African mouthbrooding cichlids include the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus); the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus); Maylandia fish, which is endemic to Lake Malawi; Pseudotropheus fish, with over 20 mouthbrooding species, including the bumblebee cichlid (P. crabro); peacock cichlids (Aulonocara); and fish of the genus Tropheus, such as the blunthead cichlid (T. moorii), which are only found in East Africa, in Lake Tanganyika. In most species of mouthbrooding cichlids, the female is responsible for the brooding, but African spatula-barbled catfish (Phyllonemus typus) males also help with the task.
The redhump eartheater (Geophagus steindachneri) is a South- American mouthbrooding cichlid commonly traded as an ornamental fish. Other species include the oscar fish (Astronotus ocellatus) and members of the genera Geophagus, Aequidens, Gymnogeophagus and Satanoperca, which are also known as eartheaters. Despite the name, these fish eat meat and sometimes algae. Also native to South American rivers, the colorful angelfish (Pterophyllum) and discus fish (Symphysodon) brood their offspring in their mouths until they're ready to swim fast enough to escape predators.
Mouthbrooding cichlids native to Central America are rare, although introduced species are found in the wild. In the Caribbean, there is a single genus of mouthbrooding cichlid (Nandopsis), native to Cuba and Hispaniola. Member of the genus Geophagus are most common in South America, but are also native to southern areas of Central America.
Mouthbrooding cichlids native to Asia include Astatotilapia flaviijosephi, an endangered species found in Syria and Israel; the blue or Israeli tilapia (Oreochromis aureus), which is an invasive species in the United States; the mango tilapia (Sarotherodon galilaeus), found in Jordan, Syria and Israel, as well as north Africa; Tristramella sacra, endemic to Lake Kinneret in Israel and critically endangered; and Iranocichla hormuzensis, endemic to southern Iran.