Taxonomy & naming
Stigmatochromis woodi was originally described in the broad catch-all genus Haplochromis by an early twentieth-century worker on Lake Nyasa's cichlid fauna, before the 1989 revision of Malawi's predatory haplochromine cichlids by Eccles and Trewavas moved it, along with numerous related ambush-hunting species, into the newly erected genus Stigmatochromis. That revision grouped together a set of robust, large-mouthed predators distinguished by dentition and body proportions from the more slender piscivores retained in genera such as Rhamphochromis and Sciaenochromis. The genus name, from the Greek for "marked" or "spotted" combined with "chromis," a classical fish name, reflects the mottled or blotched camouflage pattern typical of its members. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes is the authority for the species' currently accepted valid name and any synonymy.
Morphology
Stigmatochromis woodi has the robust, large-headed build typical of the genus's ambush predators: a deep, muscular body, a wide terminal mouth capable of engulfing sizeable prey, and a mottled or blotched flank pattern that breaks up its outline against a rocky or mixed sand-rock background. Species in this genus run larger than the algae-grazing mbuna they share habitat with, and Stigmatochromis woodi is estimated in the mid-teens of centimetres at maturity, consistent with other members of the genus. As with most Malawi haplochromines, males in breeding condition are expected to show more saturated colour than females, though detailed, confirmed colour description specific to this species is not available here.
Habitat
The species is documented from several sites in the southern part of Lake Malawi, including Gome, Luwala Reef, Mbenji Island, and Otter Point. This stretch of coast typifies the sand-rock transition habitat that Stigmatochromis species favour — scattered boulders and outcrops standing over open sand, offering both concealment and open ground over which to ambush prey, rather than the continuous rock reef preferred by the mbuna. Water conditions follow the lake's usual profile: warm, alkaline, and well-buffered, with the species ranging through the moderate depths typical of the genus's ambush-hunting habitat.
Feeding
Stigmatochromis woodi is a predatory ambush hunter, in keeping with the genus. Rather than actively pursuing prey, it relies on camouflage and stillness, positioning itself near rock cover or over open sand and waiting for smaller fish or invertebrates to come within striking range before lunging with its large mouth. This sit-and-wait strategy is energy-efficient and favours the robust, muscular body and wide gape characteristic of the genus, allowing it to take proportionally large prey items relative to a slimmer, pursuit-hunting predator.
Mating
As in other Lake Malawi haplochromines, Stigmatochromis woodi is understood to be polygynous with no lasting pair bond, males establishing a breeding territory that they defend and display from to attract passing females. The specific courtship behaviour of this species has not been separately documented here and is inferred from the shared reproductive pattern of predatory Malawi haplochromines generally, in which a receptive female approaches a colour-displaying male and spawns at his prepared site before departing to brood the clutch alone.
Breeding
Stigmatochromis woodi is a maternal mouthbrooder, as are essentially all Lake Malawi haplochromines. Following spawning, the female takes the fertilised eggs into her mouth and broods them, together with the resulting fry, for an extended period — typically on the order of three to four weeks across this group — during which she feeds little or not at all. She then releases free-swimming fry into cover, with no further parental investment from either parent. Clutch size specific to this species is not documented here.
In the aquarium
Stigmatochromis woodi is an uncommon aquarium fish, kept mainly by specialist Malawi hobbyists interested in the lake's predatory haplochromines rather than the more commonly traded mbuna. As a robust ambush predator it needs a spacious tank, at least 59 in, with a mix of open sand and scattered rockwork to reflect its natural sand-rock habitat, plus room to grow into its adult size. Water should follow the lake's chemistry — warm, alkaline, and well-buffered, roughly pH 7.7 to 8.6. Because it is predatory, small tankmates are at risk of being eaten, so it is best housed with other robust Malawi cichlids of comparable size rather than small community fish. It generally adapts well to prepared foods in captivity alongside occasional meaty items.
Conservation
No confirmed IUCN Red List status for Stigmatochromis woodi is available here, so none is stated. As a species restricted to specific sites along the southern Lake Malawi shoreline, it would generally be exposed to the pressures common to that region — targeted aquarium and food-fish collection, sedimentation from shoreline development, and the wider fishing pressure documented across the lake's southern basin — but a species-specific assessment of its status is not confirmed in the sources consulted here.