Décrit initialement sous Haplochromis maxillaris:
ZooBank:C68DD254-A6D5-466B-96BB-211194A2C9B6.
- Trewavas, Ethelwynn. 1928. "Descriptions of five new cichlid fishes of the genus Haplochromis from Lake Victoria". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 10:93-95 (crc00362)
Conservation: Haplochromis maxillaris est évalué par l\'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature dans la Liste Rouge des espèces menacées comme étant (VU) Vulnerable (2010). This species has not been caught in lake Victoria since 1980 so it seems endangered at least in the lake. In 2001, Yves Fermon and Olivier Berthelot caught a single female of 10 cm TL in Lake Kanyaboli so it seems that some remain in this lake.