Original description:
- Trewavas, Ethelwynn. 1935. "A Synopsis of the Cichlid Fishes of Lake Nyasa". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 10:65-118 (crc00118)
Type species: Petrotilapia tridentiger Trewavas, 1935 (monotypy).
Described species included (10):
valid: 10- Petrotilapia tridentiger Trewavas, 1935 (valid)
- Petrotilapia genalutea Marsh, 1983 (valid)
- Petrotilapia nigra Marsh, 1983 (valid)
- Petrotilapia chrysos Stauffer & Van Snik, 1996 (valid)
- Petrotilapia microgalana Ruffing, Lambert & Stauffer, 2006 (valid)
- Petrotilapia xanthos Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings, 2011 (valid)
- Petrotilapia mumboensis Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings, 2011 (valid)
- Petrotilapia pyroscelos Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings, 2011 (valid)
- Petrotilapia palingnathos Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings, 2011 (valid)
- Petrotilapia flaviventris Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings, 2011 (valid)
Potentially undescribed species (9):
- sp. 'black flank' (undescribed)
- sp. 'fuscous' (undescribed)
- sp. 'chitimba' (undescribed)
- sp. 'likoma barred' (undescribed)
- sp. 'likoma variable' (undescribed)
- sp. 'mumbo yellow' (undescribed)
- sp. 'nigra tanzania' (undescribed)
- sp. 'nigra tumbi' (undescribed)
- sp. 'yellow chin' (undescribed)