Morphometric and meristic values were obtained from six populations of Lake Malawi
fishes purported to belong to the species Melanochromis vermivorus Trewavas and
compared with data from type material of M. vermivorus. Multivariate statistical
analysis of the data revealed differences between the type material and the sampled
populations with respect to shape and meristic counts. A previously recognized,
but undescribed, species, Melanochromis sp. "chinyamwezi" (endemic to Chinyamwezi
Island), is shown to be conspecific with the supposed M. vermivorus populations.
We describe a new species of Melanochromis based on the above material.