplochromis cronus Greenwood 1959 etymology not explained, possibly named for Cronus (or Kronos), the leader of the Titans in Greek mythology, who devoured his sons as soon as they were born to prevent the prophecy that they would overthrow their father just as Cronus had overthrown his, alluding to how this cichlid feeds almost exclusively on the embryos and larvae of cichlids, especially other Haplochromis

Haplochromis cryptodon Greenwood 1959 crypto-, from kryptόs (κρυπτός), hidden; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to inner and outer series of teeth, “deeply embedded in the oral epithelium, so that only the tips of the outer teeth are visible”

Haplochromis cryptogramma Greenwood & Gee 1969 crypto-, from kryptόs (κρυπτός), hidden; gramma, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to “fancied resemblance” of midlateral longitudinal stripes to symbols in the Morse code

Haplochromis curvidens Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 curvus (L.), curved; dens (L.), tooth, referring to its strongly recurved oral teeth

Haplochromis cyaneus Seehausen, Bouton & Zwennes 1998 from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but often used as a general term for blue), referring to bright-blue nuptial coloration of males [provisionally placed in “Haplochromis” (with quotes) until its relationships are resolved; objectively invalid, a junior primary homonym by Haplochromis (now Copadichromis) cyaneus Trewavas 1935]

Haplochromis decticostoma Greenwood & Gee 1969 dēktikós (δηκτικός), biting (i.e., sarcastic or mordant, authors say “able to bite”); stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to its large mouth [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis degeni (Boulenger 1906) in honor of Swiss ornithologist Edward Degen (1852–1922), who has rendered “signal service to African ichthyology” as a collector of fishes, including holotype of this one [extinct in the wild]

Haplochromis demeusii (Boulenger 1899) in honor of “J. De Meuse,” who collected holotype, perhaps a lapsus for Fernand Demeuse (1863–1915), Belgian scientist and photographer who explored the upper Congo

Haplochromis dentex Regan 1922 from dens (L.), tooth, referring to “strong” outer teeth, some of which are exposed on strongly projecting lower jaw [possibly extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis dichrourus Regan 1922 di-, from dýo (δύο), two; chrṓma (χρῶμα), color; ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to its caudal fin, brown above and bright red below [possibly extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis diplotaenia Regan & Trewavas 1928 diplóos (διπλόος) or diploū́s (διπλοῦς), twofold or double; taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to two blackish bands on sides, one along lateral line and the second above it [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis dolichorhynchus Greenwood & Gee 1969 dolichós (δολιχός), long; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its “rather protracted” snout relative to snout of its presumed closest congeners

Haplochromis dolorosus Trewavas 1933 Late Latin for very sad, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to vertical stripe (i.e., tear-like) below eye

Haplochromis eduardii Regan 1921 of Lake Edward, Uganda, where it is endemic

Haplochromis elegans Trewavas 1933 Latin for fine, select or elegant, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to coloration of breeding males: “darker [than females], with two dark bars across the snout, one below the eye and one on the praeoperculum, with throat and belly dusky; anal dusky, with two or three ocelli [eggspots]; dorsal with dark edge, or spotted; caudal spotted; pelvics dark”

Haplochromis empodisma Greenwood 1960 Greek (εμπόδισμα) for obstacle, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to how its previous misidentification as H. michaeli hindered knowledge of its true identity

Haplochromis engystoma Trewavas 1933 engýs (ἐγγύς), near or close at hand; stóma (στόμα), mouth, allusion not explained, probably referring to decurved snout, which is therefore closer to or “near” mouth

Haplochromis erutus Vranken, van Steenberge & Snoeks 2020 Latin for torn out, referring to its oral-shelling ecology, in which soft bodies of snails are wrenched or torn out of their shells

Haplochromis erythrocephalus Greenwood & Gee 1969 erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to bright-red color of head in adult males

Haplochromis erythromaculatus De Vos, Snoeks & Thys van den Audenaerde 1990 erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to small deep-red spots and streaks on dorsal and caudal fins of territorial males

Haplochromis estor Regan 1929 eater or glutton, presumably derived from estrix (L.), a female glutton, likewise derived from edere (L.), to eat, presumably referring to its large oblique mouth, with strongly projecting lower jaw and maxillary extending just beyond anterior edge of eye

Haplochromis eutaenia Regan & Trewavas 1928 eū́- (εὖ), well or very; taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to a dark lateral band, interrupted in the middle, extending from opercular spot to end of caudal fin

Haplochromis exspectatus Schraml 2004 Latin for expected, referring to the fact that Schraml expected to find different haplochromine species in the Koki Lakes of Uganda (which had been largely unexplored for fishes), including piscivorous species such as this one

Haplochromis falcatus Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 Latin for sickle-shaped, referring to its acutely pointed sickle-like outer oral teeth

Haplochromis fasciatus (Perugia 1892) Latin for banded, referring to 8–9 vertical bands in life (barely visible in alcohol)

Haplochromis fischeri Seegers 2008 in honor of German physician-naturalist Gustav Adolf Fischer (1848–1886), one of the first Europeans with a deep interest in natural sciences (including anthropology) to explore East Africa, where he assembled vast collections of plants, animals (including many fishes) and other natural objects, and undertook fundamental studies needed to produce accurate maps of the area; he collected the nominal type for this species (mistaken for H. sauvagei) in 1885 or 1886 and died of a bilious fever contracted during his final journey to Lake Victoria

Haplochromis flavipinnis (Boulenger 1906) flavus (L.), yellow; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to its “bright yellow” fins [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis flavus Seehausen, Zwennes & Lippitsch 1998 Latin for yellow, referring to bright-yellow coloration of nuptial males in type population

Haplochromis fuscus Regan 1925 Latin for dark or dusky, referring to its grayish or blackish color

Haplochromis fusiformis Greenwood & Gee 1969 spindle-shaped (fusiform), from fusus (L.), spindle, and formis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of forma (L.), shape or form, referring to its slender, elongate body form

Haplochromis gilberti Greenwood & Gee 1969 in honor of Michael Gilbert, Experimental Fisheries Officer, East African Freshwater Fisheries Research Organization, whose “enthusiasm and skill have added considerably to our knowledge” of Lake Victoria fishes, especially Haplochromis species from its deeper waters

Haplochromis glaucus Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 Latin for grayish blue, referring to gray and light-blue color pattern of all adult specimens

Haplochromis goldschmidti Witte, Westbroek & de Zeeuw 2013 in honor of Dutch evolutionary biologist Tijs Goldschmidt (b. 1953), for his work on haplochromine cichlids of Lake Victoria, and for calling the world’s attention to their human-induced extinction; this cichlid is one of the species on which he based his theory of the possible role of egg-dummy divergence in speciation of haplochromines

Haplochromis gowersii Trewavas 1928 in honor of William Gowers (1875–1954), Governor of Uganda, who helped fisheries scientist Michael Graham (see H. michaeli) conduct his research on Lake Victoria, where this cichlid is endemic

Haplochromis gracilifur Vranken, van Steenberge & Snoeks 2019 gracilis (L.), thin or slender; fur, thief, referring to its slender body and paedophagous diet (it steals fry from buccal cavities of mouthbrooding cichlids) [name published online in 2018 but not available until 2019]

Haplochromis gracilior Boulenger 1914 comparative of gracilis (L.), slender, proposed as a slender-bodied morph of H. angustifrons

Haplochromis granti Boulenger 1906 in honor of Scottish naturalist and explorer James Augustus Grant (1827–1892) who, with John Henning Speke (see H. spekii), discovered that Lake Victoria (where this cichlid is endemic) is a major source of the Nile

Haplochromis graueri Boulenger 1914 patronym not identified, probably in honor of Austrian explorer and zoologist Rudolf Grauer (1870–1927), who collected fishes and other animals in Africa from 1905–1911

Haplochromis guiarti (Pellegrin 1904) per Pellegrin (1905), in honor of parasitologist Jules Guiart (1870–1965), friend and “distinguished and devoted” (translation) Secretary General of the Zoological Society of France [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis harpakteridion van Oijen 1991 diminutive of harpaktēr (ἁρπακτήρ), robber, i.e., little robber, referring to the predatory (piscivorous) habits of this small species

Haplochromis heusinkveldi Witte & Witte-Maas 1987 in honor of W. A. Heusinkveld (1920–2002), lecturer of physics at Leiden University; “In some way, this long, slender fish with its grey suit [body] made us think of him, when we first caught it” [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis hiatus Hoogerhoud & Witte 1981 Latin for opening, aperture or gap, referring to how this species seems to “bridge the taxonomic gap” between H. empodisma and H. obtusidens with respect to the shape of its pharyngeal jaws [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis howesi van Oijen 1992 in honor of Gordon J. Howes (1938–2013), Natural History Museum (London), for “many excellent” contributions to fish taxonomy

Haplochromis humilis (Steindachner 1866) Latin for modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to any or all of the following: “significantly less curved” back and head profile and/or lack of transverse bands compared with Chromis ovalis (=Tilapia sparrmanii), its presumed congener at the time; dorsal-fin rays reaching “on average no significant length”; “dirty yellowish brown” color (translations)

Haplochromis insidiae Snoeks 1994 Latin for artifice (authors say deception or deceit), referring to its “peculiar and misleading” tooth shape, leading some previous workers to confuse it with H. astatodon

Haplochromis iris Hoogerhoud & Witte 1981 named for Iris, Greek goddess of the rainbow, referring to multiple colors of sexually active males [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis kamiranzovu Snoeks, Coenen & Thys van den Audenaerde 1984 named for mouth of Kamiranzovu River into Lake Kivu, Nyamasheke, Rwanda, type locality

Haplochromis katavi Seegers 1996 named for Katavi National Park; type specimens caught from Katuma River (northern Lake Rukwa drainage, western Tanzania) at the border of this park, and is probably the only species of Haplochromis that occurs within it

Haplochromis katonga Schraml & Tichy 2010 named for Katonga River, Uganda, only known area of occurrence

Haplochromis katunzii ter Huurne & Witte 2010 in honor of Egid F. B. Katunzi, Director of the Mwanza Centre of the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute, who has collaborated with the Haplochromis Ecology Survey Team (HEST) of Leiden University since 1979, when he did his MSc study on food preferences of four haplochromine species from the Mwanza Gulf; he published several papers on Lake Victoria haplochromines and has continuously supported HEST fieldwork for 30 years

Haplochromis kimondo Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 Swahili for meteor, referring to its blunt head, pyriform body with mid-lateral band, and yellow coloration of ventral part of body

Haplochromis kujunjui van Oijen 1991 of Kujunju point, a landmark northeast of Standieri Island, Lake Victoria, Tanzania, type locality

Haplochromis labiatus Trewavas 1933 Latin for lipped, referring to its “thick mobile” lips

Haplochromis labriforma (Nichols & La Monte 1938) etymology not explained, perhaps labri-, Labrus (wrasse) and forma (L.), shape or form, presumably referring to what the authors perceived as a superficial resemblance to wrasses in general or Labrus in particular [often incorrectly spelled as an adjective, labriformis]

Haplochromis lacrimosus (Boulenger 1906) Latin for tearful or weeping, referring to “black vertical bar below anterior third of eye, rarely indistinct or absent”

Haplochromis laparogramma Greenwood & Gee 1969 lapára (λαπάρα), flank; gramma, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to conspicuous midlateral stripe

Haplochromis latifrons Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 latus (L.), wide or broad; frons (L.), brow or forehead, referring to “very broad interorbital area for a piscivorous species”

Haplochromis latifasciatus Regan 1929 latus (L.), wide or broad; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to four broad black bars (somewhat narrowed below) on body

Haplochromis limax Trewavas 1933 Latin for slug or snail, allusion not explained nor evident (perhaps referring to its presumed diet, later determined to be aufwuchs, not snails)

Haplochromis lividus Greenwood 1956 Latin for bluish or black and blue, presumably referring to slate-gray ground color of breeding males, with a “vivid, almost fluorescent,” blue sheen on interorbital regional of head, snout, lips, and preorbital

Haplochromis loati Greenwood 1971 in honor of the late William Leonard Stevenson Loat (1871–1932), British archaeologist, naturalist and superintendent of the survey party that first collected this species at Gondokoro, South Sudan, in 1902 (also occurs in Uganda)

Haplochromis lobatus Vranken, van Steenberge, Kayenbergh & Snoeks 2020 Latin for lobed, referring to lobed lips that are often medially enlarged

Haplochromis longirostris (Hilgendorf 1888) longus (L.), long; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to length of snout, “almost equal to 2 eyes” (translation) [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis luluae (Fowler 1930) of the Lulua River, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality [placed in Ctenochromis by some workers]

Haplochromis macconneli Greenwood 1974 in honor of Richard B. McConnell (1903–1986), Officer in Charge of the Fisheries Department at Lake Rudolf (now Lake Turkana), for assistance given to the Lake Rudolf Research Project team (also husband of tropical-fish ecologist Rosemary Lowe-McConnell) [note Latinization of “Mc” to “Mac”]

Haplochromis macrognathus Regan 1922 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, presumably referring to “very strongly projecting” lower jaw [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis macrops (Boulenger 1911) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, “which is 3 times in length of head, equals interorbital width, and much exceeds least depth of praeorbital”

Haplochromis macropsoides Greenwood 1973 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: overall similar to H. macrops

Haplochromis maculipinna (Pellegrin 1913) macula (L.), spot; pinna (L.), fin, referring to two rows of spots on dorsal fin

Haplochromis mahagiensis David & Poll 1937 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Mahagi (now Mahagi Port), Lake Albert, Uganda, type locality

Haplochromis maisomei van Oijen 1991 of Maisome Island, Lake Victoria, Tanzania, type locality

Haplochromis malacophagus Poll & Damas 1939 malaco-, from malakós (μαλακός), soft, root word of malacology, the study of molluscs; phagus, from phageī́n (φαγεῖν), to eat, referring to its molluscivorous diet

Haplochromis mandibularis Greenwood 1962 Latin for of or pertaining to a jaw, presumably referring to lower jaw, which projects “markedly” beyond upper jaw in some specimens

Haplochromis martini (Boulenger 1906) in honor of James Martin, Transport Officer in the Uganda Protectorate, for much assistance rendered to Edward Degen (Swiss ornithologist who collected holotype)

Haplochromis maxillaris Trewavas 1928 Latin for of or belonging to the jaw, referring to its “more exposed” maxillary compared to the closely related H. microdon

Haplochromis megalops Greenwood & Gee 1969 mégas (μέγας), large or great; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to large eye, its diameter 32.7–41.0% of HL

Haplochromis melanopterus Trewavas 1928 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its blackish vertical and pelvic fins

Haplochromis melanopus Regan 1922 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; opus, from poús (πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins), referring to its “blackish” ventral fins

Haplochromis melichrous Greenwood & Gee 1969 meláchrous (μελάχρους), honey-colored, referring to golden-brown coloration of females

Haplochromis mentatus Regan 1925 Latin for chinned, referring to projecting lower jaw

Haplochromis mento Regan 1922 from mentum (L.), chin, probably referring to “strongly projecting” lower jaw

Haplochromis michaeli Trewavas 1928 in honor of British fisheries scientist Michael Graham (1898–1972), who collected holotype [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis microchrysomelas Snoeks 1994 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small, referring to small size (up to 82.5 mm SL); chrysós (χρυσός), gold or golden, referring to conspicuous golden-yellow color on tail of adult males; mélas (μέλας), black, referring to dark body color of both sexes

Haplochromis microdon (Boulenger 1906) micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to its “very small” teeth

Haplochromis moeruensis (Boulenger 1899) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Moero (now Mweru), Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

Haplochromis molossus Vranken, van Steenberge & Snoeks 2019 Latin for a molosser dog, ancestor of pugs and other mastiff-like dogs, referring to this cichlid’s “pug-head” habitus: flat face and broad, rounded jaws with a gentle gape inclination flat face and broad, rounded jaws with a gentle gape inclination [name published online in 2018 but not available until 2019]

Haplochromis mylodon Greenwood 1973 mylo-, from mýlē (μύλη), mill or millstone; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to mill-like crushing dentition of its pharyngeal bones

Haplochromis nanoserranus Greenwood & Barel 1978 nanus (L.), dwarf, i.e., a smaller cichlid (76 mm SL) compared with the related H. serranus (101–205 mm SL) [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis nigrescens (Pellegrin 1909) Latin for blackish, referring to chocolate-colored body with blackish fins

Haplochromis nigripinnis Regan 1921 nigri-, from niger (L.), dark or black; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to blackish vertical and pelvic fins

Haplochromis nigroides (Pellegrin 1928) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: niger (L.), dark or black, referring to uniformly dark-brown coloration of territorial males, both alive and preserved

Haplochromis niloticus Greenwood 1960 -icus (L.), belonging to: Victoria Nile, Uganda, where it appears to be endemic

Haplochromis nubilus (Boulenger 1906) Latin for cloudy or gloomy, referring to black color of adult males and dark gray or brown to blackish color of juveniles and adult females

Haplochromis nuchisquamulatus (Hilgendorf 1888) nucha (Medieval Latin), nape of the neck; squamulatus (Neo-Latin), small-scaled, “characterized by its hitherto unknown small neck scales, which are barely half the size of the scales on the sides of the body” (translation)

Haplochromis nyanzae Greenwood 1962 of Nyanza, local name for Lake Victoria, where it is endemic

Haplochromis obesus (Boulenger 1906) Latin for fat or stout, presumably referring to much deeper and rounded body compared with the allied H. microdon

Haplochromis obliquidens (Hilgendorf 1888) obliquus (L.), slanting or inclining in direction; dens (L.), tooth, referring to flattened and obliquely truncated teeth

Haplochromis obtusidens Trewavas 1928 obtusus (L.), blunt; dens (L.), tooth, referring to “large blunt” teeth on “somewhat massive” plate of lower pharyngeal [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis occultidens Snoeks 1988 occultus (L.), hidden or concealed; dens (L.), tooth, referring to some teeth deeply embedded in the gums and generally difficult to observe

Haplochromis oligacanthus Regan 1922 olígos (ὀλίγος), few or scanty; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (ἄκανθα), thorn or spine, referring to fewer dorsal-fin spines compared to H. stigmatogenys

Haplochromis oligolepis Lippitsch 2003 olígos (ὀλίγος), few or scanty; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to low number of longitudinal scales, being closer in this respect to fluviatile cichlids than to most Lake Victoria haplochromines

Haplochromis olivaceus Snoeks, de Vos, Coenen & Thys van den Audenaerde 1990 Latin for olive-colored, referring to general color of males when not highly territorial

Haplochromis oregosoma Greenwood 1973 oregō (ὀρέγω), to stretch out; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to its “rather elongate” form

Haplochromis pachycephalus Greenwood 1967 pachýs (παχύς), thick; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to broader interorbital compared with other members of the H. serranus species group

Haplochromis pallidus (Boulenger 1911) Latin for pale, referring to yellowish or “pale brownish” body and/or yellowish or “pale brownish” fins

Haplochromis paludinosus (Greenwood 1980) Latin for swampy or marshy, referring to habitat of type locality (Malagarasi swamps at Katare, Tanzania)

Haplochromis pancitrinus Mietes & Witte 2010 pan (παν), all, whole or every; citrinus (L), like a citron (a lemon-like fruit), referring to yellow coloration of males in life [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis pappenheimi (Boulenger 1914) in honor of German ichthyologist Paul Pappenheim (1878–1945), curator of fishes, Königliche Zoologische Museum (Berlin), and co-author of paper in which description appeared

Haplochromis paradoxus (Lippitsch & Kaufman 2003) Latin for contrary to expectation, referring to strange appearance of its strongly oblique gape and lower jaw, and to its “seemingly paradoxical zoogeographical situation,” in which congeners occur in lakes Edward, Victoria and Kyoga even though Lake Victoria dried out 17,300 years ago and refilled 2,600 years later, after which and all of its haplochromine cichlids evolved in situ

Haplochromis paraguiarti Greenwood 1967 pará (παρά), near, referring to its close superficial resemblance to H. guiarti

Haplochromis paraplagiostoma Greenwood & Gee 1969 pará (παρά), near, referring to “a certain superficial similarity” with H. plagiostoma

Haplochromis pardus Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 Latin for leopard, referring to its nearly uniform black to yellow-pink flanks with clear black blotches, like the interrupted horizontal and vertical stripes of a leopard

Haplochromis paropius Greenwood & Gee 1969 Latinized adjective from parōpía (Gr. παρωπία), blinders or blinkers (as on a horse, authors say “eye shade”), referring to prominent lachrymal stripe

Haplochromis parvidens (Boulenger 1911) parvus (L.), small; dens (L.), tooth, referring to its “very small” conical teeth

Haplochromis paucidens Regan 1921 paucus (L.), few or scanty; dens (L.), tooth, presumably referring to fewer number of outer teeth on lower jaws compared with H. astatodon

Haplochromis pelagicus Vranken, van Steenberge, Mbalassa & Snoeks 2023 from pelágios (πελάγιος), “of the sea,” but often applied to the main water column of any body of water, here referring to its occurrence in the open waters of Lakes Edward and George and the Kazinga Channel

Haplochromis pellegrini Regan 1922 in honor of French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin (1873–1944), who “kindly” sent notes on “two or three specimens in the collection of the Paris Museum about which [Regan] had some doubts”

Haplochromis percoides Boulenger 1906 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: presumably referring to its similarity with the European Perch Perca fluviatilis [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis perrieri (Pellegrin 1909) in honor of French invertebrate zoologist Edmond Perrier (1844–1921), director of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (1900–1919) [extinct in the wild]

Haplochromis pharyngalis Poll & Damas 1939 Neo-Latin for pharyngeal, referring to middle teeth of pharyngeal bone, which are flattened like cobblestones

Haplochromis phytophagus Greenwood 1966 phytós (φύτός), plant; phagus, from phageī́n (φαγεῖν), to eat, referring to how it gains nutrition from diatoms by macerating and swallowing (but not digesting) phanerogram (spermatophyte) leaf tissue

Haplochromis piceatus Greenwood & Gee 1969 Latin for smeared with pitch, referring to coloration of preserved specimens

Haplochromis pitmani Fowler 1936 in honor of ornithologist and herpetologist Charles Pitman (1890–1975), a retired officer of the Indian Army who settled in Uganda and became a game warden; he “cordially assisted” the George Vanderbilt African Expedition of 1934 during its work at Kisubi Mission, Kitala, Lake Victoria, type locality

Haplochromis placodus Poll & Damas 1939 placo-, from plakós (πλακός), genitive of pláx (πλάξ), anything flat or wide, i.e., a plate; odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to flattened teeth of middle pharyngeal bone, shaped like small cobblestones

Haplochromis plagiodon Regan & Trewavas 1928 plágios (πλάγιος), sideways or oblique; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, presumably referring to teeth of outer series, with a “long oblique anterior cusp”

Haplochromis plagiostoma Regan 1922 plágios (πλάγιος), sideways or oblique; stóma (στόμα), mouth, described as “very oblique”

Haplochromis planus Vranken, van Steenberge & Snoeks 2020 Latin for flat, level or smooth, referring to its flat, shovel-like lower jaw

Haplochromis plutonius Greenwood & Barel 1978 Latin for of or belonging to Pluto (god or king of the nether world), regularly described as dark, black or gloomy, referring to dusky preserved coloration of adult males

Haplochromis polli Thys van den Audenaerde 1964 in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908–1991), for his work exploring the fishes of Stanley Pool, Lower Congo (type locality)

Haplochromis prodromus Trewavas 1935 Neo-Latin for precursor, allusion not explained, replacement name for Haplochromis annectens (dating to 11 April 1922), secondarily preoccupied in Haplochromis by Cyrtocara (now Protomelas) annectens (dating to 27 Jan. 1922), possibly referring to how latter name is “predated” (Trewavas’ term) by the former

Haplochromis prognathus (Pellegrin 1904) pro– (L.), in front of; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to “strongly prominent” (translation) lower jaw

Haplochromis pseudopellegrini Greenwood 1967 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, i.e., although this cichlid may resemble H. pellegrini, such an appearance is false

Haplochromis pyrrhocephalus Witte & Witte-Maas 1987 pyrrhós (πῠρρός), flame-colored; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to bright orange dorsal surface of head of living males

Haplochromis pyrrhopteryx van Oijen 1991 pyrrhós (πῠρρός), flame-colored; ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to bright, orange-red coloration of median fins in live specimens of both sexes, juveniles as well as adults [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis quasimodo Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 named for the hump-backed character in Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831), referring to the rather shallow head and deep and rhomboid bodies of large specimens

Haplochromis relictidens Vranken, van Steenberge & Snoeks 2019 relinquere, to relinquish; dens (L.), tooth, referring to reduction in number of outer teeth in both jaws as it grows [name published online in 2018 but not available until 2019]

Haplochromis retrodens (Hilgendorf 1888) retro– (L.), behind; dens (L.), tooth, allusion not explained, probably referring to strongly recurved teeth on outer row of both jaws

Haplochromis rex Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 Latin for king (one that holds a preeminent position), referring to “very small eyes, deep cheeks, and strong jaws set with large and acute teeth indicating this piscivore has most specialised morphology among all piscivores from the Lake Edward system to hunt on large prey”

Haplochromis riponianus (Boulenger 1911) -ianus (L.), belonging to: Ripon Falls (now submerged by a dam), northern end of Lake Victoria, Uganda, type locality (probably widely distributed in Lake Victoria and also recorded from the Victoria Nile)

Haplochromis rubescens Snoeks 1994 Latin for reddish, referring to coloration of adult males

Haplochromis rudolfianus Trewavas 1933 -ianus (L.), belonging to: Lake Rudolf (now Turkana), Kenya, where it is endemic

Haplochromis sauvagei (Pfeffer 1896) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of French paleontologist-ichthyologist Henri Émile Sauvage (1842–1917), who is cited numerous times in Pfeffer’s monograph

Haplochromis saxicola Greenwood 1960 saxum (L.), rock; cola (L.), inhabitant, referring to its occurrence over hard substrates of sand, rock or shingle

Haplochromis scheffersi Snoeks, de Vos & Thys van den Audenaerde 1987 in honor of Wilhelmus J. Scheffers, Director of the FAO Project for Fisheries Development at Lake Kivu, Rwanda (where this cichlid is endemic), whose “kindness and helpfulness greatly facilitated” (translation) the authors’ work in the field

Haplochromis schubotzi Boulenger 1914 in honor of German zoologist Johann G. Hermann Schubotz (1881–1955), who collected many fishes (including holotype of this one) as a member Deutsche Zentral-Afrika Expedition (1907–1908), and who edited publication in which description appeared

Haplochromis schubotziellus Greenwood 1973 -ellus, a Latin diminutive, referring to how this species is often confused with small specimens of H. schubotzi in the field

Haplochromis schwetzi Poll 1967 in honor of Yakov (later Jacques) Schwetz (1847–1957), Russian-born Belgian physician-entomologist who, while studying schistosomiasis and other diseases, also collected fishes, including holotype of this one in 1936

Haplochromis serranus (Pfeffer 1896) etymology not explained, probably referring to its resemblance to sea basses of the genus Serranus (Serranidae)

Haplochromis serridens Regan 1925 serra (L.), saw; dens (L.), tooth, presumably referring to ~50 bicuspid teeth in outer series of upper jaw

Haplochromis simba Vranken, van Steenberge, Heylen, Decru & Snoeks 2022 Swahili for lion, referring to its yellow body and orange cheeks resembling the mane of a male lion, and its “predatory morphology”

Haplochromis simpsoni Greenwood 1965 in honor of Michael J. A. Simpson, member of the Cambridge Nabugabo Biological Survey in Uganda, during which holotype was collected

Haplochromis snoeksi Wamuini Lunkayilakio & Vreven 2010 in honor of Jos Snoeks, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), curator of fishes, Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale, and a specialist in African cichlids, for support and supervision of the senior author’s doctoral dissertation

Haplochromis spekii (Boulenger 1906) in honor of English explorer and army officer John Henning Speke (1827–1864) who, with James Augustus Grant (see H. granti), discovered that Lake Victoria (where this cichlid is endemic) is a major source of the Nile

Haplochromis sphex ter Huurne & Witte 2010 sphḗx (σφήξ), wasp, referring to wasp-like coloration of males (typically yellow with black stripes) [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis squamipinnis Regan 1921 squama (L.), scale; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to series of small scales on basal parts of posterior half of dorsal and anal fins, between the rays

Haplochromis squamulatus Regan 1922 Neo-Latin for small-scaled, referring to very small scales on nape and pectoral region

Haplochromis stigmatogenys (Boulenger 1913) stigmatus (L.), marked or spotted; génys (γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), referring to black spot usually on chin [placed in Thoracochromis by some authors]

Haplochromis sulphureus Greenwood & Barel 1978 Latin for sulphur-colored, referring to sulphur-yellow adult coloration of both sexes

Haplochromis tanaos van Oijen & Witte 1996 tanaós (ταναός), outstretched or long, referring to its slender body shape

Haplochromis taurinus Trewavas 1933 Latin for bull-like, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its stout or muscular appearance, with a projecting lower jaw, “rather strongly exposed” maxillary, an firmly thickened lips

Haplochromis teunisrasi Witte & Witte-Maas 1981 in honor of Teunis Ras (1929–1994), a “Dutch master fisherman,” for the help he gave the Haplochromis Ecology Survey Team to Mwanza Gulf of Lake Victoria and “especially for the pains he took in making the fishing gear and in teaching us how to use it”

Haplochromis theliodon Greenwood 1960 etymology not explained, presumably thēlḗ (θηλή), teat or nipple, or thēlázō (θηλάζω), suckle or suck, and odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, allusion not evident (although it may be relevant to note that this cichlid is a bottom-feeder whose diet includes “fairly large quantities of bottom debris”)

Haplochromis thereuterion van Oijen & Witte 1996 diminutive of thēratḗs (θηρατής), hunter, i.e., a small hunter, referring to the predatory habits of this small (55.5–82.0 mm SL) cichlid

Haplochromis thuragnathus Greenwood 1967 thura, from thýra (θύρα), door or entrance, allusion not explained nor evident; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, possibly referring to its more oblique lower jaw compared with H. boops [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis toddi (Boulenger 1905) in honor of Canadian physician and parasitologist John Lancelot Todd (1876–1949), who helped collect holotype

Haplochromis tridens Regan & Trewavas 1928 tri– (L.), three; dens (L.), tooth, probably referring to mostly tricuspid outer series of teeth

Haplochromis turkanae Greenwood 1974 of Lake Turkana (formerly Rudolf), Kenya, where it is endemic

Haplochromis tyrianthinus Greenwood & Gee 1969 Latin adjective for a color between purple and violet, known as Tyrian purple, referring to predominantly purple colors of males

Haplochromis ushindi Van Oijen 2004 Swahili for victory, referring to its size (up to 230 mm SL), the largest haplochromine cichlid species known from the Mwanza area of Lake Victoria, making it the “champion” of the hundreds of species prior to the explosive increase of the Nile Perch (Lates niloticus) in the area around 1985 [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis vanheusdeni Schedel, Friel & Schliewen 2014 in honor of Dutch aquarist Hans van Heusden (b. 1957), “one of the most dedicated cichlid naturalists, who has documented for the first time with underwater photographs and videos as well as with aquarium observations the behaviour and ecology of [this] new species and many other cichlids all over Africa”

Haplochromis vanoijeni de Zeeuw & Witte 2010 in honor of Dutch ichthyologist Martien J. P. van Oijen, Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden, Netherlands), for his work on the taxonomy and ecology of haplochromine cichlids of Lake Victoria, and one of the “pioneers” of the Haplochromis Ecology Survey Team (HEST) of Leiden University that started its fieldwork in 1977

Haplochromis velifer Trewavas 1933 velum (L.), sail; fero (L.), to have or bear, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its pectoral fins, “nearly as long as head, reaching vertical from vent or original of anal”

Haplochromis venator Greenwood 1965 Latin for hunter, described as “predominantly a piscivorous predator”

Haplochromis vicarius Trewavas 1933 Latin for substitute or proxy, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to how this cichlid, occurring in Lakes Edward and George, is “near” H. cinereus of Lake Victoria

Haplochromis victorianus (Pellegrin 1904) -ianus (L.), belonging to: Lake Victoria, where it was endemic [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis vittatus (Boulenger 1901) Latin for banded, referring to prominent longitudinal bands on body of most specimens

Haplochromis vonlinnei van Oijen & de Zeeuw 2008 in honor of the “contriver” of modern biological nomenclature, Carl von Linné (1707–1788), rendered in Latin as Carolus Linnæus, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the official start of zoological nomenclature (the only currently valid fish species named after the father of naming species) [possibly extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplochromis worthingtoni Regan 1929 in honor of British zoologist Edward Barton Worthington (1905–2001), pioneer explorer of African lakes and their fisheries, who collected holotype with Michael Graham (see H. michaeli and also H. bartoni)

Haplochromis xenognathus Greenwood 1957 xénos (ξένος), strange or foreign (i.e., different); gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, presumably referring to how lower jaw is shorter than upper jaw in 74% of specimens examined (subequal in the remaining 26%)

Haplochromis xenostoma Regan 1922 xénos (ξένος), strange or foreign (i.e., different); stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to oblique mouth with very prominent lower jaw, which projects upwards and over end of snout [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Haplotaxodon Boulenger 1906 haplós (ἁπλός), single or simple; táxis (τάξις), row; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, presumably referring to the simple arrangement of a single series of teeth

Haplotaxodon microlepis Boulenger 1906 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to small ctenoid scales covering body

Hemibates Regan 1920 hemi-, from hḗmisys (ἥμισυς), half; bates, presumably an abridgement of Bathybates, also a deepwater genus from Lake Tanganyika, possibly referring to small teeth and moderate mouth when compared with the strong teeth and moderate mouth of that genus

Hemibates koningsi Schedel & Schliewen 2017 in honor of Adrianus (“Ad”) F. Konings (b. 1956), Dutch ichthyologist, cichlid aquarist and publisher, the first person to recognize this species as distinct, “in appreciation of the inspiration to many cichlidophiles that arose from his continued popular and scientific contributions”

Hemibates stenosoma (Boulenger 1901) sténos (στένος), narrow; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to its “strongly compressed” body

Hemichromis Peters 1857 hemi-, from hḗmisys (ἥμισυς), half, referring to its similarity to Chromis (then a catch-all genus that included cichlids, damselfishes and other perch-like fishes)

Hemichromis camerounensis Bitja-Nyom, Agnèse, Pariselle, Bilong-Bilong, Gilles & Snoeks 2021 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cameroon (Cameroun in French), where type locality is situated and where this cichlid is common in major Atlantic coastal river systems

Hemichromis elongatus (Guichenot 1861) Latin for prolonged, presumably referring to “oblong” (translation) shape of body, more oblong than “les Labres” (wrasses), thought to be related to cichlids at the time

Hemichromis fasciatus Peters 1857 Latin for banded, referring to dark vertical bands (more like elongated blotches) on sides

Hemitaeniochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 hemi-, from hḗmisys (ἥμισυς), half, and taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to how mid-lateral band is confined to posterior half of body (but continues forward as a series of spots); chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Hemitaeniochromis brachyrhynchus Oliver 2012 brachýs (βραχύς), short; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to “abbreviated preocular region of the head”

Hemitaeniochromis urotaenia (Regan 1922) ourá (οὐρά), tail; taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, presumably referring to a series of spots that form a band on posterior body and caudal peduncle

Hemitilapia Boulenger 1902 hemi-, from hḗmisys (ἥμισυς), half, described as similar to Tilapia but with different dentition

Hemitilapia oxyrhynchus Boulenger 1902 oxýs (ὀξύς), sharp; rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to pointed snout with concave profile

Heterochromis Regan 1922 héteros (ἕτερος), different, described as “well distinguished from all other African Cichlidae by the dentition, the shape of the head, the scaly soft dorsal and anal fins, and the separation of the lateral lines by three rows of scales”; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Heterochromis multidens (Pellegrin 1900) multi– (L.), many; dens (L.), tooth, presumably referring to ~10 rows of teeth in both jaws

Heterotilapia Regan 1920 héteros (ἕτερος), different, proposed as a subgenus of Tilapia distinguished by its dentition and exposed (vs. concealed) maxillary

Heterotilapia buettikoferi (Hubrecht 1881) in honor of Swiss zoologist Johann Büttikofer (1850–1927), who collected holotype [originally spelled “butikofferi” but emended to “buettikofferi” per ICZN Art. 32.5.2.1]

Heterotilapia cessiana Thys van den Audenaerde 1968 -iana (L.), belonging to: Cess (also known as Cestos and Nipoué) River, Toyebli, Ivory Coast, type locality

Interochromis Yamaoka, Hori & Kuwamura 1988 inter– (L.), among or between, referring to how this genus is in many respects intermediate between the grazers (Petrochromis) and browsers (Limnotilapia, Simochromis, Tropheus); chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Interochromis loocki (Poll 1949) in honor of E. Van Loock, Director, Great Lakes Railways Company, for his support of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946–1947), during which holotype was collected

Iodotropheus Oliver & Loiselle 1972 iódes (ἰώδης), rust-colored, referring to color of I. sprengerae; tropheus, referring to superficial morphological similarity to Pseudotropheus

Iodotropheus sprengerae Oliver & Loiselle 1972 in honor of Kappy Sprenger, “outstanding aquarist, aquarium writer and artist of Los Gatos, California,” who took a special interest in this species; “Her persistent efforts to have this fish correctly identified led to the recognition that it was undescribed.”

Iodotropheus stuartgranti Konings 1990 in honor of Stuart M. Grant (1937–2007), English exporter of cichlids from Lake Malawi (where this species is endemic), who introduced this small mbuna, among many others, into the aquarium hobby

Iranocichla Coad 1982 Iran, where this genus is endemic; cichla, referring to family Cichlidae

Iranocichla hormuzensis Coad 1982 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hormuz, “once a famous emporium at the mouth of the Persian Gulf,” from which is derived the Harmozdgan province of Iran, where this cichlid is endemic

Iranocichla persa Esmaeili, Sayyadzadeh & Seehausen 2016 Latin for a Persian, referring to Iran, where it is endemic [treated as a synonym of I. hormuzensis by some workers]

Jabarichromis Haefeli, Schedel, Ronco, Indermaur & Salzburger 2024 Swahili word for brave one, emperor or ruler, referring to hunting behavior of J. pfefferi and their large hunting territories, which can reach up to 500 square meters; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Jabarichromis pfefferi (Boulenger 1898) in honor of the “distinguished” German zoologist Georg Johann Pfeffer (1854–1931), “who has much contributed to our knowledge of East African ichthyology”

Julidochromis Boulenger 1898 julido, referring to the julidine lineage or subgroup of wrasses (Labridae), referring to their similar specialized dentition and “general aspect”; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Julidochromis brichardi (Poll 1974) in honor of Belgian aquarium-fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921–1990), who collected holotype

Julidochromis cyanophleps (Kullander, Karlsson, Karlsson & Norén 2014) cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but often used as a general term for blue); phléps (φλέψ), vein, referring to conspicuous blue stripe below eye

Julidochromis dickfeldi Staeck 1975 in honor of German aquarist Alf Dickfeld (1910–2009), whose idea it was to undertake the expedition to Zambia, during which holotype was collected

Julidochromis marksmithi Burgess 2014 in honor of American aquarist Mark Smith, who was instrumental in obtaining the specimens used in the description and providing photographs of living species of Julidochromis

Julidochromis marlieri Poll 1956 in honor of Belgian zoologist Georges Marlier (1898–1968), director of IRSAC (Institut pour la Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale) at Lake Tanganyika, who collected holotype and other species, “in honor of and gratitude for his valuable collaboration” (translation)

Julidochromis ornatus Boulenger 1898 Latin for decorated, referring to its coloration: three dark-brown stripes on each side of a yellowish body, brown-edged anal fin, large round dark-brown spot on base of caudal fin, and a small black spot at base of pectoral fin

Julidochromis popelini (Brichard 1989) eponym not identified, probably in honor of Capt. Émile Popelin (1847–1881), Belgian officer who died of a liver abscess on the shores of Lake Tanganyika where this cichlid is endemic

Julidochromis regani Poll 1942 in honor of British ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878–1943), Natural History Museum (London), “author of an important revision [1920] of the cichlids of Lake Tanganyika, which we have had the opportunity to cite various times” (translation)

Julidochromis regani affinis Brichard 1978 Latin for related, name coined by Hubert Matthes (Royal Museum of Central Africa) for a geographical race of J. regani

Julidochromis transcriptus Matthes 1959 Latin for transcribed, allusion not explained but here is a guess: referring to its close similarity to J. ornatus, so close that it might be considered a transcribed copy of it

Konia Trewavas 1972 Latinization of konye, Barombi name for K. eisentrauti at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic

Konia dikume Trewavas 1972 Barombi name for this cichlid at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic

Konia eisentrauti (Trewavas 1962) in honor of German zoologist Martin Eisentraut (1902–1994), who led expedition during which holotype was collected, and who gave Trewavas the opportunity to study and report on the fishes he collected

Labeotropheus Ahl 1926 labeo (L.), one with large lips, presumably referring to fleshy snout projecting over upper jaw and lip of L. fuelleborni; tropheus, referring to Ahl’s belief that genus is related to Tropheus and Pseudotropheus, differing mainly in the dentition and shape of mouth

Labeotropheus alticodia Phiri & Pauers 2023 altus (L.), high or deep; codia (L.), from kṓdeia (κώδεια), head of a poppy, referring to its “striking” head depth

Labeotropheus artatorostris Pauers 2017 artatus (L.), constricted or shortened; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to shorter snout pad compared with L. fuelleborni

Labeotropheus aurantinfra Phiri & Pauers 2023 aurantiacus (L.), orange-colored; infra (L.), underneath or below, referring to male nuptial color pattern in which ventrum, anterior abdomen and branchiostegals feature orange coloration

Labeotropheus candipygia Pauers & Phiri 2023 candidus (L.), shining white, clear or bright; pygia, from pygḗ (πυγή), behind or rump, referring to bright-white or bluish-white ventrum of males

Labeotropheus chirangali Pauers & Phiri 2023 Chichewa (Bantu language spoken in Malawi) word for beacon, referring to navigational beacon at Mphanga Rocks, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality

Labeotropheus chlorosiglos Pauers 2016 chlōrós (χλωρός), green; síglos (σίγλος), earring, referring to metallic green opercular tabs on both males and females

Labeotropheus fuelleborni Ahl 1926 in honor of Friedrich Fülleborn (1866–1933), who collected holotype during his travels as a parasitologist and military physician

Labeotropheus obscurus Phiri & Pauers 2023 Latin for dark, dusky or shadowy, referring to its muted and mostly gray male nuptial color pattern, unusual for a species of Labeotropheus

Labeotropheus rubidorsalis Phiri & Pauers 2023 ruber (L.), red; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to “brilliant” red dorsal fin of males

Labeotropheus simoneae Pauers 2016 in honor of Pauers’ “beautiful daughter, Simone Josephine Pauers, whose rosy cheeks remind me of the bright orange opercula of the males of this species”

Labeotropheus trewavasae Fryer 1956 in honor of British ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900–1993), British Museum (Natural History), “whose grouping of the Nyasan [Malawiian] cichlids paved the way for future research,” and for her interest in Fryer’s work

Labidochromis Trewavas 1935 labidos (L.), forceps, referring to forward-pointing anterior teeth of L. vellicans, giving it a forceps-like mouth which it uses to pick insects and ostracods from algal mats; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Labidochromis caeruleus Fryer 1956 Latin for dark blue (but used here to mean blue in general), referring to “startling light cobalt blue” color of both sexes

Labidochromis chisumulae Lewis 1982 of Chisumulu Island, east-central Lake Malawi, where it is endemic

Labidochromis flavigulis Lewis 1982 flavus (L.), yellow; gulis (L.), of throats, referring to yellow gular region and branchiostegal membranes of adult males in life (less intense in females and immature males)

Labidochromis freibergi Johnson 1974 in honor of Jacob Freiberg, African Fish Imports (Verona, New Jersey, USA), who brought this cichlid to Johnson’s attention and first made it available to aquarium hobbyists in the USA

Labidochromis gigas Lewis 1982 gígas (γίγας), giant, attaining >100 mm TL, the largest member of the genus

Labidochromis heterodon Lewis 1982 héteros (ἕτερος), different; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, its dentition “rather different” from congeners since only central teeth in outer row of each jaw are unicuspid, the lateral teeth being unevenly bicuspid

Labidochromis ianthinus Lewis 1982 Latin for violet-blue, referring to “Pronounced mauve iridescence over whole body”

Labidochromis joanjohnsonae Johnson 1974 in honor of Joan Johnson, Johnson’s wife and editor of Today’s Aquarist, magazine in which description appeared

Labidochromis lividus Lewis 1982 Latin for bluish or black and blue, referring to coloration of sexually active males, with thin pale blue bars that sometimes run onto dorsal fin

Labidochromis maculicauda Lewis 1982 macula (L.), spot; cauda (L.), tail, referring to numerous large dark blotches (which sometimes fuse) on caudal fin of living females

Labidochromis mathotho Burgess & Axelrod 1976 in honor of A. J. Mathotho, Chief Fisheries Officer, Malawi, “without whose help the discovery [of this and other new species] would not have been possible” [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”; species inquirenda, provisionally included here]

Labidochromis mbenjii Lewis 1982 of Mbenji Island, Lake Malawi, type locality

Labidochromis mylodon Lewis 1982 mýlos (μύλος), mill or millstone used for grinding grain; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to “stout to massive pharyngeal bone with molariform central teeth”

Labidochromis pallidus Lewis 1982 Latin for pale, referring to uniform white coloration in life

Labidochromis shiranus Lewis 1982 -anus (L.), belonging to: upper Shiré River at Mangochi, Malawi, between lakes Malawi and Malombe, type locality

Labidochromis strigatus Lewis 1982 Latin for furrowed or grooved (i.e., striped), presumably referring to “variably prominent” dark vertical bars in both sexes

Labidochromis textilis Oliver 1975 Latin for woven, referring to coloration in life, which suggests a brocade cloth

Labidochromis vellicans Trewavas 1935 Latin for picking or nipping, allusion not explained but clearly referring to its forceps-like teeth, which it nips at mats of epilithic algae (per Lewis 1982) and not on small insects and ostracods feeding on the algae as Trewavas had assumed

Labidochromis zebroides Lewis 1982 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: zebra, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to prominent dark vertical bars on males

Labrochromis Regan 1920 etymology not explained, perhaps lábros (λάβρος), fierce or greedy, referring to massively enlarged pharyngeal jaws equipped with broad molariform teeth for crushing the hard shells of snails; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Labrochromis humilior (Boulenger 1911) Latin for lower or humbler, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its elongate shape compared with its presumed oval-shaped congeners in Tilapia

Labrochromis ishmaeli (Boulenger 1906) in honor of George Ishmael (1879–1944), Interpreter to the Police Court at Entebbe, to whom Edward Degen (Swiss ornithologist who collected holotype) is “indebted for valuable assistance during his stay in Uganda” [extinct in the wild]

Labrochromis mawe Mahulu & Seehausen 2025 Swahili word for stone, referring to this cichlid’s habitat, “confined to rocks”

Labrochromis maweili Mahulu & Seehausen 2025 mawe and pili, Swahili words for stone and second, respectively, referring to similarity to and shared rocky habitat with L. mawe

Labrochromis mylergates (Greenwood & Barel 1978) mýlos (μύλος), mill or millstone used for grinding grain; ergatēs (ἐργάτης), worker, i.e., a millworker, referring to “extreme hypertrophy of the pharyngeal apparatus and its effects” on its molluscan prey [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Labrochromis pharyngomylus (Regan 1929) pharyngo-, pharyngeal, from phárynx (φάρυγξ), throat; mylus, from mýlos (μύλος), mill or millstone used for grinding grain, referring to “stout blunt” teeth on “massive” lower pharyngeal

Labrochromis ptistes (Greenwood & Barel 1978) ptistēs (πτιστής), one who winnows or shells grain, referring to its “crushing pharyngeal mechanism” and the “effect it has on its molluscan prey”

Labrochromis teegelaari (Greenwood & Barel 1978) in honor of the late Nico Teegelaar (1926–1976), an “outstanding” Dutch biological artist whose work “contributed much to the researches” of the Zoology Department of Leiden University, where the junior author worked [extinct due to ecological changes and the introduction of the Nile Perch Lates niloticus into Lake Victoria]

Lamprologus Schilthuis 1891 etymology not explained, perhaps lampros, clear, bright or distinct; logos, word (i.e., marking) or expression, allusion not evident but here is a guess: referring to dark blotches between eye and gill opening and/or four or five dark vertical bands on sides of L. congoensis, which apparently were distinct even “in spirits!” (exclamation point in original)

Lamprologus congoensis Schilthuis 1891 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Congo River basin of west-central Africa, where it is endemic

Lamprologus lethops Roberts & Stewart 1976 lḗthē (λήθη), forgetfulness; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to eyes of adults covered in a thick layer of skin with only a slight sensibility to light (eyes of juveniles are rudimentary and not covered by skin)

Lamprologus markerti Tougas & Stiassny 2014 in honor of evolutionary geneticist Jeffrey A. Markert (b. 1964), whose initial analyses of cichlid population structure in the region of the large Inga Rapids (Democratic Republic of the Congo) stimulated the authors’ morphological study

Lamprologus mocquardi Pellegrin 1903 in honor of Pellegrin’s herpetological colleague François Mocquard (1834–1917)

Lamprologus similis (Büscher 1992) Latin for like or similar, referring to the similarity of its melanin pattern with that of L. multifasciatus, its presumed closest relative

Lamprologus symoensi Poll 1976 in honor of Belgian botanist-ecologist Jean-Jacques Symöns (1927–2014), University of Lubumbashi, for his “interesting and fruitful” (translation) contribution to the study and faunal surveying of the Shaba (or Katanga) Plateau, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where this cichlid occurs

Lamprologus teugelsi Schelly & Stiassny 2004 in memory of friend and colleague Guy Teugels (1954–2003), Belgian ichthyologist and curator of fishes at the Musée Royale de l’Afrique Centrale, whose “leadership in the field of African ichthyology and his commitment to the training and support of African ichthyologists were an inspiration. He will be sorely missed.”

Lamprologus tigripictilis Schelly & Stiassny 2004 tígris (τίγρις), tiger; pictilis (L.), colored or painted, referring to characteristic pattern of dark bands on flanks

Lamprologus tumbanus Boulenger 1899 -anus (L.), belonging to: Lake Tumba, central Congo River basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it is endemic

Lamprologus werneri Poll 1959 in honor of Arthur Werner, German aquarium-fish exporter (Transfish), who collected holotype

Lepidiolamprologus Pellegrin 1904 lepidion-, diminutive of lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to its small scales; Lamprologus, presumed to be related to that genus

Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus (Steindachner 1909) Latin for thin or tapered, referring to its slender body shape

Lepidiolamprologus boulengeri (Steindachner 1909) eponym not identified but clearly in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858–1937)

Lepidiolamprologus elongatus (Boulenger 1898) Latin for prolonged, presumably referring to its shape, body depth 4 times in TL

Lepidiolamprologus hecqui (Boulenger 1899) in honor of Lieut. Célestin Hecq (1859–1910), who served in the Belgium Forces stationed in the Congo fighting the slave trade and commander of the fort at Albertville (now Mtoa), type locality; holotype was found in the mouth of a large catfish (Auchenoglanis scutatus [=occidentalis]), collected by Hecq

Lepidiolamprologus kamambae Kullander, Karlsson & Karlsson 2012 of Kamamba Island, Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, type locality

Lepidiolamprologus kendalli (Poll & Stewart 1977) in honor of American fish ecologist Robert L. Kendall (1937–2023), who collected holotype

Lepidiolamprologus meeli (Poll 1948) in honor of botanist Ludo van Meel (1908–1990), member of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946–1947), during which holotype was collected

Lepidiolamprologus mimicus Schelly, Takahashi, Bills & Hori 2007 Latin for of or belong to mimes (i.e., mimics), referring to its “aggressive mimicry,” in which it blends into schools of its prey (yellow-finned cyprichromines) with the aid of imitative coloration

Lepidiolamprologus pleuromaculatus (Trewavas & Poll 1952) pleuro-, from pleurá (πλευρά), side; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to intense black spot on sides

Lepidiolamprologus profundicola (Poll 1949) profundus (L.), deep; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to its deep rocky habitat (4–5 m), making it difficult to catch by hook and line

Lestradea Poll 1943 [-i]a (L. suffix), belonging to: Arthur Lestrade (1897–1990), Belgian ethnographer, Protestant missionary, colonial administrator and customs officer, who collected important series of fishes from Lake Tanganyika for the Royal Museum of the Belgian Congo (Tervuren), including L. perspicax

Lestradea perspicax Poll 1943 Latin for sharp-sighted, allusion not explained, probably referring to its large eyes

Lethrinops Regan 1922 ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), allusion not explained, presumably referring to superficial resemblance of L. lethrinus with the marine genus Lethrinus (Lethrinidae)

Lethrinops albus Regan 1922 Latin for white, referring to its silvery coloration (presumably in alcohol since it is quite colorful in life)

Lethrinops altus Trewavas 1931 Latin for high or deep, referring to its body form

Lethrinops argenteus Ahl 1926 Latin for silvery, referring to “yellowish-silver” (translation) coloration of males in alcohol

Lethrinops atrilabris Turner 2022 atri-, from ater (L.), dark or black; labris, plural of labrum (L.), lip, referring to black lips of breeding males

Lethrinops auritus (Regan 1922) Latin for eared, referring to its blackish opercular spot

Lethrinops chilingali Turner, Crampton & Genner 2023 named for Lake Chilingali, Lake Malawi catchment, Malawi, only known area of occurrence

Lethrinops christyi Trewavas 1931 in honor of Cuthbert Christy (1863–1932), English physician (specializing in sleeping sickness), zoologist, explorer, and Director of the Congo Museum (Tervuren, Belgium), who collected a large number of fishes from Lake Malawi in 1925–1926, including holotype of this one

Lethrinops furcifer Trewavas 1931 furca (L.), two-pronged fork; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to its deeply forked caudal fin

Lethrinops gossei Burgess & Axelrod 1973 in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Jean-Pierre Gosse (1924–2001), curator of vertebrates, Institut Royal des Sciences Naturalles de Belgique, for his “valuable” scientific contributions on African fishes

Lethrinops leptodon Regan 1922 leptós (λεπτός), thin or slender; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to small pharyngeal teeth (except for last few teeth of two middle series of lower pharyngeal); Eccles and Trewasas (1989) say name refers to “weak dentition”

Lethrinops lethrinus (Günther 1894) etymology not explained, presumably referring to superficial resemblance to the marine genus Lethrinus (Lethrinidae)

Lethrinops longimanus Trewavas 1931 longus (L.), long; manus (L.), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to longer pectoral fin compared with L. auritus

Lethrinops longipinnis Eccles & Lewis 1978 longus (L.), long; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to elongate pectoral fins

Lethrinops lunaris Trewavas 1931 Latin for “of the moon, referring to its “more deeply emarginate” caudal fin compared with L. leptodon

Lethrinops macracanthus Trewavas 1931 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (ἄκανθα), thorn or spine, referring to its stout anal-fin spines

Lethrinops macrochir (Regan 1922) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; chir, from cheī́r (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to pectoral fins longer than head, reaching middle of anal fin

Lethrinops macrophthalmus (Boulenger 1908) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to size of eye, 2½ times in length of head

Lethrinops marginatus Ahl 1926 Latin for edged or bordered, referring to dark border on dorsal and caudal fins

Lethrinops micrentodon (Regan 1922) micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; entos, within; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to “inner teeth of lower jaw minute, almost invisible”

Lethrinops microdon Eccles & Lewis 1977 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to small, closely packed pharyngeal teeth

Lethrinops microstoma Trewavas 1931 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to small mouth, maxilla reaching, or almost reaching, level of front of orbit

Lethrinops mylodon Eccles & Lewis 1979 mýlos (μύλος), mill or millstone used for grinding grain; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to “massive molariform pharyngeal bones with greatly enlarged molariform teeth which form a powerful grinding mill”

Lethrinops mylodon borealis Eccles & Lewis 1979 Latin for northern, referring to distribution in Nkhata Bay, north of the nominate form of this species

Lethrinops parvidens Trewavas 1931 parvus (L.), small; dens (L.) tooth, allusion not explained, referring to “weak dentition” per Eccles & Trewavas (1989)

Lethrinops stridei Eccles & Lewis 1977 in honor of Kenneth E. Stride, who brought the first successful commercial trawling to Lake Malawi, and oversaw hundreds of productive trawl hauls in the Experimental Trawling Program of the late 1960s into the early 1980s

Lethrinops turneri Ngatunga & Snoeks 2003 in honor of George F. Turner, Bangor University (Wales), who has worked extensively on the fishes and fisheries of lakes Malawi and Lalombe, and who was the first to report this species from these two lakes

Lichnochromis Trewavas 1935 lichnos (λίχνος), dainty, allusion not explained nor evident (lichnos can also mean greedy or voracious, perhaps referring to its formidable-looking mouth); chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Lichnochromis acuticeps Trewavas 1935 acutus (L.), sharp or pointed; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, probably referring to its long snout and extremely pointed mouth

Limbochromis Greenwood 1987 limbo, i.e., “in limbo,” referring to how this genus represents a “taxonomic defeat,” established for two species [including L. cavalliensis, now placed in Chromidotilapia] which, “although clearly members of the group II pelmatochromine assemblage, cannot be included in any of the genera recognised here, nor can it be identified as a sister group to any of those taxa”; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Limbochromis robertsi (Thys van den Audenaerde & Loiselle 1971) in honor of American ichthyologist Tyson R. Roberts (1940–2025), who collected holotype

Limnochromis Regan 1920 limno, from límnē (λίμνη), marsh (but also applied to lakes and pools), presumably referring to its occurrence in Lake Tanganyika; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Limnochromis auritus (Boulenger 1901) Latin for eared, referring to “very distinct” blue-black opercular spot

Limnotilapia Regan 1920 limno, from límnē (λίμνη), marsh (but also applied to lakes and pools), presumably referring to occurrence in Lake Tanganyika; Tilapia, described as “Very close” to that genus

Limnotilapia dardennii (Boulenger 1899) in honor of Belgian artist Léon Dardenne (1865–1912), illustrator for the Congo Free State Expedition, which collected fishes in Lake Tanganyika, including holotype of this one

Lithochromis Lippitsch & Seehausen 1998 líthos (λῐ́θος), stone, referring to rocky habitats of this genus; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Lithochromis rubripinnis Seehausen, Lippitsch & Bouton 1998 ruber (L.), red; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to diagnostic bright-red fins of males

Lithochromis rufus Seehausen & Lippitsch 1998 Latin for red or reddish, referring to bright-red coloration of nuptial males

Lithochromis xanthopteryx Seehausen & Bouton 1998 xanthós (ξανθός), yellow; ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to bright-yellow anal fin in nuptial males

Lobochilotes Boulenger 1915 lobós (λοβός), rounded projection or protuberance; cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip and -ōtēs (-ώτης), genitive suffix, i.e., one with lips, referring to its protruding, fleshy lips

Lobochilotes labiatus (Boulenger 1898) Latin for large-lipped, referring to “extraordinary development” of its lips, bearing a “curious resemblance” to the Neotropical cichlid Heros (now Amphilophus) labiatus

Lufubuchromis Schedel, Kupriyanov, Katongo & Schliewen 2020 Lufubu, referring to Upper Lufubu River and tributaries in northern Zambia, where it is endemic; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Lufubuchromis relictus Schedel, Kupriyanov, Katongo & Schliewen 2020 Latin for relict, referring to its restricted distribution in an isolated upper region of an ancient plateau; its basal phylogenetic position suggests that it represents a relict ancient evolutionary lineage that once may have had a wider distribution

Maylandia Meyer & Förster 1984 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: German cichlid enthusiast and aquarium-fish author Hans Joachim Mayland (1928–2004; see M. hajomaylandi)

Maylandia aurora (Burgess 1976) Latin for dawn or sunrise, referring to bright golden-yellow color of chest and lower head area impinging on blue color of body

Maylandia barlowi (McKaye & Stauffer 1986) in honor of American ichthyologist George W. Barlow (1929–2007), for his behavioral studies on the benefits of gold coloration in cichlids

Maylandia benetos (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye 1997) bénetos (βένετος), blue, referring to light-blue ground coloration of breeding males

Maylandia callainos (Stauffer & Hert 1992) from kallaḯnos (καλλάϊνος), turquoise-colored, referring to blue ground color with green highlights of territorial males

Maylandia chrysomallos (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye 1997 chrysós (χρυσός), gold or golden; mallós (μαλλός), flock of wool, referring to gold highlights on sides of both sexes

Maylandia cyneusmarginata (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye 1997) cyneus, presumaby a misspelling of cyaneus, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but often used as a general term for blue); marginata (L.), edged or bordered, referring to blue marginal band in dorsal fin of both sexes

Maylandia emmiltos (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye 1997) Greek (ἐμμίλτος) for red-tinged, referring to orange dorsal fin of breeding males

Maylandia estherae (Konings 1995) in honor of Esther Grant, wife of cichlid exporter Stuart M. Grant (1937–2007), Salima, Malawi; she was “instrumental in the renewed opening up of the Mozambique waters for the collection of ornamental fishes”

Maylandia fainzilberi (Staeck 1976) in honor of tropical-fish exporter Misha Fainzilber, who facilitated Staeck’s access to Lake Malawi

Maylandia flavicauda (Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016) flavus (L.), yellow; cauda (L.), tail, referring to yellow tail of territorial males

Maylandia flavifemina (Konings & Stauffer 2006) flavus (L.), yellow; femina (L.), female, referring to yellow color of females

Maylandia gallireyae (Miller, Konings & Stauffer 2021) of Gallireya Reef, local name for a reef in Youngs Bay, Lake Malawi, type locality

Maylandia glaucos (Ciccotto, Konings & Stauffer 2011) glaukós (γλαυκός), bluish-green or gray, sea-colored, or hoary blue, referring to blue-gray body and fin coloration of both sexes

Maylandia greshakei (Meyer & Förster 1984) in honor of Alfons Greshake, German importer of ornamental fishes

Maylandia hajomaylandi (Meyer & Schartl 1984) in honor of German cichlid enthusiast and aquarium-fish author Hans Joachim Mayland (1928–2004), who has contributed “considerably” to the taxonomy and biology of cichlid fishes

Maylandia koningsi (Stauffer 2018) in honor of Adrianus (“Ad”) F. Konings (b. 1956), ichthyologist, cichlid aquarist and publisher, for his “comprehensive knowledge” and for teaching Stauffer most of what he knows about the fishes of Lake Malawi (Konings returned the favor in 2026)

Maylandia lanisticola (Burgess 1976) lanisti, from the snail genus Lanistes; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to its living in empty snail shells

Maylandia lombardoi (Burgess 1977) in honor of John Lombardo, African Fish Imports, who brought this species to Burgess’ attention and provided holotype

Maylandia lundoensis (Stauffer, Black & Konings 2013) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lundo Island, Lake Malawi, Tanzania, only known area of occurrence

Maylandia mbenjii (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye 1997) of Mbenji Island, Lake Malawi, where it is endemic

Maylandia melissa (Stauffer & Konings 2023) mélissa (μέλισσα), honey bee, referring to bee-like coloration of adult males at Chitande Island, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality (adult males from other locations lack the bee-like coloration)

Maylandia midomo (Stauffer, Black & Konings 2013) Swahili for lips, referring to its enlarged lips

Maylandia mossambica (Ciccotto, Konings & Stauffer 2011) -ica (L.), belonging to: Mozambique shore of Lake Malawi, between Chiloelo River and the village of Chinuni, only known area of occurrence

Maylandia ngarae (Miller, Konings & Stauffer 2021) of Ngara, Malawi, type locality

Maylandia nigrodorsalis (Stauffer, Black & Konings 2013) nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to black submarginal band on dorsal fin of males and some females

Maylandia nkhunguensis (Ciccotto, Konings & Stauffer 2011) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Nkhungu Reef, Lake Malawi, Mozambique, type locality

Maylandia pambazuko (Stauffer, Black & Konings 2013) Swahili for dawn or sunrise, referring to orange-red dorsal fin of males, like the orange-red sky of daybreak

Maylandia phaeos (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye 1997) authors say Greek for dusk, presumably a misspelling of phaiós (φαιός), gray or dusky, referring to dusky submarginal band on dorsal fin of both sexes (phaeos or φᾶος means the opposite, light or radiance)

Maylandia pulpican (Tawil 2002) variant spelling of poulpican (also known as korrigan and poulpiquet), a local name for goblin-like dwarves in Breton mythology, referring to this cichlid’s habit of harrying other fishes while defending its territory

Maylandia pyrsonotos (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye 1997 pyrsós (πῠρσός), firebrand or torch; nṓtos (νῶτος), back, referring to red-orange dorsal fin of breeding males

Maylandia sciasma (Ciccotto, Konings & Stauffer 2011) from skíasma (σκίασμα), shade or shadow, referring to black pelvic fins of males

Maylandia staufferi (Konings 2026) in honor of American ichthyologist Jay R. Stauffer, Jr. (b. 1950), Pennsylvania State University, who has thus far described or co-described more than 85 species of Malawi cichlids, recognizing the “many memorable experiences we shared during a dozen expeditions on Lake Malaŵi, where we explored the remarkable diversity of its cichlid species flock—among the most rewarding and enjoyable times of my life.”

Maylandia tarakiki (Stauffer, Black & Konings 2013) Swahili for slim or slender, referring to its elongate body shape

Maylandia usisyae (Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016) of Usisya, village on Lake Malawi, Malawi, near type locality

Maylandia xanstomachus (Stauffer & Boltz 1989) xanthós (ξανθός), yellow; stomachus (L.), stomach (authors say throat), referring to yellow gular region of both sexes

Maylandia xanthos (Ciccotto, Konings & Stauffer 2011) xanthós (ξανθός), yellow, referring to yellow belly and dorsal fin of breeding males

Maylandia zebra (Boulenger 1899) named for the zebra-like stripes on its sides

Mbipia Lippitsch & Seehausen 1998 Latinization of Mbipi, the dark ones, Kisukuma (most common language spoken in the southeastern Lake Victoria region) word for most rock cichlids, referring to the rather dark appearance of adult males

Mbipia lutea Seehausen & Bouton 1998 Latin for yellow, referring to bright yellow coloration of nuptial males

Mbipia mbipi Seehausen, Lippitsch & Bouton 1998 Mbipi, the dark ones, Kisukuma (most common language spoken in the southeastern Lake Victoria region) word for most rock cichlids, referring to the rather dark appearance of adult males

Mchenga Stauffer & Konings 2006 Chichewa (indigenous language of Malawi) word for sand, referring to sand bowers constructed by breeding males

Mchenga conophoros (Stauffer, LoVullo & McKaye 1993) conus, from kṓnos (κῶνος), cone; phoros, presumed misspelling of phorus, from phoreús (φορεύς), bearer or carrier, referring to cone-shaped bowers of breeding males (name is spelled as both conophoros and conophorus in the description; phóros, φόρος, means tax, tribute or burden)

Mchenga cyclicos (Stauffer, LoVullo & McKaye 1993) from kyklikós (κυκλικός), circular, referring to circular courtship dance of breeding males

Mchenga eucinostomus (Regan 1922) eū́- (εὖ), well or very; cino, from kīnéō (κινέω), to move; stomus, from stóma (στόμα), mouth, presumably referring to its protrusible mouth

Mchenga flavimanus (Iles 1960) flavus (L.), yellow; manus (L.), hand, usually referring to pectoral fins but here referring to its pelvic fins, “conspicuously” colored orange or yellow, and an easy way to distinguish it in life from Copadichromis virginalis, its presumed congener at the time

Mchenga inornata (Boulenger 1908) Latin for unadorned, presumably referring to silvery body and olive back

Mchenga thinos (Stauffer, Lovullo & McKaye 1993) Greek (θινος) for dune or sand pile, referring to sand bowers constructed by breeding males

Melanochromis Trewavas 1935 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, allusion not explained, possibly referring to dark fins of M. melanopterus and/or basic melanin pattern consisting of two black solid horizontal lateral stripes, one straddling lower arm of lateral-line system and one between dorsal-fin base and mid-lateral stripe; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Melanochromis auratus (Boulenger 1897) Latin for gilded, referring to golden yellow color of females and juveniles

Melanochromis baliodigma Bowers & Stauffer 1997 baliós (βαλιός), spotted, dappled or mottled; digma, from deígma (δείγμα), pattern or design, referring to blotched color pattern of adults

Melanochromis chipokae Johnson 1975 of Chipoka Island, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality

Melanochromis dialeptos Bowers & Stauffer 1997 Greek (διάλεπτος) for very small, referring to its “diminutive stature” (up to 72 mm SL)

Melanochromis heterochromis Bowers & Stauffer 1993 authors do not provide an etymology, saying only that the “name was chosen to reflect the geographic variation in the color pattern of this species,” in which case name appears to be a combination of héteros (ἕτερος), different, and chromis, presumably from chrṓma (χρῶμα), skin or color, although chromis could also allude to Melanochromis (genus), Haplochromis (being a haplochromine cichlid), or both

Melanochromis kaskazini Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer 2009 “northern” in Kiswahili, language spoken along northeastern shores of Lake Malawi, where it occurs

Melanochromis lepidiadaptes Bowers & Stauffer 1997 lepídos (λεπίδος), genitive of lepίs (λεπίς), scale; dáptēs (δάπτης), eater, i.e., scale-eater, referring to its diet

Melanochromis loriae Johnson 1975 in honor of Lori Lombardo, daughter of John Lombardo, African Fish Imports

Melanochromis melanopterus Trewavas 1935 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, allusion not explained, probably referring to its dark fins

Melanochromis mossambiquensis Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer 2009 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Mozambique shore of Lake Malawi, where it appears to be endemic

Melanochromis mpoto Konings & Stauffer 2012 derived from ChiTumbuka, language spoken along northwestern shore of Lake Malawi, meaning “northern,” referring to its distribution pattern

Melanochromis robustus Johnson 1985 Latin for of oak or oaken and, by extension, hard, firm or solid (but often used by ichthyologists to mean fat or stout), referring to its size, described at 140 mm SL (actually 124.2 mm), the “largest species in the genus known to date”

Melanochromis simulans Eccles 1973 Latin for imitative, referring to its “striking” resemblance in color pattern to M. auratus; a very similar pattern is also shown by Julidochromis ornatus, “yet another parallel” between the fishes of lakes Tanganyika and Malawi

Melanochromis vermivorus Trewavas 1935 vermis (L.), worm; -vorus (L.), eating, allusion not explained; per Konings (2008), probably referring to the fact that Cuthbert Christy (collector of the types) noted that this species was easily caught by local fishermen using worms as bait

Melanochromis wochepa Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer 2009 derived from Chinyanja (local language around Lake Malawi) word for “small,” referring to its small adult size (41.7–65.1 mm SL)

Microdontochromis Poll 1986 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small, and odonto, Neo-Latin combining form of odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to minute oral teeth of M. tenuidentatus; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Microdontochromis rotundiventralis Takahashi, Yanagisawa & Nakaya 1997 rotundus (L.), round or circular; ventralis (L.), of the belly, referring to rounded distal margin of ventral fins

Microdontochromis tenuidentatus (Poll 1951) tenuis (L.), thin or slender; dentatus (L.), toothed, referring to teeth of lower pharyngeal jaw, all of which are slender, compared with its presumed congeners in Xenotilapia, which have at least some enlarged central teeth

Myaka Trewavas 1972 first half of myakamyaka, Barombi name for this cichlid at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic

Myaka myaka Trewavas 1972 second half of myakamyaka, Barombi name for this cichlid at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic

Mylochromis Regan 1920 mýlos (μύλος), mill or millstone used for grinding grain, referring to large and obtuse middle pharyngeal teeth of M. lateristriga; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Mylochromis anaphyrmus (Burgess & Axelrod 1973) ana– (ἀνα), thoroughly; phyrmós (φυρμός), confusion, referring to its status (uncertain?) within Haplochromis, its original genus

Mylochromis balteatus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for belted or banded, presumably referring to prominent black band obliquely running from dorsal-fin origin to base of caudal fin

Mylochromis chekopae Turner & Howarth 2001 of Chekopa, trawl station at southeastern arm of Lake Malawi, type locality

Mylochromis durophagus Turner 2024 duro-, from durus (L.), hard; phagus, from phageī́n (φαγεῖν), to eat, referring to its presumed diet of hard-shelled invertebrates as indicated by its molariform pharyngeal dentition

Mylochromis ensatus Turner & Howarth 2001 Latin for sword-shaped, referring to shallow, straight, elongate body form and acutely pointed head

Mylochromis epichorialis (Trewavas 1935) Neo-Latin for in or of the country, i.e., according to prevailing fashion, referring to its oblique stripe, common in the genus

Mylochromis ericotaenia (Regan 1922) ereiko (ἐρείκω), to break or shatter; taenia (L.), band, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to blackish band, more or less broken up into a series of spots from nape to middle of caudal-fin base

Mylochromis formosus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for beautiful or handsome, allusion not explained, possibly referring to continuous (vs. interrupted) oblique black band from nape to base of caudal seen in some specimens and/or black lachrymal stripe

Mylochromis gracilis (Trewavas 1935) Latin for thin or slender, probably referring to slender shape compared to most congeners

Mylochromis guentheri (Regan 1922) in honor of German-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist Albert Günther (1830–1914), British Museum (Natural History), who reported this species as Chromis lateristriga in 1864

Mylochromis incola (Trewavas 1935) Latin for dweller of inhabitant, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its occurrence in Vallisneria beds

Mylochromis labidodon (Trewavas 1935) labidos (L.), forceps; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to large anterior teeth of lower jaw grading rather sharply into the posterior

Mylochromis lateristriga (Günther 1864) lateralis (L.), of the side; striga (L.), furrow or groove (i.e., streak), referring to black band running from nape of neck, along upper part of side, to base of caudal fin

Mylochromis melanonotus (Regan 1922) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; nṓtos (νῶτος), back, presumably referring to blackish band from nape to upper half of caudal-fin base

Mylochromis melanotaenia (Regan 1922) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; taenia (L.), band, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to blackish band from nape to caudal-fin base

Mylochromis mola (Trewavas 1935) Latin for mill or millstone, referring to its enlarged pharyngeal dentition

Mylochromis mollis (Trewavas 1935) Latin for soft, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its thin or weak oral jaws

Mylochromis obtusus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for blunt or dull, allusion not explained nor evident

Mylochromis plagiotaenia (Regan 1922) plágios (πλάγιος), sideways or oblique; taenia (L.), band, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, presumably referring to dark band that obliquely runs from nape to middle of caudal-fin base

Mylochromis rotundus Turner 2024 Latin for round or circular, referring to its rounded body shape and short, rounded snout in particular

Mylochromis semipalatus (Trewavas 1935) emi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; palatus, adjective artificially derived from pala (L.), head, i.e., like a shovel, referring to how lower jaw shows a less extreme form of flattening compared with M. melanonotus

Mylochromis sphaerodon (Regan 1922) sphaero-, from sphaī́ra (σφαῖρα), ball; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to spherical crowns on middle pharyngeal teeth

Mylochromis spilostichus (Trewavas 1935) spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot; stichus, from stíchos (στίχος), line or row, referring to oblique series of ~10 dark bars on upper half of body from nape to base of caudal fin

Mylochromis subocularis (Günther 1894) sub (L.), below or under; ocularis (L.), of the eye, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to three series of scales below eye

Naevochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 naevus (L.), spot or birthmark, referring to suprapectoral spot below and covering upper lateral line, a supraanal spot between the lines, and a spot before the caudal fin; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Naevochromis chrysogaster (Trewavas 1935) chrysós (χρυσός), gold or golden; gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to ventral coloration of territorial males

Nanochromis Pellegrin 1904 nanus (L.), dwarf, referring to their small size; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Nanochromis consortus Roberts & Stewart 1976 presumably an alternate spelling of consortis, genitive of consors (L.), partner, sharer or mate, i.e., a consort, allusion not explained; “I do not remember the precise thinking about that name at the time, but they were mixed with a good sample of N. splendens at station 41, so it may be a reference to sympatry of those two species — ‘sharing’ the habitat” (Donald J. Stewart, pers. comm.)

Nanochromis minor Roberts & Stewart 1976 Latin for less, referring to its “tiny” adult size (described at up to 23.3 mm SL)

Nanochromis nudiceps (Boulenger 1899) nudus (L.), bare or naked; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to scaleless nape

Nanochromis parilus Roberts & Stewart 1976 presumably an alternate spelling of parilis (L.), equal, referring to its “slight” sexual dichromatism compared with congeners from the lower Zaire rapids, i.e., males and females are “equal”

Nanochromis splendens Roberts & Stewart 1976 Latin for bright, shining or splendid, referring to canary yellow and orangish-red pigments on gill covers of both sexes at maturity, and males with long, filamentous black pelvic fins and vertical carmine bars on lower half of caudal fin, described as the “most colorful” member of the genus known at the time

Nanochromis teugelsi Lamboj & Schelly 2006 in honor of the late Guy Teugels (1954–2003), Belgian ichthyologist and former curator of fishes at the Musée Royale de l’Afrique Centrale

Nanochromis transvestitus Stewart & Roberts 1984 trans (L.), cross or over; vestitus (L.), clothing, dress or attire, referring to reverse sexual dichromaticism: strikingly colored females and drab males

Nanochromis wickleri Schliewen & Stiassny 2006 in honor of German zoologist Wolfgang Wickler (1931–2024), for his behavioral studies of cichlids in general and of benthic Congolese cichlids in particular; as former director of the Max Planck Institut for Behavioral Physiology (Seewiesen, Germany), he “generously” supported studies on central African cichlid fishes conducted by the senior author

Neochromis Regan 1920 néos (νέος), new, i.e., a new genus “closely related” to Haplochromis

Neochromis gigas Seehausen & Lippitsch 1998 gígas (γίγας), giant, referring to size of adults, considerably larger than congeners

Neochromis greenwoodi Seehausen & Bouton 1998 in honor of British ichthyologist Peter Humphry Greenwood (1927–1995), who “devoted much of his life to the study of the evolution and systematics of the Lake Victoria cichlid species flock and laid the foundation for the modern systematics of these fishes”

Neochromis nigricans (Boulenger 1906) Latin for blackish, described as “Blackish or steel-grey above, somewhat lighter beneath; seven ill-defined black bars on the body and a vertical black bar below the anterior third of the eye; a black opercular spot; dorsal and ventral tins dark brown or black; other fins dark greyish brown”

Neochromis omnicaeruleus Seehausen & Bouton 1998 omnis (L.), all; caeruleus (L.), dark blue (but used here to mean blue in general), referring to entirely blue male coloration of the most common color morph

Neochromis rufocaudalis Seehausen & Bouton 1998 rufus (L.), red or reddish; caudalis (L.), of the tail, referring to deep-red color of caudal fin in life

Neochromis simotes (Boulenger 1911) sīmótēs (σιμότης), snub-nosedness, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its “broadly rounded” snout, “much broader than long, as long as eye”

Neolamprologus Colombé & Allgayer 1985 néos (νέος), new, i.e., a new genus of Lamprologus, genus in which many species had previously been placed

Neolamprologus bifasciatus Büscher 1993 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to two conspicuous longitudinal bands on body

Neolamprologus brevis (Boulenger 1899) Latin for short, presumably referring to small size (described at 35 mm TL)

Neolamprologus brichardi (Poll 1974) in honor of Belgian aquarium-fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921–1990), based in Lake Tanganyika [replacement name for Lamprologus savoryi elongatus Trewavas & Poll 1952, preoccupied by L. elongatus Boulenger 1898]

Neolamprologus buescheri (Staeck 1983 )in honor of German ichthyologist (living in Switzerland) Heinz H. Büscher (b. 1942), who collected holotype

Neolamprologus callipterus (Boulenger 1906) pretty-winged, from kállos (κάλλος) beauty, and pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to dorsal fin with a yellow border finely edged with blackish (border continuing to upper third of caudal fin), and numerous small round whitish spots on vertical fins

Neolamprologus calliurus (Boulenger 1906) pretty-tailed, from kállos (κάλλος) beauty, and ourá (οὐρά), tail, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “rather indistinct darker bars” across caudal fin

Neolamprologus cancellatus Aibara, Takahashi & Nakaya 2005 Latin for latticed or cross-barred, referring to grid-like stripes on body [possibly a natural Lamprologus callipterus x Telmatochromis vittatus hybrid per Konings 2015]

Neolamprologus caudopunctatus (Poll 1978) cauda (L.), tail; punctatus (L.), spotted, referring to black dots on posterior half of caudal fin

Neolamprologus christyi (Trewavas & Poll 1952) in honor of Cuthbert Christy (1863-1932), English physician (specializing in sleeping sickness), zoologist, explorer, and Director of the Congo Museum (Tervuren, Belgium), who collected holotype in 1926 or 1927

Neolamprologus cunningtoni (Boulenger 1906) in honor of William Alfred Cunnington (1877–1958), British zoologist and anthropologist, who led Tanganyika expedition during which holotype was collected [see Cunningtonia]

Neolamprologus cylindricus Staeck & Seegers 1986 Latin for cylindrical, referring to its roundish, cylindrical body shape

Neolamprologus falcicula (Brichard 1989) diminutive of falx (L.), sickle, referring to its “exaggerated crescentic” caudal fin

Neolamprologus finalimus (Nichols & La Monte 1931) etymology not explained, perhaps a variant of finalis (L.), end or boundary, referring to black margin on anal fin

Neolamprologus furcifer (Boulenger 1898) furca (L.), two-pronged fork; -ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, presumably referring to its “deeply notched, crescentic” caudal fin

Neolamprologus gracilis (Brichard 1989) Latin for thin or slender, referring to its shallow and relatively elongate body

Neolamprologus kungweensis (Poll 1956) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kungwe Bay, Lake Tanganyika, type locality

Neolamprologus labrosus Takahashi, Snoeks & Satoh 2026 Latin for large-lipped, referring to its characteristic protruding upper lip

Neolamprologus laparogramma (Bills & Ribbink 1997) lapára (λαπάρα), flank; gramma, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to 5–9 nearly vertical lines on anterior flank and upper belly, formed by linked pigmented scales

Neolamprologus leleupi (Poll 1956) in honor of Belgian entomologist Narcisse Leleup (1912–2001), who collected holotype and many other Tanganyikan cichlids described by Poll in the same publication [not to be confused with N. leloupi, described by the same author from the same lake but differing by one letter]

Neolamprologus leloupi (Poll 1948) in honor of Belgian malacologist Eugène Leloup (1902–1981), chief of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946–1947), during which holotype was collected [not to be confused with N. leleupi, described by the same author from the same lake but differing by one letter]

Neolamprologus 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 holotype of this one

Neolamprologus longicaudatus Nakaya & Gashagaza 1995 longus (L.), long; caudatus (L.), tailed, referring to its long filamentous caudal fin

Neolamprologus longior (Staeck 1980) Latin for longer, proposed as a subspecies of N. leleupi with a slenderer body

Neolamprologus marunguensis Büscher 1989 -ensis, Latin denoting place: Marungu highlands, which overlook type locality, near Kapampa, 80 km south of Moba, Lake Tanganyika, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Neolamprologus modestus (Boulenger 1898) Latin for modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its uniform brown coloration in alcohol

Neolamprologus mondabu (Boulenger 1906) local name for this cichlid at Lake Tanganyika, where it is endemic

Neolamprologus multifasciatus (Boulenger 1906) multi– (L.), many; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to 16–17 “very regular” dark brown bars on body

Neolamprologus mustax (Poll 1978) from mýstax (μύσταξ), moustache, referring to dark markings under eye, which contrast with white lower cheek

Neolamprologus niger (Poll 1956) Latin for dark or black, referring to very dark coloration of adults due to black spot covering large portion of each scale

Neolamprologus nigriventris Büscher 1992 nigri-, from niger (L.), dark or black; ventris (L.), of the belly, referring to dark-black underside

Neolamprologus ocellatus (Steindachner 1909) Latin for having little eyes (ocelli), referring to ocellated spot on gill cover

Neolamprologus obscurus (Poll 1978) Latin for dark, referring to its overall dark-brown coloration

Neolamprologus ornatipinnis (Poll 1949) ornatus (L.), decorated; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, presumably referring to numerous parallel black oblique bands on dorsal, caudal and anal fins

Neolamprologus pectoralis Büscher 1991 Latin for pectoral, referring to its distinctively broad pectoral fin

Neolamprologus petricola (Poll 1949) pétra (πέτρα), rock or stone; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to its rocky bottom habitat in Lake Tanganyika

Neolamprologus prochilus (Bailey & Stewart 1977) pro– (L.), before or forward; cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to its “notably protractile mouthparts”

Neolamprologus pulcher (Trewavas & Poll 1952) Latin for beautiful, proposed as a subspecies of N. savoryi, allusion not explained, perhaps alluding to more attractive markings on gill cover

Neolamprologus savoryi (Poll 1949) in honor of British colonial administrator Bryan Wyman Savory (1904–1988), District Commissioner of Kigoma (Tanganyika Territory), for the “excellent reception” (translation) he gave the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946-1947), during which holotype was collected

Neolamprologus schreyeni (Poll 1974) in honor of Andre Schreyen, “collaborateur” (and nephew) of aquarium fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921–1990), who collected holotype

Neolamprologus sexfasciatus (Trewavas & Poll 1952) sex (L.), six; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to six broad, dark vertical bands: one on nape, four on body, one at end of caudal peduncle

Neolamprologus signatus (Poll 1952) Latin for marked, allusion not explained, presumably referring to black markings on dorsal fin of male and/or black spot on caudal fin of female

Neolamprologus speciosus (Büscher 1991) Latin for showy or brilliant, described as “strikingly beautiful” (translation)

Neolamprologus splendens (Brichard 1989) Latin for bright, shining or splendid, referring to its “striking” coloration (dark purple or black body, metallic crimson opercular spot, unpaired fins edged in sky-blue, lemon-yellow crescent on caudal fin)

Neolamprologus stappersi (Pellegrin 1927) in honor of Belgian physician-biologist Louis Stappers (1883–1916), head of the Belgian colony in the Congo, who collected holoype in 1911 and died from an infection while serving as a military physician during World War I

Neolamprologus tetracanthus (Boulenger 1899) tetrá (τετρά), four; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (ἄκανθα), thorn or spine, referring to four anal-fin spines, a low number among lamprologines

Neolamprologus timidus Kullander, Norén, Karlsson & Karlsson 2014 Latin for shy, referring to its elusive or shy behavior in nature (almost always found upside down in a cave with belly close to the substrate or on a vertical substrate with the head pointing downwards)

Neolamprologus toae (Poll 1949) of Toa Island, also known as Kavala Island, Lake Tanganyika, type locality

Neolamprologus tretocephalus (Boulenger 1899) trētós (τρητός), perforated (i.e., with holes); cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to large pits of sensory canals on head

Neolamprologus variostigma Büscher 1995 vario-, from varius (L.), diverse or various; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to variable color pattern depending on mood

Neolamprologus ventralis Büscher 1995 Latin for of the belly, referring to its elongate ventral (or pelvic) fins

Neolamprologus walteri Verburg & Bills 2007 in honor of cichlid aquarist Horst Walter Dieckhoff, who first recognized it as an undescribed species in the 1980s

Neolamprologus wauthioni (Poll 1949) in honor of René Wauthion (1905–1958), Provincial Commissioner in the Belgian Congo, for “encouragement and help” (translation) given to the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946–1947), during which holotype was collected

Nimbochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 nimbus (L.), rain cloud, referring to irregularly shaped, dark-clouded melanin patches on sides; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus (Regan 1922) fuscus (L.), dark or dusky; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to dark lateral band from eye to base of caudal fin

Nimbochromis linni (Burgess & Axelrod 1974) in honor of DeVon Wayne Linn (1929–2023), Chief Fisheries Officer, Malawi (1973–1975), whose assistance to the second author made his field trip to Lake Malawi possible

Nimbochromis livingstonii (Günther 1894) eponym not identified, probably in honor of David Livingstone (1813–1873), Scottish missionary and explorer in Africa, who claimed to have discovered Lake Malawi (source of the Shiré River, type locality) in 1859; during one of his expeditions, the first fishes from Lake Malawi were collected for scientific purposes

Nimbochromis polystigma (Regan 1922) polý- (πολύ-), many; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to large irregular brown spots on body (tending to run together to form three longitudinal bands), numerous small dark spots covering head, body, and vertical fins, covered with numerous small dark spots, and a series of spots on pectoral-fin rays

Nimbochromis venustus (Boulenger 1908) Latin for pleasing or beautiful, presumably referring to color of breeding males (peacock-blue with large deep-blue spots dotted with red, and top of head and broad edge to fins orange)

Nyassachromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 Nyassa, a lake or large expanse of water in many Bantu languages, alternate name of Lake Malawi, where all species are endemic; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Nyassachromis boadzulu (Iles 1960) named for Boadzulu Island, South East Arm, Lake Malawi, type locality

Nyassachromis breviceps (Regan 1922) brevis (L.), short; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to relatively small head, less than 1/3 of SL

Nyassachromis leuciscus (Regan 1922) leukískos (λευκίσκος), mentioned in Athenaeus (Deipnosophistae, ca. 200 AD) as a “white” mullet, possibly a diminutive of leukós (λευκός), white, presumably referring to silvery coloration of preserved specimens (females and immature males are a sooty bronze, breeding males are a brilliant blue)

Nyassachromis microcephalus (Trewavas 1935) micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to short head, <30% of SL

Nyassachromis nigritaeniatus (Trewavas 1935) niger (L.), dark or black; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to black stripe, as broad as one scale, from opercular spot to base of caudal fin

Nyassachromis prostoma (Trewavas 1935) pro– (L.), before; stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to its protrusible mouth

Nyassachromis purpurans (Trewavas 1935) Latin for turning purple (i.e., purple colored, dark colored or dark flushing), referring to the appearance of preserved male types

Nyassachromis serenus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for serene or calm, referring to its form, which suggests a “serene temperament”

Ophthalmotilapia Pellegrin 1904 ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to large eye of O. boops; Tilapia, a “neighbor” (translation) of that genus

Ophthalmotilapia boops (Boulenger 1901) bo, from boū́s (βοῦς), bull, metaphorically used to mean big; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, presumably referring to large eye diameter, 2½ times in length of head

Ophthalmotilapia heterodonta (Poll & Matthes 1962) héteros (ἕτερος), different; odonta, Neo-Latin scientific adjective derived from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, proposed as a subspecies of O. ventralis with different lower pharyngeal jaw dentition (posterior median teeth tend to become more molariform)

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta (Poll & Matthes 1962) Latin for long-nosed, referring to its long snout, made even longer by a fleshy appendage in adults

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis (Boulenger 1898) Latin for of the belly, referring to elongate ventral (pelvic) fins with yellow tips (egg mimics), extending far beyond anal-fin origin, and even reaching end of caudal fin in males

Oreochromis Günther 1889 óreos (ὄρεος), genitive of óros (ὄρος), mountain, referring to Mt. Kilimanjaro (Kilimanjaro District, Tanzania), location of O. hunteri, type species; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Subgenus Oreochromis

Oreochromis andersonii (Castelnau 1861) patronym not identified, probably in honor of Charles John Anderson (1827–1867), Swedish explorer, hunter, trader, and amateur naturalist, who explored Namibia (where type locality is situated)

Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner 1864) Latin for golden, referring to its golden-yellow body color

Oreochromis esculentus (Graham 1928) Latin for edible, an important edible commercial species of Lake Victoria

Oreochromis hunteri Günther 1889 in honor of Henry C. V. Hunter (1861–1934), Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, who collected holotype and provided notes about its distribution

Oreochromis ismailiaensis Mekkawy 1995 -ensis, Latin denoting place: Ismailia Canal, Ismailia, Egypt, type locality

Oreochromis jipe (Lowe 1955) named for Lake Jipe, at the borders of Kenya and Tanzania, where it is endemic

Oreochromis korogwe (Lowe 1955) of Korogwe, Tanzania, where type locality (ponds at an experimental fish farm) was situated [author later known as Lowe-McConnell]

Oreochromis leucostictus (Trewavas 1933) white-spotted, from leukós (λευκός), white, and stiktós (στικτός), marked or spotted, presumably referring to body scales, “in part dark, in part pearly grey”

Oreochromis mortimeri (Trewavas 1966) in honor of M. A. E. Mortimer, Research and Administrative Officer of the Zambian Department of Game and Fisheries, for his work on the Tilapia (original genus) of Zambia; in addition, he arranged a “memorable” trip to the Luangwa Valley for Trewavas so she could study this species in its environment

Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters 1852) -icus (L.), belonging to: Mozambique, where type locality (Zambezi River) is situated

Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus 1758) -icus (L.), belonging to: Nile River, referring to its native distribution in the Nile River valley (widely introduced throughout Africa and the world)

Oreochromis niloticus baringoensis Trewavas 1983 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Baringo Lake, Kenya, where it is endemic

Oreochromis niloticus cancellatus (Nichols 1923) Latin for latticed or cross-barred but defined by Nichols to simply mean “barred,” referring to ~9 narrow dark crossbars on sides

Oreochromis niloticus eduardianus (Boulenger 1912) -anus (L.), belonging to: presumably referring to Lake Edward (border between Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda), one of the lakes where it occurs (but described from nearby Lake Kikorongo, a crater lake in Uganda)

Oreochromis niloticus filoa Trewavas 1983 Amharic word for hot spring, referring to its occurrence in hot springs of the Awash River system of Ethiopia

Oreochromis niloticus sugutae Trewavas 1983 of the Suguta River system, Kenya, where it is endemic

Oreochromis niloticus tana Seyoum & Kornfield 1992 named for Lake Tana, Ethiopia, where it is endemic

Oreochromis niloticus vulcani (Trewavas 1933) of a volcano, referring to Crater Lake A, Central Island, Lake Rudolf (now Turkana), type locality

Oreochromis placidus (Trewavas 1941) Latin for mild, quiet or gentle, allusion not explained; per Trewavas (1983), it “prefers quiet pools with marginal vegetation”

Oreochromis placidus ruvumae (Trewavas 1966) of the upper Ruvuma River on the Tanzania-Mozambique border, type locality

Oreochromis schwebischi (Sauvage 1884) in honor of French naval physician and explorer Paul-Victor Schwebisch (d. 1922), assistant medical officer of expedition during which holotype was collected

Oreochromis shiranus (Boulenger 1897) -anus (L.), belonging to: upper Shiré River, between lakes Malawi and Malombe, type locality (also occurs in lakes Chilwa and Chiuta)

Oreochromis shiranus chilwae (Trewavas 1966) of Lake Chilwa, southeast of Lake Malawi, where it appears to be endemic

Oreochromis spilurus (Günther 1894) spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot; ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to blackish spot on sides of caudal peduncle and/or rows of blackish spots on tail

Oreochromis spilurus niger (Günther 1894) Latin for dark or black, referring to greenish-black body and/or “deep black” opercular spot and vertical and ventral fins

Oreochromis spilurus percivali Boulenger 1912 in honor of Arthur Blaynoy Percival (1875–1941), Game Ranger (later Warden) in Kenya, who collected holotype

Oreochromis urolepis (Norman 1922) ourá (οὐρά), tail; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to scaly covering on caudal fin

Oreochromis urolepis hornorum (Trewavas 1966) -orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of the brothers Horn, Adolf and Albin, who explored German East-Africa (present-day Burundi and Tanzania), collecting specimens for the Vienna Museum, including syntypes of this taxon (see Bathybates hornii)

Subgenus Alcolapia Thys van den Audenaerde 1969 etymology not explained but clearly a combination of alkali, referring to highly alkaline habitats of O. alcalica and O. grahami, and –lapia, proposed as a subgenus of Tilapia

Oreochromis alcalica (Hilgendorf 1905) -ica (L.), belonging to: alkali, referring to occurrence in highly alkaline waters of Lake Natron, Tanzania, type locality

Oreochromis grahami (Boulenger 1912) in honor of J. W. Graham (no other information available), who collected holotype at Lake Magadi, a hot soda lake (up to 48˚C) at the bottom of Rift Valley, Kenya

Oreochromis latilabris Seegers & Tichy 1999 latus (L.), wide or broad; labris, plural of labrum (L.), lip, referring to its “large and distinctly thickened” lips

Oreochromis ndalalani Seegers & Tichy 1999 named for the Ndalalani area of Tanzania; name is derived from the Massai language and means “area with two streams,” referring to the two streams that enter the Southern Lagoon of Lake Natron, where it is endemic

Subgenus Neotilapia Regan 1920 néos (νέος), new, proposed as a new genus related and similar to Tilapia

Oreochromis tanganicae (Günther 1894) of Lake Tanganyika, where it is endemic

Subgenus Nyasalapia Thys van den Audenaerde 1969 Nyasa, referring to first four included species (squamipinnis, karongae, sake, lidole) all endemic to Lake Nyasa (Tanzanian name for Lake Malawi); –lapia, proposed as a subgenus of Tilapia

Oreochromis angolensis (Trewavas 1973) -ensis, Latin denoting place: Angola, where type locality (Quanza River at Cambambe) is situated

Oreochromis chungruruensis (Ahl 1924) -ensis, Latin denoting place: Lake Chungruru, Tanzania, where it is endemic

Oreochromis karomo (Poll 1948) local name for this cichlid at Lake Tanganyika, where it is endemic

Oreochromis karongae (Trewavas 1941) of Karonga, near northern end of Lake Malawi, type locality

Oreochromis lepidurus (Boulenger 1899) lepídos (λεπίδος), genitive of lepίs (λεπίς), scale; ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to “densely scaled” caudal fin

Oreochromis lidole (Trewavas 1941) Lodole, native name (plural: Madole) for this cichlid in Fort Johnston (now called Mangochi) and Monkey Bay (also called Lusumbwe), both near southern end of Lake Malawi

Oreochromis macrochir (Boulenger 1912) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; chir, from cheī́r (χείρ), hand, referring to its longer pectoral fin (reaching beyond origin of anal fin) compared with O. andersonii

Oreochromis malagarasi Trewavas 1983 named for Malagarasi swamps at Katare, Tanzania, type locality

Oreochromis mweruensis Trewavas 1983 -ensis, Latin denoting place: Mweru, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

Oreochromis rukwaensis (Hilgendorf & Pappenheim 1903) -ensis, Latin denoting place: Lake Rukwa, southwestern Tanzania, where it is endemic

Oreochromis saka (Lowe 1953) local name for this cichlid at south end of Lake Malawi [author later known as Lowe-McConnell]

Oreochromis salinicola (Poll 1948) salis, genitive singular of sal (L.), salt; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to occurrence in saline springs at Mwashia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it appears to be endemic

Oreochromis squamipinnis (Günther 1864) squama (L.), scale; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to caudal fin “densely covered with minute scales”

Oreochromis upembae (Thys van den Audenaerde 1964) of Upemba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

Oreochromis variabilis (Boulenger 1906) Latin for variable, referring to “very variable” coloration, “some specimens olive-brown, others brilliant vermilion on the sides, others bright yellow with black markings and the dorsal and caudal fins edged with red, &c.”

Subgenus Vallicola Trewavas 1983 vallis (L.), valley or vale; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its occurrence in the Eastern Rift Valley of Tanzania

Oreochromis amphimelas (Hilgendorf 1905) amphi– (ἁμφί), on both sides or double; mélas (μέλας), black, presumably referring to dark back (with white spots) and black chest, belly, and anal and ventral fins

Orthochromis Greenwood 1954 orthos, straight, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to elongate body of O. malagaraziensis; chromis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Orthochromis gecki Schedel, Vreven, Manda, Abwe, Manda & Schliewen 2018 in honor of Jakob Geck, a “passionate, German fish naturalist,” for his “dedicated volunteer work and untiring support” for the ichthyology section of the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology (Munich); his “great experience in keeping rheophilic cichlids [in aquaria] contributed to the knowledge of behaviour and ecology of many cichlid taxa, including O. katumbii and O. indermauri”

Orthochromis indermauri Schedel, Vreven, Manda, Abwe, Manda & Schliewen 2018 in honor of Swiss ichthyologist Adrian Indermaur (b. 1984), who was the first to document this new species with underwater photographs, videos, and with aquarium observations, “thereby contributing to a large extent to our knowledge of behavior and ecology of this species”

Orthochromis kalungwishiensis (Greenwood & Kullander 1994) -ensis, Latin denoting place: Kalungwishi River, Northern Province, Zambia, only known area of occurrence

Orthochromis kasuluensis De Vos & Seegers 1998 -ensis, Latin denoting place: Kasulu village, western Tanzania, type locality

Orthochromis katumbii Schedel, Vreven, Manda, Abwe, Manda & Schliewen 2018 in honor of Moïse Katumbi (b. 1964), businessman and former governor of Katanga (Democratic Republic of the Congo), a “great fish enthusiast” who supported part of the 2015 ichthyological research field expedition of the Mbisa Congo project; some specimens of this species were collected on his farm

Orthochromis kimpala Schedel, Vreven, Manda, Abwe, Manda & Schliewen 2018 local Sanga language name for this cichlid in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Orthochromis luichensis De Vos & Seegers 1998 -ensis, Latinx denoting place: small affluents of the Luiche River, itself an affuent of Lake Tanganyika, western Tanzania, only known areas of occurrence

Orthochromis luongoensis (Greenwood & Kullander 1994) ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Luongo River, Northern Province, Zambia, only known area of occurrence

Orthochromis machadoi (Poll 1967) in honor of Portuguese zoologist António de Barros Machado (1912–2002), Musée de Dundo (Angola), who collected holotype

Orthochromis malagaraziensis (David 1937) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Malagarazi (also spelled Malagarasi) River system of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, type locality

Orthochromis mazimeroensis De Vos & Seegers 1998 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place; Mazimero River, a small affluent of the Malagarasi River, Burundi, type locality

Orthochromis mosoensis De Vos & Seegers 1998 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Moso region, southeast Burundi, where type locality (upper Malagarasi River drainage) is situated

Orthochromis mporokoso Schedel, Vreven, Manda, Abwe, Manda & Schliewen 2018 named for Mporokoso, a town in the Northern Province of Zambia, near type locality

Orthochromis polyacanthus (Boulenger 1899) polý- (πολύ-), many; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (ἄκανθα), thorn or spine, referring to high number (19) of dorsal-fin spines

Orthochromis rubrolabialis De Vos & Seegers 1998 ruber (L.), red; labialis (L.), of the lips, referring to red lateral spots on lips

Orthochromis rugufuensis De Vos & Seegers 1998 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: upper Rugufu River system, an affluent of Lake Tanganyika, western Tanzania, type locality

Orthochromis stormsi (Boulenger 1902) in honor of Lieut. Maurice Joseph Auguste Marie Raphael Storms (1875–1941), Belgian Army, who collected holotype and presented it to the Brussels Museum; Boulenger said he is cousin of the late Raymond Storms, “so well known for his important contributions to paleoichthyology”

Orthochromis torrenticola (Thys van den Audenaerde 1963) torrens, rushing waters; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to its occurrence in the rapids of the Lufira River, just above the main falls at Kuibo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Orthochromis uvinzae De Vos & Seegers 1998 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Uvinza village, western Tanzania, type locality

Otopharynx Regan 1920 ōtós (ὠτός), genitive of oū́s (οὖς), ear; phárynx (φάρυγξ), throat, referring to participation of prootic bone in articulation of upper pharyngeal jaw in some specimens of O. auromarginatus

Otopharynx aletes Oliver 2018 alétēs (ἀλέτης), miller or grinder, referring to “well-defined” group of conspicuously enlarged molariform teeth on lower pharyngeal bone

Otopharynx alpha Oliver 2018 first letter of Greek alphabet, referring to suprapectoral spot and posterior stripe, which suggest a dot and dash, an “A” in International Morse Code

Otopharynx antron Cleaver, Konings & Stauffer 2009 ántron (ἄντρον), cave or cavity, referring to how breeding males defend small sand-bottomed caves against conspecific males

Otopharynx argyrosoma (Regan 1922) árgyros (ἄργυρος), white metal (i.e., silver); sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to silvery body color (of females and immature males, and all specimens in alcohol)

Otopharynx auromarginatus (Boulenger 1908) aureus (L.), gold or golden; marginatus (L.), edged or bordered, referring to dorsal and anal fins edged in yellow

Otopharynx brooksi Oliver 1989 in honor of American evolutionary biologist John Langdon Brooks (1920–2000), Yale University, an early theorist on evolution in great lakes

Otopharynx decorus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for beautiful, allusion not explained, probably reflecting Trewavas’ opinion about its shape and/or coloration [may belong in Mylochromis]

Otopharynx heterodon (Trewavas 1935) héteros (ἕτερος), different; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to variety of forms of outer teeth in the jaws (bicuspid or tricuspid, or simple in larger specimens)

Otopharynx lithobates Oliver 1989 líthos (λῐ́θος), stone; bátēs (βάτης), one who treads (i.e., frequents), referring to its distribution in rocky areas of southern Lake Malawi

Otopharynx lithobates walteri Konings 1990 in honor of cichlid aquarist Horst Walter Dieckhoff, who discovered, photographed, and filmed many new cichlids in the Great Lakes of Africa

Otopharynx mumboensis Oliver 2018 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Mumbo Island, southwest arm of Lake Malawi, only known area of occurrence

Otopharynx ovatus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for egg-shaped (i.e., oval), referring to its shape

Otopharynx pachycheilus Arnegard & Snoeks 2001 pachýs (παχύς), thick; cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to greatly enlarged, fleshy lips that are folded back into the head

Otopharynx panniculus Oliver 2018 Latin for a small patch of cloth, referring to its quadrate suprapectoral spot, which appears to be “neatly ‘stitched’” between two vertical bars

Otopharynx peridodeka Oliver 2018 perí (περί), around or near; dódeka (δώδεκα), twelve, referring to its usually 12 lower-limb gill rakers, compared to the similar O. panniculus, which has 13–15

Otopharynx selenurus Regan 1922 selḗnē (σελήνῃ), moon; ourá (οὐρά), tail, presumably referring to its “deeply emarginate” tail, shaped like the crescent of the moon

Otopharynx speciosus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for showy or brilliant, referring to coloration of males

Otopharynx spelaeotes Cleaver, Konings & Stauffer 2009 Greek (σπηλαιώτης) for cave or cavern dweller, referring to its preference inside large caves formed by large boulders

Otopharynx styrax Oliver 2018 strýax (στύραξ), a metal spike at the lower end of a spear shaft, referring to resemblance of this elongate cichlid with pointed head to the shape of that classical object

Otopharynx tetraspilus (Trewavas 1935) tetrá (τετρά), four; spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to opercular spot and three other large dark spots (on upper lateral line, between lateral lines, at end of caudal peduncle)

Otopharynx tetrastigma (Günther 1894) tetrá (τετρά), four; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to four large black spots on body (on operculum, on lateral line opposite to 9th and 10th dorsal spines, at beginning of lower lateral line, and on root of caudal fin)

Palaeoplex Schedel, Kupriyanov, Katongo & Schliewen 2020 palaeoplex, a key concept in geoecodynamics representing the total genomic variation of a given species in a given landscape, the analysis of which theoretically allows for the reconstruction of that species’ history; since the distribution of P. palimpsest is tied to an ancient landscape (upper Congo River drainage, Zambia), the name refers to its potential to elucidate the complex landscape evolution of that region via its palaeoplex

Palaeoplex palimpsest Schedel, Kupriyanov, Katongo & Schliewen 2020 named for how its palaeoplex (see genus) is like a palimpsest (a parchment manuscript page, common in medieval times that has been overwritten after layers of old handwritten letters had been scraped off, in which the old letters are often still visible), revealing how changes in its landscape and/or ecological conditions affected gene flow and left genetic signatures by overwriting the genome several times, whereas remnants of more ancient genomic signatures still persist in the background; this has led to contrasting hypotheses regarding this cichlid’s phylogenetic position

Pallidochromis Turner 1994 pallidus (L.), pale, referring to pale coloration of all specimens observed at the time; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Pallidochromis tokolosh Turner 1994 a malevolent spirit in languages of central and southern Africa, referring to long snout, bulging eyes and sagging potbelly of specimens trawled from deepwater as represented in carvings made around Lake Malawi

Paracyprichromis Poll 1986 pará (παρά), near, similar to Cyprichromis, a closely related genus

Paracyprichromis brieni (Poll 1981) in “grateful memory” (translation) of friend and zoological colleague Paul Brien (1894–1975), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)

Paracyprichromis nigripinnis (Boulenger 1901) nigri-, from niger (L.), dark or black; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to its “blackish” fins (light blue on males in life, perhaps blackish in alcohol)

Paragobiocichla Schliewen & Weiss 2019 pará (παρά), near, i.e., phylogenetically close to Gobiocichla, original genus of P. irvinei

Paragobiocichla irvinei (Trewavas 1943) in honor of British botanist Frederick Robert Irvine (1898–1962), former biology master at Achimota College, Gold Coast (now Ghana), who collected holotype

Paralabidochromis Greenwood 1956 pará (παρά), near, “closely related morphologically” to Labidochromis vellicans of Lake Malawi

Paralabidochromis victoriae Greenwood 1956 of Lake Victoria, Uganda, where it is endemic

Parananochromis Greenwood 1987 pará (παρά), near, presumed sister genus to Nanochromis

Parananochromis axelrodi Lamboj & Stiassny 2003 in honor of American pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927–2017), for his “generous support of ichthyological research and exploration”

Parananochromis brevirostris Lamboj & Stiassny 2003 brevis (L.), short; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its short, rounded snout

Parananochromis caudifasciatus (Boulenger 1913) cauda (L.), tail; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to numerous dark bars on caudal fin

Parananochromis elobatus Lamboj 2014 e– (L. prefix), without; lobatus (L.), lobed, referring to short lappets on dorsal fin, compared with elongated lappets on P. brevirostris

Parananochromis gabonicus (Trewavas 1975) -icus (L.), belonging to: Gabon, where it is endemic

Parananochromis longirostris (Boulenger 1903) longus (L.), long; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to longer and narrower snout compared with Benitochromis batesii, its presumed congener at the time

Parananochromis moutingae Ibala Zamba, Liyandja, Lamboj, Snoeks & Vreven 2022 in honor of the authors’ late colleague, Anette Ngoma Mouninga (1978–2012), for her efforts during several ichthyological expeditions to the Lefini River (Republic of the Congo, 2004–2008), including the trip during which this species was discovered, and “in remembrance of the good times we shared”

Parananochromis ornatus Lamboj & Stiassny 2003 Latin for adorned or decorated (authors say handsome or splendid), referring to its attractive coloration

Parananochromis orsorum Lamboj 2014 in honor of Rose and Tony (1955–2022) Orso (Vernon, New Jersey, USA), aquarium-fish importers, who helped Lamboj import a number of new cichlid species over the years and donated specimens for scientific research; this provided the initial stimulus to check collections for additional species of Parananochromis

Pelmatochromis Steindachner 1894 etymology not explained, presumably pélmatos (πέλματος), sole of foot or shoe, but in this case possibly meaning mat, pad or cushion, referring to cushion-like papillose pad of mucous membrane on each side of the palate of P. buettikoferi and P. (now Tylochromis) jentinki, the character Steindachner used to distinguish this genus (originally a subgenus) from Paratilapia; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Pelmatochromis buettikoferi (Steindachner 1894) in honor of Swiss zoologist Johann Büttikofer (1850–1927), who collected holotype

Pelmatochromis nigrofasciatus (Pellegrin 1900) nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to six large transverse black bars on body, often visible in preserved specimens

Pelmatochromis ocellifer Boulenger 1899 ocellus, diminutive of oculus (L.), eye (but here meaning eyespot); -ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to large blackish, light-edged ocellus on last spines and anterior soft rays of dorsal fin

Pelmatolapia Thys van den Audenaerde 1969 etymology not explained, proposed as a subgenus of Tilapia and presumably combining the names of two other tilapiine subgenera recognized by the author, Pelmatochromis and Tilapia

Pelmatolapia cabrae (Boulenger 1899) in honor of Alphonse Cabra (1862–1932), Belgian army officer from Kaika Zobé, Angola, who collected holotype [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]

Pelmatolapia mariae (Boulenger 1899) in honor of English writer, explorer and ethnographer Mary Henrietta Kingsley (1862–1900), who “obtained” holotype

Pelvicachromis Thys van den Audenaerde 1968 pelvica-, referring to pelvic (ventral) fins, pointed in males, rounded in females; chromis, short for Pelmatochromis, proposed as a subgenus of that genus

Pelvicachromis drachenfelsi Lamboj, Bartel & Dell’Ampio 2014 in honor of German aquarist Ernst-Otto von Drachenfels, “friend and promoter” of the authors’ research, “without his help this work would not have been possible”

Pelvicachromis kribensis (Boulenger 1911) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kribi River, southern Cameroon, type locality

Pelvicachromis pulcher (Boulenger 1901) Latin for beautiful, probably referring to its “beautiful rose-colour” below lower lateral line

Pelvicachromis roloffi (Thys van den Audenaerde 1968) in honor of German aquarist Erhard Roloff (1903–1980), who “contributed so much” to the general knowledge of fishes from Sierra Leone, where this cichlid is endemic

Pelvicachromis sacrimontis Paulo 1977 sacrum (L.), holy; montis, genitive singular of mons (L.), mountain, Latin transliteration of surname of German-American neuroethologist Walter Heiligenberg (1938–1994), who specialized in the motivational behaviors of cichlids and crickets (he was killed in the crash of USAir Flight 427 on his way to deliver a lecture at the University of Pittsburgh)

Pelvicachromis silviae Lamboj 2013 in honor of Lamboj’s wife Silvia, “as a ‘thank you’ in accepting long absences of mine in mind and body, and in endurance of my usage of many resources for my work. Without her understanding and support, all my works would never have been possible.”

Pelvicachromis subocellatus (Günther 1872) sub (L.), less or under (i.e., somewhat); ocellatus (L.), having little eyes (eyespots), referring to ocellated spots “present or absent” on middle of anterior soft dorsal-fin rays and upper caudal-fin rays

Pelvicachromis taeniatus (Boulenger 1901) Latin for banded, referring to two blackish longitudinal bands on each side

Perissodus Boulenger 1898 perissós (περισσός), extraordinary; odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to “extraordinary” dentition of P. microlepis (“rather large, unequal in size, few, with swollen bases and low slightly-notched crowns, compressed transversely to the axis of the jaws, disposed in a single series”

Perissodus eccentricus Liem & Stewart 1976 Latin for off-center, referring to asymmetric teeth and jaws, “strange or unconventional” morphology, and inferred scale-feeding behavior in which individuals can use only one side of mouth to bite scales from prey

Perissodus elaviae (Poll 1949) in honor of Capt. Elavia Nariman, commander of the Baron Dhanis during most of the scientific cruises undertaken by the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission (1946–1947), during which holotype was collected [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]

Perissodus microlepis Boulenger 1898 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; lepís (λεπίς), scale, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its relatively small cycloid scales

Perissodus multidentatus (Poll 1952) multi– (L.), many; dentatus (L.), toothed, referring to having (on average) more teeth than any of its congeners

Perissodus paradoxus (Boulenger 1898) Latin for strange or contrary to expectation, allusion not explained; according to Konings (2015), referring to tooth structure consisting of a single row of 15–20 very large hooked teeth in each jaw

Perissodus straeleni (Poll 1948) in honor of Belgian paleontologist-carcinologist Victor van Straelen (1889–1964), Director, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and sponsor of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946–1947), during which holotype was collected

Petrochromis Boulenger 1898 petro, from pétra (πέτρα), rock or stone, presumably referring to Mbity Rocks, Lake Tanganyika, one of the type localities of P. polyodon (members of the genus scrape algae from rocks, but Boulenger did not mention this behavior in his initial [abstract] and more-detailed follow-up descriptions); chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Petrochromis ephippium Brichard 1989 Latin for saddle, referring to broad saddle-like rectangular light-colored patch under dorsal fin, contrasting with darker body color

Petrochromis famula Matthes & Trewavas 1960 Latin for female slave or maid servant, referring to the following folkloric (presumably African) story: “A certain family who lived in a village where everyone had a crooked mouth, found that neither father, mother, son nor daughter could blow out the candle one night, for they blew either up or down or left or right. So they woke the little serving maid who was from the next village and had a perfectly symmetrical mouth, and she put out the candle – with her little slipper”; allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its symmetrical or nearly symmetrical jaws and/or distinctive dentition of the genus (very broad bands of minute, bristle-like, movable teeth with recurved tricuspid crowns) compared with other cichlids with much narrower tooth bands and fewer tooth rows, thereby making Petrochromis among other cichlids like the serving maid among the crooked-mouthed villagers

Petrochromis fasciolatus Boulenger 1914 diminutive of fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to blackish vertical bands on body

Petrochromis horii Takahashi & Koblmüller 2014 in honor of fish ecologist Michio Hori, Kyoto University (Japan), who suggested that this fish might represent an undescribed species

Petrochromis macrognathus Yamaoka 1983 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to upper jaw, which forwardly projects more than its congeners

Petrochromis orthognathus Matthes 1959 orthós (ὀρθός), straight or erect; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, allusion not explained, probably referring to its equal jaws (“mâchoires égales”)

Petrochromis polyodon Boulenger 1898 polý- (πολύ-), many; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to very broad bands of minute, bristle-like teeth

Petrochromis trewavasae Poll 1948 in honor of British ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900–1993), “distinguished curatrix” of fishes at the British Museum (Natural History) and “well-known” specialist in African cichlids (translations)

Petrotilapia Trewavas 1935 combination of Petrochromis and Tilapia, referring to how its dentition parallels that of the former genus but its relationships are presumed to belong with the latter

Petrotilapia chrysos Stauffer & van Snik 1996 chrysós (χρυσός), gold or golden, referring to gold coloration of numerous non-territorial males that can be seen in the shallows

Petrotilapia flaviventris Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011 flavus (L.), yellow; ventris (L.), of the belly, referring to yellow underside of adult males

Petrotilapia genalutea Marsh 1983 gena, from génys (γένυς), chin; lutea (L.), orange-yellow, referring to characteristic orange cheeks of adult males

Petrotilapia kitrinos Sabo, Konings & Stauffer 2026 Greek (κίτρινος) for citron-colored, referring to the yellow-gold color of males

Petrotilapia microgalana Ruffing, Lambert & Stauffer 2006 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; galana, from galanós (γαλανός), sky-blue, i.e., “small blue,” referring to size (smallest in genus among species known at the time) and sky-blue co-oration of males

Petrotilapia mumboensis Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Mumbo Island, Lake Malawi, type locality and where it is very common

Petrotilapia nigra Marsh 1983 Latin for dark or black, referring to dominant color of territorial males

Petrotilapia palingnathos Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011 pálin (πάλιν), back or backwards; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to shorter lower jaw, distinctly backwards (i.e., opposite) from that of its congeners

Petrotilapia pyroscelos Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011 pȳ́r (πῦρ), fire; skélos (σκέλος), leg (homologous to the ventral fin), referring to orange ventral fins of males

Petrotilapia tridentiger Trewavas 1935 tri– (L.), three; dens (L.), tooth; –iger (L.), to have or bear, allusion not explained, presumably referring to how teeth end in expanded tricuspid tips

Petrotilapia xanthos Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011 xanthós (ξανθός), yellow, referring to color of breeding males

Pharyngochromis Greenwood 1979 pharyngo-, presumably referring to enlarged pharyngeal teeth and/or stouter pharyngeal bone compared with Chetia; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Pharyngochromis acuticeps (Steindachner 1866) acutus (L.), sharp or pointed; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “sharply pointed” (translation) head

Placidochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 placidus (L.), calm, gentle or still, referring to how none of its species known at the time (with the probable exception of P. subocularis) occur or are adapted for life in swift water; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Placidochromis acuticeps Hanssens 2004 acutus (L.), sharp or pointed; ceps- (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to “angular, pointed” shape of head

Placidochromis acutirostris Hanssens 2004 acutus (L.), sharp or pointed; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its pointed snout

Placidochromis argyrogaster Hanssens 2004 árgyros (ἄργυρος), white metal (i.e., silver); gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to silvery belly in preserved specimens

Placidochromis boops Hanssens 2004 bo, from boū́s (βοῦς), bull, metaphorically used to mean big; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to its large eyes (34.0–38.2% of HL)

Placidochromis borealis Hanssens 2004 Latin for northern, referring to its occurrence in the extreme north of Lake Malawi (Wissman Bay, Tanzania)

Placidochromis chilolae Hanssens 2004 of Chilola Bay, Lake Malawi, Mozambique, type locality

Placidochromis communis Hanssens 2004 Latin for common, referring to its “unremarkable” appearance

Placidochromis domirae Hanssens 2004 of Domira Bay, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality

Placidochromis ecclesi Hanssens 2004 in honor of British ichthyologist David H. Eccles (1932–2011), Senior Fisheries Research Officer of Malawi, for his work on the biology, evolution and taxonomy of Lake Malawi cichlids

Placidochromis electra (Burgess 1979) from ḗlektron (ἤλεκτρον), an alloy of gold and silver, now used as a metaphor for splendor, i.e., something bright, referring to the bright blue of breeding males

Placidochromis elongatus Hanssens 2004 Latin for prolonged, referring to its body shape

Placidochromis fuscus Hanssens 2004 Latin for dark or dusky, referring to dark melanin pattern in mature males

Placidochromis hennydaviesae (Burgess & Axelrod 1973) in honor of Henny Davies, wife of Lake Malawi fish exporter Peter Davies; this “husband and wife team has made many new aquarium fishes available” from the lake

Placidochromis intermedius Hanssens 2004 Latin for intermediate or middle, referring to its “typical, average” Placidochromis shape

Placidochromis johnstoni (Günther 1894) in honor of Sir Harry Johnston (1858–1927), British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator, who “transmitted” central African reptiles, batrachians and fishes to the British Museum (Natural History), including holotype of this cichlid

Placidochromis koningsi Hanssens 2004 in honor of Adrianus (“Ad”) F. Konings (b. 1956), Dutch ichthyologist, cichlid aquarist and publisher, with a particular interest in the cichlids of lakes Malawi and Tanganyika [he also published the book in which the description appeared]

Placidochromis lineatus Hanssens 2004 Latin for striped or lined, referring to its striped melanin pattern

Placidochromis longimanus (Trewavas 1935) longus (L.), long; manus, hand (L.), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), presumably referring to its long pectoral fins, ending just past origin of anal fin

Placidochromis longirostris Hanssens 2004 longus (L.), long; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its elongate snout

Placidochromis longus Hanssens 2004 Latin for long, referring to its elongate body shape

Placidochromis lukomae Hanssens 2004 of Lukoma Bay, Lake Malawi, Tanzania, type locality

Placidochromis macroceps Hanssens 2004 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to larger head than P. longirostris

Placidochromis macrognathus Hanssens 2004 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to larger mouth compared with most other closely related congener

Placidochromis mbunoides Hanssens 2004 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: referring to similar body shape with some mbuna (rock-dwelling) cichlids of Lake Malawi

Placidochromis milomo Oliver 1989 Chichewa word for lips, referring to its greatly hypertrophied lips with fleshy median lobes

Placidochromis minor Hanssens 2004 Latin for smaller, referring to its small size (48.5–49.0 mm SL)

Placidochromis minutus Hanssens 2004 Latin for small, referring to its small size (up to 60.5 mm SL)

Placidochromis msakae Hanssens 2004 of Msaka, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality

Placidochromis nigribarbis Hanssens 2004 nigri-, from niger (L.), dark or black; barba (L.), beard, referring to its dark-black chin

Placidochromis nkhatae Hanssens 2004 of Nkhata Bay, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality

Placidochromis nkhotakotae Hanssens 2004 of Nkhotakota, Lake Malawi, Malawi, only known area of occurrence

Placidochromis obscurus Hanssens 2004 Latin for dark, referring to relatively dark melanin pattern in mature males

Placidochromis ordinarius Hanssens 2004 Latin for regular or usual, referring to its “generalized” appearance

Placidochromis orthognathus Hanssens 2004 orthós (ὀρθός), straight or erect; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to its strongly upward gape

Placidochromis pallidus Hanssens 2004 Latin for pale, referring to its pale body color

Placidochromis phenochilus (Trewavas 1935) pheno-, from phanerós (φανερός), evident; cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to its white lips, “conspicuous by their pallor”

Placidochromis platyrhynchos Hanssens 2004 platýs (πλατύς), flat; rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its wide, horizontally flattened snout

Placidochromis polli (Burgess & Axelrod 1973) in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908–1991), for his research on African fishes

Placidochromis rotundifrons Hanssens 2004 rotundus (L.), round or rounded; frons (L.), brow or forehead, referring to its rounded head

Placidochromis trewavasae Hanssens 2004 in honor of British ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900–1993), British Museum (Natural History), who worked on cichlid taxonomy from the late 1920s until her death; “By virtue of her work in the 1930s she is considered the founding ‘mother’ of Malawi cichlid taxonomy”

Placidochromis turneri Hanssens 2004 in honor of George Turner, Bangor University (Wales), for nearly 20 years of work on the ecology, ethology, taxonomy, and evolution of Lake Malawi cichlids; in addition, his 1996 book on the offshore cichlids of Lake Malawi is an “important contribution to the taxonomic knowledge of the non-mbuna cichlids”

Placidochromis vulgaris Hanssens 2004 Latin for common or simple, referring to its “typical, ordinary Placidochromis” appearance

Protomelas Eccles & Trewavas 1989 prṓtos (πρῶτος), first or primary; mélas (μέλας), black, referring to its plesiomorphic melanin pattern

Protomelas annectens (Regan 1922) Latin for linking or joining, referring to how this species “connects” Cyrtocara venusta (=Nimbochromis venustus) with C. moorii, its presumed congeners at the time

Protomelas fenestratus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for windowed, referring to mutually crossing bars and stripes on sides, reminiscent of a latticed window

Protomelas insignis (Trewavas 1935) Latin for distinguished by marks, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its plesiomorphic melanin pattern

Protomelas kirkii (Günther 1894) in honor of John Kirk (1832–1922), Scottish physician, naturalist and explorer, who presented specimens to the British Museum (Natural History), including fishes from Lake Malawi (but not this one)

Protomelas krampus Dierickx & Snoeks 2020 named for Krampus, a demon character in European folklore who puts naughty children in a bag and takes them away, reminiscent of this cichlid’s paedophagous behavior; in addition, the goat-like appearance of Krampus also implicitly refers to this species’ butting behavior, forcing females of other cichlids to relinquish their broods

Protomelas labridens (Trewavas 1935) Labrus, wrasse (Labridae); dens (L.), tooth, referring to its wrasse-like thick lips and enlarged pharyngeal dentition

Protomelas macrodon Eccles 1989 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to its greatly enlarged pharyngeal teeth

Protomelas marginatus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for edged or bordered, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to light-colored margin of unpaired fins of type material

Protomelas marginatus vuae (Trewavas 1935) of Vua, near north end of Lake Malawi, type locality

Protomelas ornatus (Regan 1922) Latin for adorned or decorated, presumably referring to its markings: five dark spots at base of dorsal fin alternating with a series of spots above middle of side, two dark bars across upper half of caudal peduncle, and series of spots on dorsal and caudal fins

Protomelas pleurotaenia (Boulenger 1901) pleuro-, from pleurá (πλευρά), side; taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to blackish lateral stripe

Protomelas similis (Regan 1922) Latin for like or similar, described as having same color as P. kirkii

Protomelas spilonotus (Trewavas 1935) spilos (σπίλος), mark or spot; nṓtos (νῶτος), back, presumably referring to five black spots at dorsal-fin base

Protomelas spilopterus (Trewavas 1935) spilos (σπίλος), mark or spot; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to two series of oval, yellow spots on anal fin of males (eggspots)

Protomelas taeniolatus dejunctus Stauffer 1993 Latin for disconnected or separated, referring to its “restricted” distribution (Chinyamwezi and Chinyankwazi islands, Lake Malawi)

Protomelas taeniolatus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for having small bands or ribbons (i.e., stripes), referring to rather dark, narrow transverse stripes usually evident on sides

Protomelas triaenodon (Trewavas 1935) triaeno, from tríaina (τρίαινα), trident (having three points); odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to its mostly tricuspid outer teeth

Protomelas virgatus (Trewavas 1935) Latin for striped or made of twigs, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its basic melanin pattern in alcohol, consisting of three longitudinal rows of dark, irregular spots or stripes running along its flanks

Pseudocrenilabrus Fowler 1934 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, i.e., although this genus may be “superficially somewhat similar” to the wrasse genus Crenilabrus (=Symphodus), such an appearance is false

Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor (Schöller 1903) multi– (L.), many, referring to diverse coloration as described from aquarium specimens (e.g., upper sides and back a “bright copper purple,” lower sides white, scales with a nacreous iridescence, breeding males a “magnificent, sky blue iridescent coloring” with a vermilion blotch on tip of anal fin), and/or to how it changes color “in fear or in anger,” becoming gray-green with black longitudinal and horizontal stripes (translations)

Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae Seegers 1990 of the Lake Victoria catchment in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, where it is generally distributed

Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi (Pellegrin 1928) in honor of John Treadwell Nichols (1883–1958), curator of fishes at the American Museum of Natural History, who described this cichlid as Paratilapia ventralis in 1928 but used a preoccupied name (P. ventralis Boulenger 1898)

Pseudocrenilabrus philander (Weber 1897) from philandros (φίλανδρος), “loving men” (a philanderer, to engage in many love affairs), allusion not explained; since Weber described this cichlid as a mouthbrooder, in which a parent (Weber did not mention which sex) carries fry in his or her mouth, Weber may have been alluding to the opossum genus Philander (or to a particular opossum species, Caluromys philander), marsupials in which mothers carry their young in pouches and then on their backs

Pseudocrenilabrus philander dispersus (Trewavas 1936) Latin for scattered or dispersed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its three geographically separated subspecies

Pseudocrenilabrus philander luebberti (Hilgendorf 1902) in honor of Herr Lübbert, probably Hans Julius Lübbert (1870–1951), German fisheries inspector and director, who collected holotype

Pseudocrenilabrus pyrrhocaudalis Katongo, Seehausen & Snoeks 2017 pyrrhos, flame; caudalis, of the tail, referring to “bright orange tail which resembles a flame of fire”

Pseudosimochromis Nelissen 1977 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, i.e., although this genus may resemble Simochromis (with its only species at the time, P. curvifrons, previously included in it), such an appearance is false

Pseudosimochromis babaulti (Pellegrin 1927) in honor of French explorer, naturalist and conservationist Guy Babault (1888–1963), who collected holotype

Pseudosimochromis curvifrons (Poll 1942) curvus (L.), curved; frons (L.), brow or forehead, referring to the “strongly sloping” (translation) profile of its large and rounded head

Pseudosimochromis margaretae (Axelrod & Harrison 1978) in honor of Margaret Mary Smith (1916–1987), first director of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology (now the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity); “In addition to the enormous task of continuing her late husband’s work and administering the Smith Institute, Mrs. Smith has found the time to advise and encourage the graduate students at the Institute and take an active interest in their research.” [first author is not Herbert R. Axelrod but his nephew Glen S. Axelrod]

Pseudosimochromis marginatus (Poll 1956) Latin for edged or bordered, referring to black submarginal band on dorsal fin

Pseudotropheus Regan 1922 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, i.e., although P. (now Tropheops) tropheops “bears a great superficial resemblance” to Tropheus, such an appearance is false

Pseudotropheus benetos (Bowers & Stauffer 1997) Greek (βένετος) for blue, referring to color of adult males

Pseudotropheus brevis (Trewavas 1935) Latin for short, allusion not explained; per Tawil (2013), possibly referring to its relatively deep (and therefore shorter lengthwise) body since it is otherwise one of the largest members of the mbuna species group

Pseudotropheus crabro (Ribbink & Lewis 1982) Latin for hornet, referring to its hornet- or wasp-like pattern of yellow and black bars

Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos (Bowers & Stauffer 1997) cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but here meaning blue in general); rhábdos (ῥάβδος), rod, wand or staff (i.e., stripe), referring to blue horizontal stripe in adults

Pseudotropheus elegans Trewavas 1935 Latin for elegant, fine or select, allusion not explained, presumably referring to Trewavas’ opinion of its appearance

Pseudotropheus fuscus Trewavas 1935 Latin for dark or swarthy, referring to its uniformly dark coloration

Pseudotropheus galanos Stauffer & Kellogg 2002 Greek (galanós) for pale or light blue, referring to blue highlights along lateral sides of both males and females

Pseudotropheus interruptus (Johnson 1975) Latin for interrupted, referring to interrupted horizontal midlateral stripe of adult males

Pseudotropheus johannii Eccles 1973 of Johann, German equivalent of the name John, in memory of John Johns, a collector of Lake Malawi fishes for the aquarium trade

Pseudotropheus likomae Konings, Miller & Stauffer 2024 of Likoma Island, Lake Milawi, Milawi, Africa, type locality

Pseudotropheus livingstonii (Boulenger 1899) in honor of David Livingstone (1813–1873), Scottish missionary and explorer in Africa, who collected holotype

Pseudotropheus lucerna Trewavas 1935 Latin for a lamp (usually an oil lamp), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its bright appearance

Pseudotropheus perileucos (Bowers & Stauffer 1997) perí (περί), around or near; leucos, from leukós (λευκός), white, i.e., white-edged, referring to white lappets on black dorsal fin of adult males

Pseudotropheus perspicax (Trewavas 1935) Latin for sharp-sighted, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to larger eyes compared with Melanochromis melanopterus, its presumed congener (described in the same key) at the time

Pseudotropheus purpuratus Johnson 1976 Latin for one clad in purple, referring to most conspicuous color of males

Pseudotropheus tursiops Burgess & Axelrod 1975 named for the Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus; this cichlid’s snout, with a conspicuous notch at level of nostrils, is “somewhat similar” to that of the dolphin

Pseudotropheus williamsi (Günther 1894) in honor of Anglican missionary Joseph A. Williams (d. 1895), who collected several cichlids from Lake Malawi, including holotype of this one [Williams drowned, along with Bishop Chauncy Maples, when their small boat capsized during a storm and sank in Lake Malawi]

Pterochromis Trewavas 1973 ptero-, from pterón (πτερόν), fin, presumably referring to fins with elongated rays; chromis chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Pterochromis congicus (Boulenger 1897) -icus (L.), belonging to: referring to its occurrence in the upper Congo River, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Pundamilia Seehausen & Lippitsch 1998 Pundamilia, Kishwahili word meaning “striped horse” (i.e., zeb-ra), referring to distinct vertical bars permanently displayed in most species

Pundamilia azurea Seehausen & Lippitsch 1998 Latinization of the French l’azur (blue), referring to iridescent blue body coloration

Pundamilia igneopinnis Seehausen & Lippitsch 1998 igneus (L.), fiery or burning; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to bright-orange fins surrounding deep-black body, resembling a piece of burning coal

Pundamilia macrocephala Seehausen & Bouton 1998 large-headed, from makrós (μακρός), long or large, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its “heavy headed” appearance

Pundamilia nyererei (Witte-Maas & Witte 1985) in honor of Mwalimu (Teacher) Julius Nyerere (1922–1999), President (1961–1985) of Tanzania, where this cichlid occurs in Lake Victoria

Pundamilia pundamilia Seehausen & Bouton 1998 Pundamilia, Kishwahili word meaning “striped horse” (i.e., zebra), referring to conspicuous and diagnostic black-and-white stripe pattern of males

Pungu Trewavas 1972 Barombi name for this cichlid at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic [replacement name for Barombia Trewavas 1962, preoccupied in insects]

Pungu maclareni (Trewavas 1962) in memory Peter Ian Rupert MacLaren (ca. 1919–1956), who used his position as Fisheries Development Officer of Nigeria to collect fishes for the British Museum, including holotype of this cichlid (from Cameroon) in 1948 (he died from wounds inflicted by a crocodile in what is now Zambia)

Pyxichromis Greenwood 1980 pyx, later form of pygḗ (πυγή), behind or rump, referring to rump-like protuberance of nuchal musculature, and, “punningly, to the gnome-like physiognomy of the known species”; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Pyxichromis orthostoma (Regan 1922) orthós (ὀρθός), straight or erect; stóma (στόμα), mouth, presumably referring to its “very oblique” mouth

Pyxichromis parorthostoma (Greenwood 1967) pará (παρά), near, referring to its “great” overall similarity to P. orthostoma, particularly their concave dorsal head profiles

Reganochromis Whitley 1929 in honor of English ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878–1943), Natural History Museum (London), who proposed this genus in 1920 but used a preoccupied name (Leptochromis Bleeker 1875, =Pseudochromis Rüppell 1835, Pseudochromidae); chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Reganochromis calliurus (Boulenger 1901) pretty-tailed, from kállos (κάλλος) beauty, and ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to 4–5 black bars across caudal fin

Rhamphochromis Regan 1922 rhámphos (ῥάμφος), beak or bill, referring to “produced” snout of R. longiceps; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Rhamphochromis brevis Trewavas 1935 Latin for short, referring to its relatively deep body form, deeper than congeners, with its depth more than a quarter of its length [possibly a synonym of R. woodi]

Rhamphochromis esox (Boulenger 1908) Esox, pike genus (Esocidae), probably referring to its pike-like body and strongly compressed head

Rhamphochromis ferox Regan 1922 Latin for fierce or ferocious, presumably referring to appearance of “prominent” chin and “strong” teeth (species is actually small and delicate looking, not a massive piscivore)

Rhamphochromis longiceps (Günther 1864) longus (L.) long; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to elongate snout and head

Rhamphochromis woodi Regan 1922 in honor of Rodney C. Wood (1889–1962), game warden, schoolteacher, farmer, railway worker and nature lover, who presented to the British Museum a “very fine collection” of Lake Malawi cichlids from hauls brought in by local fishermen, including holotype of this one

Rubricatochromis Lamboj & Koblmüller (2022) rubricatus (L.) red-colored, referring to bright red-coloration on body of most species when in dominance or broodcare; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Rubricatochromis bimaculatus (Gill 1862) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to two black blotches on sides

Rubricatochromis cerasogaster (Boulenger 1899) cerasinus (L.), cherry-colored; gastḗr (γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to its “carmine-red” (translation) belly

Rubricatochromis cristatus (Loiselle 1979) Latin for crested, referring to minor cusp on lower pharyngeal teeth

Rubricatochromis fugax (Payne & Trewavas 1976) Latin for elusive or coy (i.e., shy), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its being caught in “fairly fast-flowing forest streams, where it tends to lie in the lee of weed-beds, stones or logs, and also in swampy areas”

Rubricatochromis gabonensis Lamboj & Koblmüller 2026 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gabon, where it apparently is endemic

Rubricatochromis guttatus (Günther 1862) Latin for spotted, referring to large black spots on operculum and side of body, and black round spots on side of head

Rubricatochromis jebeli Lamboj & Koblmüller 2026 in honor of the German company JBL, for its “longstanding support for research on West and Central African fishes through the provision of equipment and water-testing materials” (the spelling with two “e’s” facilitates pronunciation)

Rubricatochromis stellifer (Loiselle 1979) stella (L.), star; -ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear referring to “profusion” of iridescent blue spangles on head, body and fins

Rubricatochromis stephenthorntoni Lamboj & Koblmüller 2026 in honor of American aquarist Stephen Thornton (Leawood, Kansas), for his “longstanding support for research on the fishes of West and Central Africa”

Rubricatochromis vanheusdeni Lamboj & Koblmüller 2026 in honor of Dutch cichlid aquarist Hans van Heusden (b. 1957), who collected the type material

Sargochromis Regan 1920 sargós (σαργός), Greek name of White Seabream, Diplodus sargus (Sparidae), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to superficial resemblance between the two genera; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Sargochromis carlottae (Boulenger 1905) in honor of “Mrs. Sclater” (1858–1942), wife of British zoologist William Lutley Sclater (1863–1944), Director, South African Museum, who presented holotype to the British Museum; her name was Charlotte, not Carlotta, as suggested by Boulenger’s spelling

Sargochromis codringtonii (Boulenger 1908) in honor of Thomas Codrington (1829–1918), engineer and antiquarian, who, while visiting his son, Robert Codrington (1869–1908), Colonial Administrator of N.W. Rhodesia (now Zambia), “availed himself of the exceptional facilities afforded him to make a very valuable collection of the fishes, which he has presented to the British Museum,” including holotype of this cichlid

Sargochromis coulteri (Bell-Cross 1975) in honor of George W. Coulter, formerly Senior Fisheries Research Officer, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and National Parks of the Government of Zambia (although this cichlid occurs in Angola and Namibia)

Sargochromis giardi (Pellegrin 1903) in honor of “professeur” Giard, probably French zoologist Alfred Mathieu Giard (1846–1908), a contemporary of Pellegrin

Sargochromis greenwoodi (Bell-Cross 1975) in honor of Peter Humphry Greenwood (1927-1995), Curator of the Fish Section of the British Museum (Natural History), who has been “particularly helpful” to Bell-Cross in his work on Haplochromis (original genus)

Sargochromis mellandi (Boulenger 1905) in honor of Frank H. Melland (1879–1939), explorer and big-game hunter, who collected a series of fishes from Lake Bangweulu, Zambia, including holotype of this one

Sargochromis mortimeri (Bell-Cross 1975) in honor of M. A. E. Mortimer, former Chief Fisheries Officer of the Zambian Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and National Parks, who has “contributed much” to our knowledge of Zambian fishes; with Mortimer’s encouragement, Bell-Cross’ work on Haplochromis (original genus) would not have been possible

Sargochromis thysi (Poll 1967) in honor of colleague Dirk Thys van den Audenaerde (b. 1934), ichthyologist and Director at the Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (Tervuren, Belgium)

Sarotherodon Rüppell 1852 sarothero-, from sárōtron (σάρωτρον), broom; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to fine, brush-like teeth in jaws that are flexible to the touch, compared to coarser and fixed teeth of Tilapia

Sarotherodon caroli (Holly 1930) in honor of Carol (Latin for Charles, Carl or Karl), eponym not identified, possibly in honor of German physician, anthropologist and natural history collector Karl Albert Haberer (1864–1941), who provided a collection of fishes from Cameroon to Naturhistorisches Staatsmuseum (Vienna), including holotype of this one

Sarotherodon caudomarginatus (Boulenger 1916) caudo– (L.), tail; marginatus (L.), edged or bordered, referring to broad black edge of caudal fin

Sarotherodon galilaeus (Linnaeus 1758) -eus (L.), adjectival suffix: referring to Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias), Israel, type (now lost) locality (also occurs in Syria, Jordan, and northern and central Africa)

Sarotherodon galilaeus borkuana (Pellegrin 1919) -ana (L.), belonging to: Borkou, a region in central Africa, mostly in northern Chad, type locality

Sarotherodon galilaeus boulengeri (Pellegrin 1903) in honor of Belgian-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858–1937), for describing so many “new and interesting” species from the Congo basin, and for the “kindness with which he welcomed” Pellegrin in London the previous year (translations)

Sarotherodon galilaeus multifasciatus (Günther 1903) multi– (L.), many; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to 8–9 “well-marked” black crossbands on body of young specimens, the narrower bands disappearing until there are only five on adults

Sarotherodon galilaeus sanagaensis (Thys van den Audenaerde 1966) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sanaga River system, Cameroon, where holotype was purchased from a fisherman (and only known area of occurrence)

Sarotherodon knauerae Neumann, Stiassny & Schliewen 2011 in honor of Barbara Knauer, former technician at the Max Planck Society (Seewiesen, Germany), who “substantially supported [the third author] as a technician and friend” during his Ph.D. studies

Sarotherodon lamprechti Neumann, Stiassny & Schliewen 2011 in honor of Swiss fish behaviorist Jürg Lamprecht (1941–2000), who worked for his Ph.D. on haplotilapiine cichlids, and who supported the third author as a mentor, teacher and friend at the Max Planck Society (Seewiesen, Germany), and the first author as a teacher

Sarotherodon linnellii (Lönnberg 1903) in honor of Lönnberg’s friend Gunnar Linnell, a Swedish plantation owner in Cameroon, who sent a collection of fishes and crustaceans from that country, including holotype of this cichlid

Sarotherodon lohbergeri (Holly 1930) in honor of Karl Lohberger, Holly’s colleague at Naturhistorisches Staatsmuseum (Vienna); Lohberger published six papers on fishes (1929–1930) and then dropped from the ichthyological record

Sarotherodon melanotheron Rüppell 1852 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; anthereṓn (ἀνθερεών), chin, referring to variably intense black markings on lower jaw of adults

Sarotherodon melanotheron heudelotii (Duméril 1861) in honor of Jean-Pierre Heudelot (1802–1837), French botanist and explorer in West Africa, who collected holotype

Sarotherodon melanotheron leonensis (Thys van den Audenaerde 1971) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sierra Leone, type locality

Sarotherodon mvogoi (Thys van den Audenaerde 1965) in honor of hydrobiologist Léon Mvogo, Station de Pisciculture de Melen (Yaounde, Cameroon), who collected holotype

Sarotherodon nigripinnis (Guichenot 1861) nigri-, from niger (L.), dark or black; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to “dark blackish brown” (translation) fins

Sarotherodon nigripinnis dolloi Boulenger 1899 in honor of “learned” colleague, Belgian paleontologist Louis Dollo (1857–1931)

Sarotherodon occidentalis (Daget 1962) Latin for western, presumably referring to type locality in western Guinea, near the western coast of Africa

Sarotherodon steinbachi (Trewavas 1962) in honor of German entomologist Gerhard Steinbach (1923–2016), Humboldt University of Berlin, part of the expedition, led by zoologist Martin Eisentraut (see Konia eisentrauti), during which holotype was collected

Sarotherodon tournieri (Daget 1965) in honor of French pharmacist Jean-Luc Tournier (1907–1985), Director of Scientific Research in Ivory Coast, where type locality (Cavally River at border with Liberia) is situated

Sarotherodon tournieri liberiensis (Thys van den Audenaerde 1971) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Liberia, type locality

Schubotzia Boulenger 1914 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: German zoologist Johann G. Hermann Schubotz (1881–1955), who collected fishes (including holotype of S. eduardiana) as a member of the Deutsche Zentral-Afrika Expedition (1907–1908), and who edited publication in which description appeared

Schubotzia eduardiana Boulenger 1914 -iana (L.), belonging to: Lake Edward, border between Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, type locality

Schwetzochromis Poll 1948 in honor of Russian-born Belgian physician-entomologist Yakov (later Jacques) Schwetz (1847–1957), who collected holotype of S. neodon during a medical survey of the Fwa River, Democratic Republic of the Congo; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Schwetzochromis neodon Poll 1948 néos (νέος), new (i.e., unique); odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to its dentition, “entirely different from all the known cichlids of the Congo Basin and only vaguely resembling that of other African Cichlidae” (translation)

Sciaenochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 sciaeno-, referring to superficial resemblance to species of the drum or croaker family Sciaenidae; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Sciaenochromis ahli (Trewavas 1935) in honor of German ichthyologist-herpetologist Ernst Ahl (1898–1945), who described this cichlid in 1926 as Haplochromis serranoides, preoccupied by H. serranoides Regan 1922 (=H. spekii)

Sciaenochromis benthicola Konings 1993 bénthos (βένθος), depth (of the sea); –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to holotype being “caught at a great depth with hook and line”

Sciaenochromis fryeri Konings 1993 in honor of Geoffrey Fryer (1927– 2024), former Fisheries Research Officer, Joint Fisheries Research Organisation of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, who “systematically observed the fishes of Lake Malawi in their natural habitat”

Sciaenochromis psammophilus Konings 1993 psámmos (ψάμμος), sand; phila, from phílos (φίλος), fond of, referring to its occurrence over sandy substrates

Serranochromis Regan 1920 serrano-, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to superficial resemblance (particularly the large mouth) to the grouper family Serranidae; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Serranochromis altus Winemiller & Kelso-Winemiller 1991 Latin for high, referring to its deep body and high dorsal profile

Serranochromis alvum Stauffer, Bills & Skelton 2021 Latin for blotches, referring to prominent lateral pigmentation

Serranochromis angolensis (Steindachner 1865) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Angola, probably in the Cuanza basin (Duque de Bragança, now Calandula), at the Lucala River, type locality

Serranochromis angusticeps (Boulenger 1907) angustus (L.), narrow; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “very strongly compressed” head (i.e., narrow between the eyes)

Serranochromis cacuchi Stauffer, Bills & Skelton 2021 named for the Cacuchi River, type locality, and where it is “most likely narrowly endemic”

Serranochromis cuanza Stauffer, Bills & Skelton 2021 named for the Cuanza River, Angola, type locality (and probably endemic to the Cuanza River system)

Serranochromis jallae Boulenger 1896 in honor of Italian Protestant missionary Luigi (Louis) David Jalla (1860–1943), who collected holotype [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]

Serranochromis janus Trewavas 1964 named for the Roman god Janus, who has two faces, referring to the fact that the geographical position of this cichlid requires us to “look both ways” [italics in original] for its affinities, inviting comparison to both Serranochromis of the Congo system and the piscivorous Haplochromis species of Lake Victoria

Serranochromis longimanus (Boulenger 1911) longus (L.), long; manus (L.), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to its pectoral fins, “as long as head, reaching vertical of origin of anal [fin] or beyond”

Serranochromis macrocephalus (Boulenger 1899) large-headed, from makrós (μακρός), long or large, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to larger head compared with S. robustus, its presumed closest congener

Serranochromis meridianus Jubb 1967 -anus (L.), belonging to: meridies (L.), south, referring to its distribution relative to congeners

Serranochromis robustus (Günther 1864) Latin for of oak or oaken and, by extension, hard, firm or solid (but often used by ichthyologists to mean fat or stout), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to body shape compared with other species of Hemichromis (original genus) described in the same publication

Serranochromis spei Trewavas 1964 in honor of Service Piscicole d’Elizabethville (SPE) [Elizabethville is now Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo]; also Latin for hope, referring to “hope for the future of African fishery research, management and conservation” [italics in original]

Serranochromis stappersi Trewavas 1964 in honor of Belgian physician-biologist Louis Stappers (1883–1916), head of the Belgian mission to the Congo, who collected holotype in 1911

Serranochromis swartzi Stauffer, Bills & Skelton 2021 in honor of ichthyologist Ernst Swartz, South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIB), primary explorer on the SAIB’s Cuanza River program, who collected holotype

Serranochromis thumbergi (Castelnau 1861) eponym not identified, possibly in honor of Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg (note spelling, 1743–1828), who traveled through southern Africa in 1772–1774 and is regarded as the founder of South African botany

Shuja Genner, Ngatunga & Turner 2022 from the Swahili noun shujaa, a brave person or warrior, referring to the “notable” territorial behavior of males

Shuja horei (Günther 1894) in honor of Capt. Edward Coode Hore (1848–1912), British missionary, explorer, navigator and cartographer, who collected holotype

Simochromis Boulenger 1898 simus (L.), flat- or pug-nosed, referring to snout “descending in a strong curve”; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Simochromis diagramma (Günther 1894) referring to how “upper profile of the head descending in a curve” reminds head of the grunt genus Diagramma (Haemulidae)

Spathodus Boulenger 1900 spáthē (σπάθη), a broad blade or paddle used for stirring or mixing (i.e., a spatula); odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to slender teeth of S. erythrodon, cylindrical at their base, spatulate at their tip

Spathodus erythrodon Boulenger 1900 erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to deep-red coloration of teeth (found in all goby cichlids)

Spathodus marlieri Poll 1950 in honor of Belgian zoologist Georges Marlier (1898–1968), director of IRSAC (Institut pour la Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale) on Lake Tanganyika, who collected holotype

Steatocranus Boulenger 1899 stéatos (στέατος), fat (noun); cranus, from krános (κράνος), helmet (i.e., head), referring to well-developed hump on head of dominant males of S. gibbiceps (seen in most congeners too)

Steatocranus bleheri Meyer 1993 in honor of German explorer and ornamental-fish wholesaler and supplier Heiko Bleher (1944–2025), who collected holotype

Steatocranus casuarius Poll 1939 etymology not explained but almost certainly referring to cassowary birds (genus Casuarius, from the Malay name kasuari), which, like males of this cichlid, have a large hump on the head

Steatocranus gibbiceps Boulenger 1899 gibbus (L.), hump; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to well-developed hump on head of dominant males

Steatocranus glaber Roberts & Stewart 1976 Latin for bald or smooth, referring to scaleless head hump, a character that “does not uniquely distinguish this fish from other Steatocranus, but it is still appropriately descriptive for this fish” (Donald J. Stewart, pers. comm.)

Steatocranus masalamasoso Ibala Zamba, Weiss, Mamonekene, Schliewen & Vreven 2022 named for Masala Ma Soso Rapids, Léfini River drainage, middle Congo basin, Republic of the Congo, type locality; “masala ma soso” means “chicken feathers,” referring to the splashing and foaming water in the rapids where the water violently hits the rocks, which, according to local inhabitants, alludes to a hen taking a dust bath

Steatocranus mpozoensis Roberts & Stewart 1976 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Mpozo River, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

Steatocranus rouxi (Pellegrin 1928) in honor of Swiss herpetologist Jean Roux (1876–1939), curator, Natural History Museum of Basel, who “kindly entrusted” (translation) Pellegrin to examine fishes from the museum’s collection, including type of this cichlid

Steatocranus tinanti (Poll 1939) in honor of André Tinant (1901–1940), Secretary-General of the Palmoil plantations of the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), who collected holotype

Steatocranus ubanguiensis Roberts & Stewart 1976 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ubangui River system, Central African Republic, where type locality (Mbomou River) is situated

Stigmatochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to small suprapectoral spot below upper lateral line, small supra-anal spot between the lateral lines, and spot at end of caudal peduncle; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Stigmatochromis macrorhynchos Stauffer, Cleaver-Yoder & Konings 2011 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its elongated snout

Stigmatochromis melanchros Stauffer, Cleaver-Yoder & Konings 2011 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; chrōs (χρώς), skin or surface of body, referring to overall black color of breeding males

Stigmatochromis modestus (Günther 1894) Latin for modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to uniform brownish-black coloration

Stigmatochromis pholidophorus (Trewavas 1935) pholís (φολίσ), scale (on a reptile) or spot (on a panther’s or leopard’s skin); phorus, from phoreús (φορεύς), bearer or carrier, presumably referring to five blackish spots at base of dorsal fin, two on upper caudal peduncle, large black spot below upper lateral line, another between the lateral lines, and a third at end of caudal peduncle

Stigmatochromis pleurospilus (Trewavas 1935) pleuro-, from pleurá (πλευρά), side; spilus, from spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to small suprapectoral spot below upper lateral line, small supra-anal spot between the lateral lines, and a spot at end of caudal peduncle

Stigmatochromis woodi (Regan 1922) in honor of Rodney C. Wood (1889–1962), game warden, schoolteacher, farmer, railway worker and nature lover, who presented to the British Museum a “very fine collection” of Lake Malawi cichlids from hauls brought in by local fishermen, including holotype of this one

Stomatepia Trewavas 1962 stómatos (στόματος), genitive of stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to large mouth of S. mariae; epia, local Bantu word for tilapiine fishes

Stomatepia mariae (Holly 1930) eponym not identified, perhaps in honor of Holly’s wife Maria (née Sperat)

Stomatepia mongo Trewavas 1972 Barombi name for this cichlid at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic

Stomatepia pindu Trewavas 1972 Barombi name for this cichlid at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic

Taeniochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to continuous midlateral stripe running from snout to caudal-fin base; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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(

Taeniochromis holotaenia (Regan 1922) hólos (ὅλος), whole or entire; taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to midlateral stripe running entire length of body, from snout to caudal-fin base

Taeniolethrinops Eccles & Trewavas 1989 taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to oblique band from nape to caudal-fin base; Lethrinops, presumably referring to previous places of its species (except T. praeorbitalis) in that genus

Taeniolethrinops cyrtonotus (Trewavas 1931) cyrto-, from kurtós (κυρτός), hooked or curved; notos, from nṓtos (νῶτος), back, referring to its “highly arched dorsal outline”

Taeniolethrinops furcicauda (Trewavas 1931) furca (L.), two-pronged fork; cauda (L.), tail, referring to its “deeply emarginate” caudal fin

Taeniolethrinops laticeps (Trewavas 1931) latus (L.), wide or broad; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, allu-sion not explained, presumably referring to wide mouth and head

Taeniolethrinops macrorhynchus (Regan 1922) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to preorbital bone (snout) longer than postorbital part of head

Taeniolethrinops praeorbitalis (Regan 1922) prae– (L.), in front of; orbitalis (Medieval Latin), pertaining to the orbit, referring to preorbital bone (snout) longer than postorbital part of head

Tangachromis Poll 1981 tanga, referring to Lake Tanganyika, where it is endemic; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Tangachromis dhanisi (Poll 1949) in memory of Baron Dhanis, the “nice” (translation) boat that transported Poll and his team around Lake Tanganyika during expedition that collected holotype

Tanganicodus Poll 1950 Tangani-, referring to Lake Tanganyika, where it is endemic; odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, but in this case referring to its relationship with other erotmodine cichlids, Eretmodus and Spathodus

Tanganicodus irsacae Poll 1950 of IRSAC (Institut pour la Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale), which supported Poll’s research at Lake Tanganyika

Teleogramma Boulenger 1899 téleos (τέλειος), perfect or complete; gramma, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to its uninterrupted lateral line (which misled Boulenger into believing it was a labrid, not a cichlid)

Teleogramma brichardi Poll 1959 in honor of Belgian aquarium-fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921–1990), who collected holotype in the rapids near Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Teleogramma depressa Roberts & Stewart 1976 Latin for pressed down, referring to more flattened head and body compared with congeners and perhaps to any known cichlid species

Teleogramma gracile Boulenger 1899 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its elongate, compressed body

Teleogramma monogramma (Pellegrin 1927) mono-, from mónos (μόνος), one or single; gramma, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to its complete lateral line, a “very interesting peculiarity” (translation) among cichlids, most of which have an interrupted lateral line

Teleogramma obamaorum Stiassny & Alter 2015 -orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of U.S. President Barack Obama (b. 1961) and First Lady Michelle Obama (b. 1964), for their “commitment to science education, development, gender equality, and self-reliance for all peoples of African nations, and their dedication to environmental conservation in Africa and beyond”

Telmatochromis Boulenger 1898 télmatos (τέλματος), genitive singular of télma (τέλμα), marsh, swamp, pond, or standing water, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to the ability of T. temporalis to tolerate muddy water (per FishBase); chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Telmatochromis bifrenatus Myers 1936 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; frenatus (L.), bridled, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to three dark-brown lines or bars, forming a bridle-like appearance, near each eye: (1) extending from lower third of eye back through opercular point, (2) extending forward from each eye and meeting in front of head, (3) connecting lower part of each eye with mouth

Telmatochromis brachygnathus Hanssens & Snoeks 2003 brachýs (βραχύς), short; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to smaller mouth compared with the similar T. temporalis

Telmatochromis brichardi Louisy 1989 in honor of Belgian aquarium-fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921–1990), for his “considérable” contributions to the knowledge of the fishes of Lake Tanganyika, where this cichlid is endemic

Telmatochromis devosi (Schelly, Stiassny & Seegers 2003) in memory of friend and colleague Luc (“Tuur”) De Vos (1957–2003), Belgian ichthyologist, “who dedicated so much of his career to expanding our knowledge of the fishes of East and Central Africa. His sudden and untimely death [from a kidney blockage] is a great loss to our community.”

Telmatochromis dhonti (Boulenger 1919) in honor of G. Dhont-De Bie, Belgian East African Expeditionary Force, who collected holotype

Telmatochromis macrolepis (Borodin 1931) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to larger scales than Julidochromis ornatus, its presumed congener at the time

Telmatochromis salzburgeri Indermaur, Schedel & Ronco 2024 in honor of Austrian-Swiss biologist Walter Salzburger (b. 1975), University of Basel (Switzerland), friend, colleague and mentor, for his contributions in advancing the field of evolutionary biology and, in particular, cichlid research in Lake Tanganyika; he has supported several projects and numerous field expeditions of all the authors with “great enthusiasm,” which led, among many other things, to the description of this species

Telmatochromis temporalis Boulenger 1898 Latin for pertaining to the temples of the head (in fishes, the sides of the skull behind the eye sockets), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its orange temporal band (per Boulenger 1906)

Telmatochromis vittatus Boulenger 1898 Latin for banded, referring to a brown lateral stripe from upper lip, through eye, to base of caudal fin (where it expands into a spot), and another dark brown stripe from vertex along base of dorsal fin

Thoracochromis Greenwood 1979 thoraco-, from thṓrax (θώραξ), breast or chest, referring to “small and clearly size-demarcated scales” on thoracic region; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Thoracochromis albolabris (Trewavas & Thys van den Audenaerde 1969) albus (L.), white; labris, plural of labrum (L.), lip, allusion not explained nor evident, perhaps referring to pale color of its thick lips in alcohol

Thoracochromis buysi (Penrith 1970) in honor of Peter J. Buys, South African taxidermist, herpetologist, ornithologist, and Curator of the National Museum of Namibia, who collected holotype

Thoracochromis lucullae (Boulenger 1913) of the Lucula River, Angola, type locality

Thoracochromis wingatii (Boulenger 1902) in honor of Reginald Wingate (1861–1953), Sirdar (commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Army) and Governor-General of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, “to whose assistance, so kindly granted to Mr. Loat [see Haplochromis loati] on his journey through the Soudan [former English name for Sudan], the success of this part of the Nile Fish-Survey is in no small measure due”

Thysochromis Daget 1988 replacement name for Thysia Loiselle & Welcomme 1972 (preoccupied by Thysia Thomson 1860 in Coleoptera), originally named in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Dirk Thys van den Audenaerde (b. 1934), for his contribution to the systematics of African cichlids in general and for his work on pelmatochromine cichlids in particular; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Thysochromis ansorgii (Boulenger 1901) in honor of British explorer and collector William John Ansorge (1850–1913), who collected holotype

Thysochromis emili Walsh, Lambog & Stiassny 2019 in honor of Emil Woolf Kentridge-Young, grandson of South African artist and animator William Kentridge (b. 1955) and his wife Anne Stanwix, a rheumatologist, for their support of research in Africa

Tilapia Smith 1840 Latinization of !api, !Kung word for fish (“!” pronounced as a click, transcribed as “ti”)

Tilapia baloni Trewavas & Stewart 1975 in honor of Czech-born Canadian ichthyologist Eugene K. Balon (1930–2013), who collected holotype while stationed at the Central Fisheries Research Institute (Chilanga, Zambia) in 1970, and made his notes and color slides available

Tilapia brevimanus Boulenger 1911 brevis (L.), short; manus (L.), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to shorter pectoral fin compared with Tilapia melanopleura (=Coptodon zillii), its presumed congener at the time

Tilapia busumana (Günther 1903) -ana (L.), belonging to: Lake Busum-chi (or Bosumtwi), Ghana, where it is endemic

Tilapia guinasana Trewavas 1936 -ana (L.), belonging to: Lake Guinas, Namibia, where it is endemic (but introduced elsewhere)

Tilapia pra Dunz & Schliewen 2010 referring to both the Akan word pra (river) of the Kwa language family spoken in Ghana, and to the River Pra, from which drainage holotype was collected (also occurs in Ivory Coast), alluding to its riverine distribution as compared to the lacustrine distribution of its apparent sister taxon T. busumana

Tilapia ruweti (Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde 1965) in honor of Belgian ethologist Jean Claude C. Ruwet (1938–2007), University of Liège, who donated holotype

Tilapia sparrmanii Smith 1840 eponym not identified, probably in honor of Swedish naturalist Anders Sparrman (1748–1820), who explored the Cape area of South Africa in 1775

Tramitichromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 trames (L.), a byway, referring to departure of pharyngeal jaws from the usual range of the structure; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Tramitichromis brevis (Boulenger 1908) Latin for short, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its length (70 mm), as short as or shorter than the 10 other cichlids described in the same paper (70–370 mm)

Tramitichromis intermedius (Trewavas 1935) Latin for intermediate (in form), with the short snout, few gill-rakers, and short pharyngeal blade of T. brevis, and the pharyngeal teeth structure of Lethrinops argenteus and L. lethrinus, its presumed congeners at the time

Tramitichromis lituris (Trewavas 1931) dative and ablative plural formof litura (L.), blot or smudge, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “indefinite patch” on upper lateral line below spinous dorsal fin

Tramitichromis trilineatus (Trewavas 1931) tri– (L.), three; lineatus (L.), lined, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to three bands or dark streaks: at base of dorsal fin, a parallel streak above or crossing upper lateral line below spinous dorsal fin, and along lower lateral line running forward to head or ending below some part of spinous dorsal

Tramitichromis variabilis (Trewavas 1931) Latin for variable, referring to its variable melanin pattern, sometimes consisting of an oblique series of spots from nape to caudal-fin base, or sometimes an incomplete oblique band from nape, intersecting the lateral line below posterior part of spinous dorsal fin

Trematocara Boulenger 1899 trématos (τρήματος), genitive of trḗma (τρῆμα), hole or aperture; cara, from kára (κάρα), head, referring to large sensory pores (“muciferous cavities”) on head of T. marginatum

Trematocara caparti Poll 1948 in honor of Belgian oceanographer André Capart (1914–1991), member of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946–1947), during which holotype was collected

Trematocara kufferathi Poll 1948 in honor of chemist Jean Kufferath, member of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946–1947), during which holotype was collected

Trematocara macrostoma Poll 1952 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to very large and deeply cut mouth, the concealed maxillary extending back to center of eye

Trematocara marginatum Boulenger 1899 Latin for edged or bordered, presumably referring to blackish edges on dorsal and anal fins

Trematocara nigrifrons Boulenger 1906 nigri-, from niger (L.), dark or black; frons (L.), brow or forehead, referring to blackish bar across interorbital region

Trematocara stigmaticum Poll 1943 Latin for branded or marked, referring to light bluish triangular streak on anterior portion of dorsal fin

Trematocara unimaculatum Boulenger 1901 uni-, from unus (L.), one; maculatum (L.), spotted, referring to large round black spot on posterior third of spinous dorsal fin

Trematocara variabile Poll 1952 Latin for variable, presumably referring to “variable” number (5–8) of hypertrophied sensory channels in the suborbital (decreasing in size when there are 6 or more)

Trematocara zebra De Vos, Nshombo & Thys van den Audenaerde 1996 referring to the zebra-like dark lines (sometimes spots) on its sides

Trematochromis Poll 1987 trématos (τρήματος), genitive of trḗma (τρῆμα), hole or aperture, referring to enlarged cephalic pores clearly visible in head; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Trematochromis benthicola (Matthes 1962) bénthos (βένθος), depth (of the sea); -cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to habitat in deep sublittoral zone (10–50 m) of Lake Tanganyika, over a rocky bottom

Trematocranus Trewavas 1935 trématos (τρήματος), genitive of trḗma (τρῆμα), hole or aperture; cranus, from krános (κράνος), helmet (i.e., head), referring to enlarged or swollen pore canals of preorbital and orbital bones

Trematocranus brevirostris Trewavas 1935 brevis (L.), short; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its shorter snout compared with T. microstoma

Trematocranus labifer (Trewavas 1935) labes (L.), spot or defect; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, presumably referring to opercular spot, four black patches on each side (one on nape, two on upper lateral line, one at end of caudal peduncle)

Trematocranus microstoma Trewavas 1935 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; stóma (στόμα), mouth, allusion not explained but its mouth appears to be smaller relative to other cichlids

Trematocranus pachychilus Dierickx, Hanssens, Rusuwa & Snoeks 2018 pachýs (παχύς), thick or stout; chilus, from cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to its thick and fleshy lips

Trematocranus placodon (Regan 1922) placo-, from plakós (πλακός), genitive of pláx (πλάξ), anything flat or wide, i.e., a plate; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to a “large and strong plate bearing large rounded flat teeth” on lower pharyngeal

Triglachromis Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde 1974 Trigla, gurnard genus (Triglidae), referring to the finger-like extensions of its pectoral fins, similar to three anterior rays of pectoral fins of gurnards; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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

Triglachromis otostigma (Regan 1920) ōtós (ὠτός), genitive of oū́s (οὖς), ear; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to blue-black opercular spot

Tristramella Trewavas 1942 -ella (L.), diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Henry Baker Tristram (1822–1906), English clergyman, traveler, ornithologist, and early supporter of Darwinism, who collected Palestinian (region, not the state) cichlids for the British Museum

Tristramella magdalenae Lortet 1883 eponym not identified; since this species (now extinct) was known only from lakes Hula and Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) in Israel, the name may refer to Mary Magdalene (or Mary of Magdala), a disciple of Jesus Christ who, according to gospel, witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection, and/or to Magdala, a village on the shore of Lake Tiberias

Tristramella sacra (Günther 1865) Latin for sacred, referring to Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee), Israel, type locality, in an area generally known as the “Holy Land”

Tristramella simonis (Günther 1864) etymology not explained, perhaps genitive singular of Simon, original name of Saint Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, possibly referring to “St. Peter’s Fish,” a Biblical story in which Peter caught a fish from the Sea of Galilee that carried a coin in its mouth; though the passage does not name the fish, many believe it was Saratherodon galilaeus galilaeus, whereas others suggest it was this species, which has a mouth large enough to accommodate a coin

Tristramella simonis intermedia Steinitz & Ben-Tuvia 1959 Latin for intermediate, allusion not explained, presumably intermediate in form between T. s. simonis and T. magdalenae

Tropheops Trewavas 1984 tautonymous with Pseudotropheus tropheops Regan 1922

Tropheops biriwira Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016 Chichewa word for green, referring to greenish color of territorial males

Tropheops gracilior (Trewavas 1935) comparative of gracilis (L.), thin or slender, referring its slenderer body compared with typical examples of T. tropheops

Tropheops kamtambo Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016 Chichewa word for blue, referring to coloration of breeding males

Tropheops kumwera Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016 Chichewa word for south, referring to distribution in southern part of Lake Malawi

Tropheops macrophthalmus (Ahl 1926) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, allusion not explained, possibly referring to large size of eye in relation to short head

Tropheops microstoma (Trewavas 1935) micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to its much narrower mouth compared with the similar T. tropheops

Tropheops modestus (Johnson 1974) Latin for modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to the slight (or modest) differences between it and the similar Chindongo elongatus, its presumed congener at the time

Tropheops novemfasciatus (Regan 1922) novem (L.), nine; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to nine dark vertical bars crossing body

Tropheops romandi (Colombé 1979) in honor of evolutionary neurobiologist and geneticist Raymond Romand, Institut de Génétique et Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (llkirch-Graffenstaden, France), for his work on African fishes

Tropheops tropheops (Regan 1922) ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), referring to how this cichlid “bears a great superficial resemblance” to Tropheus

Tropheus Boulenger 1898 Latinization of trophós (τροφός), nurse, foster-mother, nourisher, or, per Boulenger, “one who rears, brings up, educates,” referring to how females mouthbrood their eggs and fry

Tropheus annectens Boulenger 1900 Latin for linking or joining, referring to its close taxonomic position to T. moorii

Tropheus brichardi Nelissen & Thys van den Audenaerde 1975 in honor of Belgian aquarium fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921–1990), who provided holotype

Tropheus duboisi Marlier 1959 in honor of Marlier’s colleague, limnologist Jean Dubois, who collected holotype

Tropheus moorii Boulenger 1898 in honor of its discoverer, John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870–1947), British biologist and Tanganyika expedition leader

Tylochromis Regan 1920 tylos, from túlos (τύλος), knot or callus, presumably referring to “strong apophysis” (bony protuberance) on posterior parasphenoid of P. jentinki; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Tylochromis aristoma Stiassny 1989 arí– (ἀρί), intensive prefix meaning “very”; stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to prominent lower jaw and large-mouth appearance of adults

Tylochromis bangwelensis Regan 1920 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Bangwelu, Zambia, type locality

Tylochromis elongatus Stiassny 1989 Latin for prolonged, referring to the relatively elongate, gracile body form of adults

Tylochromis intermedius (Boulenger 1916) Latin for intermediate, presumably referring to its scale formula, intermediate between that of T. jentinki and T. lateralis

Tylochromis jentinki (Steindachner 1894) eponym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Fredericus Anna Jentink (1844–1913), curator at Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (now Naturalis) in Leiden, Netherlands, and editor of its journal (where description was published)

Tylochromis labrodon Regan 1920 lábros (λάβρος), fierce or greedy; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, presumably referring to its formidable pharyngeal tooth development (enlarged rounded teeth covering nearly entire pharyngeal plate)

Tylochromis lateralis (Boulenger 1898) Latin for of the side, presumably referring to upper lateral line ending below last dorsal-fin rays and/or lower lateral line extending from shoulder to caudal fin, where it culminates in three branches

Tylochromis leonensis Stiassny 1989 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sierra Leone, where type locality (Taia River in Njala) is situated

Tylochromis microdon Regan 1920 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, presumably referring to numerous “small slender” bicuspid teeth on lower pharyngeal

Tylochromis mylodon Regan 1920 mylo-, from mýlē (μύλη), mill or millstone; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to molariform (“large, rounded, blunt”) teeth on lower pharyngeal

Tylochromis polylepis (Boulenger 1900) polý- (πολύ-), many; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to its high lateral line count (54–59 scales) compared with congeners

Tylochromis praecox Stiassny 1989 Latin for precocious or premature, referring to its “reproductive precocity” (sexual dimorphism of buccal dentition and coloration clearly evident in specimens <100 mm SL)

Tylochromis pulcher Stiassny 1989 Latin for beautiful, referring to male coloration

Tylochromis regani Stiassny 1989 in honor of British ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878–1943), Natural History Museum (London), whose “pioneering” work “laid the foundation” for this and many other studies of African freshwater fishes

Tylochromis robertsi Stiassny 1989 in honor of American ichthyologist Tyson R. Roberts (1940–2025), whose knowledge of African waterways and their fishes has been of “great value” to this and many other studies of African freshwater fishes

Tylochromis sudanensis Daget 1954 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: presumably referring to its occurrence in the Sudan, the geographic region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from western to eastern Central Africa

Tylochromis trewavasae Stiassny 1989 in honor of British ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900–1993), British Museum (Natural History), who “so generously shared her knowledge” of African cichlids with colleagues and students, and who brought this species to Stiassny’s attention

Tylochromis variabilis Stiassny 1989 Latin for variable, referring to its relatively wide range of body forms and LPJ (lower pharyngeal jaw) development

Tyrannochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 tyrannus (L.), tyrant, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its large size, large mouth, piscivorous diet, and ambush feeding strategy; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Tyrannochromis macrostoma (Regan 1922) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to its very large mouth, the maxillary extending to below eye

Tyrannochromis nigriventer Eccles 1989 nigri-, from niger (L.), dark or black; venter (L.), belly; per Konings (2011), Eccles confused this species with his underwater observations of the similar T. macrostoma, which indeed has a black belly

Variabilichromis Colombé & Allgayer 1985 variabilis (L.), variable, referring to how head morphology of V. moorii can vary from one side of the head to the other in the same individual; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Variabilichromis moorii (Boulenger 1898) in honor of its discoverer, John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870–1947), British biologist and Lake Tanganyika expedition leader

Wallaceochromis Lamboj, Trummer & Metscher 2016 in honor of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913), co-founder of the theory of evolution and founder of biogeography; chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Wallaceochromis humilis (Boulenger 1916) Latin for modest, humble or unassuming, allusion not explained; described as “yellowish” below, perhaps Boulenger was comparing it with the “beautiful rose-colour” of Pelvicachromis pulcher (whose name means beautiful), its presumed congener at the time

Wallaceochromis rubrolabiatus (Lamboj 2004) rubrum, from ruber (L.), red; labiatus (L.), lipped, referring to red lips of males

Wallaceochromis signatus (Lamboj 2004) Latin for marked, referring to black markings on dorsal fin of males and black spot on caudal fin of females

Xenochromis Boulenger 1899 xénos (ξένος), strange or foreign (i.e., different), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to unique dentition (small, close-set, compressed recurved teeth in a single series); chrómis (χρόμις), a name dating to Aristotle, from chremetízo (χρηματίζειν), to neigh or whinny, 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)

Xenochromis hecqui Boulenger 1899 in honor of Lieut. Célestin Hecq (1859–1910), who served in the Belgium Forces stationed in the Congo fighting the slave trade and commander of the fort at Albertville (now Mtoa); he collected many fishes from Lake Tanganyika, including holotype of this one

Xenotilapia Boulenger 1899 xénos (ξένος), strange or foreign (i.e., different), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to three (vs. two) lateral lines and/or longer inner (vs. outer) ventral-fin rays of X. sima, characters not seen on most other cichlids; Tilapia, catch-all genus for African cichlids

Xenotilapia bathyphilus Poll 1956 bathýs (βαθύς), deep; phílos (φίλος), friend or fond of (i.e., lover of the deep), proposed as a subspecies of X. ochrogenys collected in deeper waters (down to 100 m vs. 50 m)

Xenotilapia boulengeri (Poll 1942) in honor of Belgian-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858-1937), “whose work made known most of the fishes of Lake Tanganyika” (translation)

Xenotilapia burtoni Poll 1951 of Burton Bay, near Tembele, Lake Tanganyika, type locality

Xenotilapia caudafasciata Poll 1951 cauda (L.), tail; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to vertical bands in caudal fin of males

Xenotilapia flavipinnis Poll 1985 flavus (L.), yellow; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to yellowish fins seen on most specimens

Xenotilapia longispinis Poll 1951 longus (L.), long; spinis, from spinus (L.), thorn, referring to prolonged spines (longer in males) in anterior part of dorsal fin

Xenotilapia nasus De Vos, Risch & Thys van den Audenaerde 1995 long-nosed, referring to its narrow, rounded and prominent snout

Xenotilapia nigrolabiata Poll 1951 nigro– (L.), dark or black; labiata (L.), lipped, referring to blackish upper lip of both sexes

Xenotilapia ochrogenys (Boulenger 1914) ochro, from ōkhrós (ὠχρός), yellowish-pale; génys (γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), referring to bright chin (and lips) seen in some males

Xenotilapia ornatipinnis Boulenger 1901 ornatus (L.), adorned or decorated; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to large blackish or oblique bars on dorsal fin and/or “blackish chevron-shaped band lower down” on caudal fin

Xenotilapia papilio Büscher 1990 Latin for butterfly, referring to Papillon, a spontaneous name given to it by Büscher’s Congolese companions

Xenotilapia sima Boulenger 1899 Latin for pug- or flat-nosed, referring to its very steep head profile

Xenotilapia singularis (Boulenger 1914) Latin for unique or remarkable, allusion not explained nor evident

Xenotilapia spilopterus Poll & Stewart 1975 spilos (σπίλος), mark or spot; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to large black blotch on posterior part of spiny dorsal fin in both sexes