Melanochromis vermivorus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	PERCIFORMES	CICHLIDAE

Scientific Name:

Melanochromis vermivorus

Species Authority:

Trewavas, 1935

Common Name/s:

English

–

Purple Mbuna

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2006
Assessor/s:	Kasembe, J.
Reviewer/s:	Snoeks, J. (Freshwater Fish Red List Authority) & Darwall, W. (Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Programme)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Endemic to Lake Malawi where it is widespread throughout the southern part of the lake. It has no known major, widespread threats.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Endemic to Lake Malawi. Occurs in the southern part of the lake between Mbenji Island and Monkey Bay (including Maleri Island, Chidunga rocks, Nankhumba peninsula area) as well as Chinyamwezi, Chinyankwazi, Eccles reef and West reef.
Countries:	Native: Malawi
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	No information available.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Occurs at all sediment free rocky habitats in shallow water. It is numerous among medium sized rocks but sometimes occurs in the intermediate habitat. Males are territorial at locations where this species is abundant. At locations with low population densities, the males behave aggressively against conspecific males but are hardly territorial. It feeds from the biocover on the rocks as well as from the open water. Known by its scientific name in the aquarium trade.
Systems:	Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

Occurs at all sediment free rocky habitats in shallow water. It is numerous among medium sized rocks but sometimes occurs in the intermediate habitat. Males are territorial at locations where this species is abundant. At locations with low population densities, the males behave aggressively against conspecific males but are hardly territorial. It feeds from the biocover on the rocks as well as from the open water. Known by its scientific name in the aquarium trade.

Systems:

Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Subsistence fishing. Collection for the aquarium trade. Competition from translocated species. Sedimentation.

Major Threat(s):

Subsistence fishing. Collection for the aquarium trade. Competition from translocated species. Sedimentation.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	None.

Conservation Actions:

None.

Citation:	Kasembe, J. 2006. Melanochromis vermivorus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2013.
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