Taxonomy & naming
Cryptoheros chetumalensis was described by Juan J. Schmitter-Soto in 2007, in the same work that split the old Archocentrus assemblage and placed the small, cave-spawning species in Cryptoheros. The name is a combination in its original genus, so the authority carries no parentheses. The Catalog of Fishes is followed for the valid name.
Morphology
A small cichlid: FishBase gives a maximum of 4 in SL for males or unsexed fish. Detailed colour descriptions are not recorded in the sources available to the atlas, so none are given here.
Habitat
The type locality is Arroyo Aguadulce, a tributary of the Río Hondo, at Sabidos, near Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The species is recorded from Belize and Mexico, in lowland freshwater of the Yucatán Peninsula side of the Caribbean slope. FishBase lists it as benthopelagic and tropical.
Feeding
Diet in the wild is not recorded for this species. Other small Cryptoheros are omnivores that pick invertebrates and plant material from the bottom, and that is a reasonable guide to feeding it in captivity.
Mating
Mating behaviour is not documented for this species in the sources available to the atlas. Cryptoheros as a genus is known for pairs that use caves and crevices as spawning sites.
Breeding
Breeding details for C. chetumalensis are not recorded. Expect the genus pattern of a pair spawning on a cleaned surface in a sheltered site, with both parents guarding the clutch and fry.
In the aquarium
It is a small, peaceful-for-its-genus cichlid that suits a species tank with rock caves or flowerpots. Specific water parameters are not recorded for this species; the warm, tropical water of its Yucatán range is the better guide than generic cichlid values.
Conservation
FishBase carries an IUCN Least Concern assessment from 2018. The species has a restricted range in the Río Hondo region of Mexico and Belize.