Buccochromis atritaeniatus is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Lake Malawi in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes and intermediate and sandy areas and has been caught between 10 and 40 meters; it feeds on Haplochromines and hunts in pairs or large groups. Breeding males are found in colonies at depths about 30 meters and, while breeding, build sandcastle nests on steeply sloping sandy shores. The only known threat is fisheries and is known as Haplochromis mbowe in the fishing trade.