''Cryptoheros'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of small

cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted th ...

fishes from

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and southeast

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. They reach up to in length.

Taxonomy and species

The genus formerly contained nine species that had been included within the genus ''

Archocentrus ''Archocentrus'' is a genus of cichlid fish from Central America. It currently contains a single species, the flier cichlid (''Archocentrus centrarchus''), which is found in stagnant and slow-moving freshwater habitats such as lakes, ponds, ditch ...

''. The

convict cichlid The convict cichlid (''Amatitlania nigrofasciata'') is a fish species from the family Cichlidae, native to Central America, also known as the zebra cichlid. Convict cichlids are popular aquarium fish and have also been the subject of numerous ...

has sometimes been placed within the genus ''Cryptoheros'' as well, but is now considered a member of the genus ''

Amatitlania ''Amatitlania'' is a genus of cichlid fishes native to freshwater habitats in Central America from El Salvador and Guatemala to Panama. They are fairly small cichlids, typically reaching up to in standard length depending on exact species, alth ...

''. Several other species such as ''

Amatitlania septemfasciata ''Amatitlania septemfasciata'' (sometimes called the Seven-stripe Cichlid or Cutter's Cichlid) is a fish species in the cichlid family. It is found on the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica, between the San Juan River drainage and the Banano River. ...

'' and ''

Amatitlania sajica ''Amatitlania sajica'', the T-bar cichlid or Sajica cichlid, is a Central American species of cichlid found in freshwater streams and lakes on the Pacific slope of Costa Rica. The fish is tan colored with seven indistinct bars on the body. The t ...

'' had also once been included within ''Cryptoheros''.

FishBase FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.

currently recognizes four species in this genus: * ''

Cryptoheros chetumalensis ''Cryptoheros'' is a genus of small cichlid fishes from Central America and southeast Mexico. They reach up to in length. Taxonomy and species The genus formerly contained nine species that had been included within the genus ''Archocentrus''. ...

'' Schmitter-Soto, 2007 –

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

to the Yucatan Peninsula in

* ''

Cryptoheros cutteri ''Cryptoheros'' is a genus of small cichlid fishes from Central America and southeast Mexico. They reach up to in length. Taxonomy and species The genus formerly contained nine species that had been included within the genus ''Archocentrus''. ...

'' ( Fowler, 1932) – Atlantic side of Honduras to Guatemala * ''

Cryptoheros panamensis ''Panamius'' is a genus of cichlid fish from moderately flowing rivers and streams in Panama. The only species within ''Panamius'' is ''Panamius panamensis''. ''Panamius'' had been previously considered a subgenus within the genus ''Cryptoheros ...

'' ( Meek & Hildebrand, 1913) – Atlantic side of Panama * ''

Cryptoheros spilurus The blue-eye cichlid (''Cryptoheros spilurus'') is a small species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is native to Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined a ...

'' ( Günther, 1862) (Blue-eye cichlid) –

Lake Izabal Lake Izabal (), also known as the Golfo Dulce, is the largest lake in Guatemala with a surface area of 589.6 km² (145,693 acres or 227.6 sq mi) and a maximum depth is 18 m (59 ft). The Polochic River is the largest river that dra ...

drainage in Guatemala ''C. panamenis'' is placed in the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed betw ...

'' Panamius'' within ''Cryptoheros''. However, genetic analysis by Říčan, et al. revealed that ''C. panamensis'' is not closely related to the other species that are included in ''Cryptoheros''. They recommended that ''Panamius'' should be elevated to a full genus, meaning that ''C. panamensis'' becomes ''Panamius panamensis''.

References

Fish of Central America Heroini Cichlid genera {{Cichlidae-stub