Rhamphochromis

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Rhamphochromis sp. "Chilingali".jpg

| taxon = Rhamphochromis

| authority = Regan, 1922

| type_species = Hemichromis longiceps

| type_species_authority = Günther, 1864

}}

Rhamphochromis is a genus of East African haplochromine cichlids endemic to the Lake Malawi basin, also including Lake Malombe, Lake Chilingali, Chia Lagoon and upper Shire River.Genner; Nichols; Carvalho; Robinson; Shaw; Smith; and Turner (2007). Evolution of a cichlid fish in a Lake Malawi satellite lake. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 274(1623). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0619. They mainly occur in offshore open waters (down to depths of {{convert|200|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}Lowe-McConnell, R.H. (2003). Recent research in the African Great Lakes: Fisheries, biodiversity and cichlid evolution. Freshwater Forum 20(1): 4—64.), but a few species also near the coast.Konings, Ad (1990). Ad Konings' Book of Cichlids and all the other Fishes of Lake Malawi. Pp. 458—464. {{ISBN|978-0866225274}}. They are piscivores that typically feed on lake sardines and small utaka cichlids.

They are elongated in shape and mainly silver or golden-silver in color, sometimes with yellow fins (especially pelvic and anal fins) and dark horizontal lines along the body. Depending on the species involved, they reach lengths of up to {{convert|28|to(-)|45|cm|in|abbr=on}}.{{FishBase genus | genus = Rhamphochromis| month = April | year = 2017}}

Although not closely related, they have sometimes been compared to piscivorous Bathybates cichlids of Lake Tanganyika.Lindqvist, O.V.; H. Mölsä; K. Solonen; J. Sarvala, editors (1999). From Limnology to Fisheries: Lake Tanganyika and Other Large Lakes. Pp. 213—214. Springer. {{ISBN|978-0792360179}}