Melanochromis baliodigma Bowers & Stauffer, 1997
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
Melanochromis baliodigma is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi where it is only known from the area around Membe Point in areas where sandy bottoms meet up with rocky areas. This species can grow to a length of 6.7 centimetres (2.6 in) SL.
Wikipedia contributors, Melanochromis baliodigma; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:09:58.249005+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanochromis baliodigma Bowers & Stauffer, 1997
- Name authority
- Bowers & Stauffer, 1997
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Melanochromis
- 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
- genusMelanochromis Trewavas, 1935
- speciesMelanochromis baliodigma Bowers & Stauffer, 1997
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanochromis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Melanochromis vermivorus Trewavas, 1935 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis mossambiquensis Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis auratus (Boulenger, 1897) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis kaskazini Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis robustus Johnson, 1985 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanochromis wochepa Konings-Dudin, Konings & Stauffer, 2009 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Melanochromis xanthodigma Bowers & Stauffer, 1997 Bowers & Stauffer, 1997 | 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.
- Bowers, N. J.; Stauffer, Jr., J. R. (1997). Eight new species of rock-dwelling cichlids of the genus Melanochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Malawi, Africa. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 8 (1): 49–70. 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:739FN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.