Original description as Paratilapia cinerea:
ZooBank:FC94E6F6-58ED-4096-8E2C-1DBA2B8A39A9.
- Boulenger, George Albert. 1906. "Descriptions of new fishes discovered by Mr E. Degen in Lake Victoria". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. (ser7)17:433-452 (crc00190)
Conservation: Astatotilapia cinerea is evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species as (DD) data deficient (2010).