Maylandia zebra (Boulenger, 1899)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The zebra mbuna (Maylandia zebra) is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi in Africa. This species can reach a length of 11.3 cm (4.4 in). It feeds on aufwuchs, a surface layer of mostly algal material that grows on rocks. This cichlid is a mouthbrooder and the female broods the eggs in her mouth for about three weeks. This fish can sometimes be found in the aquarium trade.
Wikipedia contributors, Zebra mbuna; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:09:02.435811+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Maylandia zebra (Boulenger, 1899)
- Name authority
- (Boulenger, 1899)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Maylandia
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCichliformes
- familyCichlidae Bonaparte, 1835
- subfamilyPseudocrenilabrinae Fowler, 1934
- genusMaylandia Meyer & Foerster, 1984
- speciesMaylandia zebra (Boulenger, 1899)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Maylandia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Maylandia aurora (Burgess, 1976) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia chrysomallos (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye, 1997) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia cyneusmarginata (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye, 1997) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia estherae (Konings, 1995) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia fainzilberi (Staeck, 1976) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia hajomaylandi (Meyer & Schartl, 1984) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia lanisticola (Burgess, 1976) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia lombardoi (Burgess, 1977) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia lundoensis (Stauffer, Black & Konings, 2013) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia mbenjii (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye, 1997) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia midomo (Stauffer, Black & Konings, 2013) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maylandia mossambica (Ciccotto, Konings & Stauffer, 2011) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Maylandia melabranchion (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye, 1997) (Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye, 1997) | synonym |
| Metriaclima melabranchion Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye, 1997 Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye, 1997 | synonym |
| Pseudotropheus zebra (Boulenger, 1899) (Boulenger, 1899) | synonym |
| Tilapia zebra Boulenger, 1899 Boulenger, 1899 | synonym |
| Metriaclima zebra (Boulenger, 1899) (Boulenger, 1899) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1019099 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3YHM5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.