Historically, Paraneetroplus was included in the genus Cichlasoma (which is distantly related) and then in Theraps (which is relatively closely related). Once Paraneetroplus was recognized as its own genus, the members of Maskaheros and Vieja often were included within it. Today these are generally recognized as three separate but very closely related genera.[1][3]
There are three or four currently recognized species in the genus Paraneetroplus:[2][4]