The poor man's Tropheus (Neetroplus nematopus) has been placed in a new genera called Hyposphrys which it shares with Hypsophrys nicaraguensis. Originally this small cichlid was considered a monotypic genus with only one species.

 

Neetroplus nematopus is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species marked as Near Threatened Status.

 

This small-medium-sized cichlid can reach a length of 12 cm. It occurs in Central America in Lake Xiloa, Lake Managua, Lake Masaya and Lake Nicaragua and in riverine habitats on the Atlantic coasts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Like many Central American cichlids the species is commonly found in hard, alkaline (pH 7.5) water. Their diet consists of algae and plant material which it scrapes from rocks and other hard surfaces in a fashion similar to algal grazing cichlids of Lake Malawi in Africa. Some populations are reportedly involved in cleaning other fish of parasites. It is said to consume chironomid larvae, and is more efficient at winnowing through soft sediment on the river-bed than might be expected from the shape of its snout, moving large quantities of sand with its mouth and sweeping sand away with its fins and tail.

 

H.neatopus uses the same skills when excavating a hole for its nest. Like most substratum spawing cichlids, brood care is highly developed with both parents involved in fry raising. Coloration changes dramatically while breeding and when the fry are present. They transform into a dark charcol gray color with a single vertical white bar.