Heros efasciatus is a species of tropical freshwater cichlid native to the Amazon basin in South America.

[1] It is commonly found in the aquarium trade, often in its gold colored variation rather than the wild-type olive green one.

[2] Heros efasciatus is one of the few cichlid species that act a regular frugivore, quite notably during the wet season when riparian zones become inundated with water.

[3] Over the past few years, the popularity of Heros efasciatus within the aquarium trade has increased.

Consequently, this species could be susceptible to over-exploitation, primarily because of their natural low densities and low fecundity.