Paretroplus polyactis is a vulnerable species of cichlid found widely in fresh and brackish water in coastal regions and associated river basins in eastern Madagascar.

[2][3] It is the only Paretroplus found in the southern half of Madagascar,[2] and one of only two found in eastern drainages (the other is the far more restricted P.

[4] P. polyactis is threatened by habitat loss and overfishing.

[1] This relatively deep-bodied Paretroplus reaches 30 centimetres (12 in) in length.

[5] It shares a large part of its range with a cichlid from another genus, Ptychochromis grandidieri.