Original description as Haplochromis melanopterus:
ZooBank:2816AAF5-EE83-4F6A-9232-163E7A3103AC.
- Trewavas, Ethelwynn. 1928. "Descriptions of five new cichlid fishes of the genus Haplochromis from Lake Victoria". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 10; pp. 93-95 (crc00362)
Conservation: Haplochromis melanopterus is evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species as (VU) vulnerable (2010).