Original description as Copadichromis mbenjii:
ZooBank:C20A417C-0B35-4946-B246-D0A999740D5E.
- Konings, Ad. 1990. "Descriptions of Six New Malawi Cichlids". Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine. 38 (11): pp. 110-129 (crc00111)
Conservation: Copadichromis mbenjii is evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species as (VU) vulnerable (2006). Since C. mbenjii is not a species of the true open water column but resides more between rocks or near rocky areas, it seems less threatened with overfishing as the typical utaka nets cannot be employed among or near rocks. It is, however, commonly found among the catches of the numerous fishermen on Mbenji Island, but that is probably more due to the abundance of C. mbenjii at this location.