Maylandia

Maylandia

Welcome to the fascinating world of Maylandia! This is a genus of beautiful cichlids native to Lake Malawi in Africa. They are known for their vibrant colors and interesting behavior, which makes them very popular with aquarium enthusiasts.

They belong to the “Mbuna” cichlids, which means “rock dweller” in the local language. They therefore live mainly among the rocks, where they find their food and hide. Although they are beautiful to look at, they are fish with a strong character that require specific care. They are territorial and can be quite fierce, especially the males. Therefore, it is important to know well what they need before placing them in your aquarium. In this article, we dive deeper into the world of Maylandia, from their name and origin to their care and reproduction.
Name and meaning
The genus Maylandia was first described in 1984 by scientists Meyer & Förster. The name Maylandia is a tribute to Hans Joachim Mayland (about 1928-2004), a well-known German aquarist and author of books on aquarium fish. The ending “-ia” means “belonging to,” so Maylandia literally means “belonging to Mayland.

This genus belongs to the family of Cichlids, with the scientific name Cichlidae. This family is known for the enormous diversity of species and their often complex behavior, especially when it comes to caring for their young.
The discussion around Maylandia and Metriaclima
Within the scientific world and among aquarium enthusiasts, there has been a debate for years about which name is the correct one for this genus: Maylandia or Metriaclima.

Maylandia: As mentioned, this name was proposed in 1984. However, critics argue that Maylandia did not comply with all the rules for zoological naming when it was published in 1984. In particular, a formal diagnosis (a detailed scientific description of distinguishing characteristics) would not have been provided. According to this view, therefore, Maylandia would be invalid or unavailable.
Metriaclima: This name was later introduced, in 1997, by Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye. The name Metriaclima is composed of two Greek words:

Metrios, which means “moderately” or “average.”
Klima (or clima), which means “slope” or “elevation.” Together, Metriaclima refers to the “moderately inclined head” characteristic of the fish within this genus. This was an anatomical detail that the authors saw as an important distinguishing feature.

On the other hand, there are scientists and sources, such as Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, that do consider Maylandia to be valid because it is the oldest published name, and in taxonomy, the oldest valid name has priority .

In practice, one sees that both Maylandia and Metriaclima are used. Many publications and commercial parties nowadays more often use Metriaclima, partly because this name is based on a more clearly defined description . On AquaInfo.nl we choose to use the name Metriaclima in our database, because this name is better substantiated according to the rules of taxonomic nomenclature.

For more information on the genus Metriaclima and its species, please visit the page: Metriaclima on AquaInfo.nl/en/.