''Abactochromis'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted th ...

fish containing the single species ''Abactochromis labrosus'' (formerly known as ''Melanochromis labrosus''). The genus name combines the Latin for "driven away from" ("ab" - away from, "actus" - driven) with the commonly used

haplochromine __NOTOC__ The haplochromine cichlids are a tribe of cichlids in subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae called Haplochromini. This group includes the type genus (''Haplochromis'') plus a number of closely related genera such as ''Aulonocara'', ''Astatot ...

name "chromis". The name encompasses both the origin of the genus (the species was "banished" from the genus ''

Melanochromis ''Melanochromis'' is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in Eastern Africa. Ecologically, they belong to the rock-dwelling mbuna cichlids of Lake Malawi. ''Melanochromis'' are typically small, slim but muscular fishes with l ...

'') and the fish's solitary, wandering behaviour (as if it had been driven away from the other cichlids). ''A. labrosus'' is native to

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest f ...

. The largest known wild specimen (shown in the photo at right) had a standard length (without caudal fin) of 119 mm (4.7 in).

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q14023599, from2=Q115865 Haplochromini Monotypic ray-finned fish genera Fish of Lake Malawi Fish described in 1935 Cichlid genera