Hoplarchus psittacus is a species of cichlid endemic to the blackwater rivers in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela, including the Rio Negro, Jamari, Preto da Eva, Urubu rivers and upper Orinoco drainages. This fish can reach a length of 35 centimetres (14 in) TL and is important as a food fish to local indigenous peoples. This species is currently the only member of its genus. This species is occasionally kept as an aquarium fish and is traded under the common name "parrot cichlid" (a name also used for one sister species and a hybrid fish).