Oryginalny opis jako Melanochromis vermivorus:
ZooBank:96AB336E-8D9F-4BB9-9B9A-7D25F872C0E2.
- Trewavas, Ethelwynn. 1935. "A Synopsis of the Cichlid Fishes of Lake Nyasa". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 10; pp. 65-118 (crc00118)
Ochrona: Melanochromis vermivorus jest wpisany prez Międzynarodową Unię Ochrony Przyrody do Czerwonej Księgi Gatunków Zagrożonych IUCN jako (LC) Najmniejszej troski (2006). The name vermivorus has been used for the wrong species in the last 25 years and the classification "Least Concern" refers to M. heterochromis. Nevertheless the true Melanochromis vermivorus doesn't seem to be threatened although the populations are much smaller than those of M. heterochromis with which it has never been found together.