Scantily clad but not naked: an analysis of the Metriaclima vs. Maylandia (Teleostei: Cichlidae) debate

Maylandia Meyer & Foerster 1984 was proposed as a subgenus for members of the Pseudotropheus zebra complex (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Malawi. Stauffer et al. (1997) proposed that these species warranted their own genus; instead of elevating Maylandia to full genus, they replaced it with a new name, Metriaclima, stating that Maylandia is a nomen nudum. Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes treats Metriaclima as a junior synonym of Maylandia, but both names continue to be used in ichthyological and aquarium literature.

In fact, 16 new species have been described using the Metriaclima name since 2007, which Eschmeyer’s Catalog reassigns to Maylandia. An analysis of the orginal description of Maylandia reveals that differentiating characters are given and that the publication is available per the ICZN Code (second edition, 1964) in force at the time. Literature on the controversy, most of it in aquarium publications and websites, is reviewed.

Arguments against Maylandia are based on an uncomprimisingly strict or literal reading of Meyer and Foerster’s original description and impractically narrow interpretations and applications of article 13a(i) of the 1964 Code. This analysis confirms that Metriaclima is a junior synonym of Maylandia. Authors of future taxonomic publications on Lake Malawi cichlids, and the peers and editors who review their manuscripts, should reject Metriaclima and use Maylandia instead.