Sam Borstein's Cichlid Page


Archocentrus sp. "honduran red point"

Honduran Red Point
Synonyms: Amatitlania sp. "honduran red point", Cryptoheros sp. "honduran red point"

Honduran Red Point
Above: A male Honduran Red Point displaying. Photo by Sam Borstein.

Etymology:

Genus- Arch= anus (Greek), kentron= sting (Greek), Referring to the anal fin spines.
Species- "honduran red point"= they are from Honduras and have some red scales on the abdomen.

Intro:

Archocentrus sp. "honduran red point" is a rather new fish in the hobby. Scientists are torn between whether this is a new species or a form of Archocentrus nigrofasciatum. I believe it is a new species. This Convict type has brilliant hues in its fins and is a stunning cichlid. This species also seems to have a very different mouth structure than that of the common convict. This is no ordinary convict.

This fish was originally collected by Rusty Wessel on a collecting trip to Honduras.

There has been much debate about this fish and where it stands taxonomically speaking. Allgayer in 2001 created the genera Cryptoheros, with the type being Archocentrus spilurus. This description was poorly done. Schmitter-Soto published a paper that came out in 2008, Convicts were given their own genera, Amatitlania, composed of the four species and one undescribed species. Off the bat the genus Amatitlania was rejected by many scientists. Although there may be more than one species of Convict, the descriptions for the three new species are poorly done and in doubt. Because of this I leave this fish in Archocentrus until a proper review of the Convict Cichlids is completed.

Distribution:

This fish is endemic to the Rio Danli in Honduras. A fish has been going around as Honduran Red Point "Rio Mongo". This fish is not a Honduran Red Point, but rather what most likely keys out to be a Amatitlania siquia from Schmitter-Soto's 2007 revision.

Size, Maturity, and Sexual Dimorphism:

Size: Males- 4 inches, Females- 3 inches
Maturity: 2 inches
Sexual Dimorphism: Males are larger and may have longer fins. Males also get a more rounded head profile. Females have an orange-red belly, but males can also have some color on thier belly, meaning this is not a 100% reliable method to sex these fish.

Honduran Red Point

Honduran Red Point
Above: A male (left) and femal (Right) Honduran Red Point. Photos by Sam Borstein.


Care:

This is a relatively peaceful species for a Convict type. I kept mine in a 20 gallon tank with no problems. Do give the fish caves to make them feel more comfortable.

Diet:

I fed my Honduran Red Points a variety of food items. They were not picky at all. Feed meaty foods with some occasional veggie flakes or other foods with fiber.

Breeding:

Honduran Red Points are relatively easy to breed. The fish take a while to settle down and can be quite shy at first. For this reason I believe this species will feel more secure in a species tank for breeding, but will do fine in a community tank under most circumstances.

Honduran Red Point Pair
Above: A pair of Honduran Red Points in a cave they dug for spawning. Photo by Sam Borstein.

This species is very different than a convict when it comes to breeding. Like typical convicts these fish breed in secluded areas of the tank in caves. These fish have an excellent pair bond like convict cichlids, but they are not as aggressive towards each other nor other species when spawning. The most striking difference between Honduran Red Points and Convicts when it comes to spawning behavior is that the numerous times this fish spawned for me they only laid around 40-50 eggs compared to a convict whose first spawns are 200 or more.  Any more than 50 eggs is considered a huge spawn for a Honduran Red Point.

Conclusion:

Archocentrus sp. "honduran red point" is making its way around the hobby. This fish is great, so if you see it around or like Convict types, pick it up. It was fun to see its difference in behavior compared to some other Convict type.

References: