Amatitlania - Central American cichlids

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 6.4–10 cm (2.5–4 in) in standard length depending on exact species, although captives may grow larger.

Several Amatitlania species are regularly kept in aquariums, especially the convict cichlids, which are aggressively territorial, but some others in the genus are less pugnacious. Some Amatitlania species have small ranges and are considered threatened, primarily due to habitat loss and pollution. Four are regarded as priority species in the CARES program, which aims to ensure their survival through captive breeding.

Amatitlania is closely related to Archocentrus and Cryptoheros, and among others contains the convict cichlids that were previously placed in those genera. The genus was erected by Juan Schmitter-Soto in 2007 based on a study of the Archocentrus complex. A 2008 study led by Oldřich Říčan has suggested that all the species in Cryptoheros and Amatitlania should be moved into the genus Hypsophrys.

There are currently 9 recognized species in Amatitlania:

Amatitlania altoflava (Allgayer 2001)
Amatitlania coatepeque Schmitter-Soto, 2007
Amatitlania kanna Schmitter-Soto, 2007
Amatitlania myrnae (Loiselle, 1997)
Amatitlania nanolutea (Allgayer, 1994)
Amatitlania nigrofasciata (Günther, 1867) (Convict cichlid)
Amatitlania septemfasciata (Regan, 1908)
Amatitlania sajica (Bussing, 1974)
Amatitlania siquia Schmitter-Soto, 2007 (Honduran red point cichlid)