Original description:
- Trewavas, Ethelwynn. 1935. "A Synopsis of the Cichlid Fishes of Lake Nyasa". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 10:65-118 (crc00118)
Type species: Melanochromis melanopterus Trewavas, 1935 (original designation).
Described species included (18):
valid: 15 synonym: 3- Chromis aurata Boulenger, 1897 (valid)
- Melanochromis melanopterus Trewavas, 1935 (valid)
- Melanochromis vermivorus Trewavas, 1935 (valid)
- Melanochromis simulans Eccles, 1973 (valid)
- Melanochromis chipokae Johnson, 1975 (valid)
- Melanochromis robustus Johnson, 1975 (valid)
- Melanochromis loriae Johnson, 1975 (valid)
- Melanochromis parallelus Burgess & Axelrod, 1976 (synonym)
- Melanochromis mellitus Johnson, 1976 (synonym)
- Melanochromis heterochromis Bowers & Stauffer, 1993 (valid)
- Melanochromis baliodigma Bowers & Stauffer, 1997 (valid)
- Melanochromis dialeptos Bowers & Stauffer, 1997 (valid)
- Melanochromis lepidiadaptes Bowers & Stauffer, 1997 (valid)
- Melanochromis xanthodigma Bowers & Stauffer, 1997 (synonym)
- Melanochromis kaskazini Konings, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 (valid)
- Melanochromis mossambiquensis Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 (valid)
- Melanochromis wochepa Konings, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 (valid)
- Melanochromis mpoto Konings & Stauffer, 2012 (valid)
Potentially undescribed species (2):
- sp. 'robustus mbenji' (undescribed)
- sp. 'parallelus mbweca' (undescribed)