Genus · Tetras

Argopleura

Argopleura is a genus with 4 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Tetras section, recorded from Colombia. Adult sizes run from 1.5 in to 2.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
4
Adult sizes
1.5–2.5 in
IUCN assessed
4 of 4
Recorded from
Colombia

About the genus

Argopleura is a genus of small tetras in family Characidae, found only in Colombia - the atlas's 4 species are all recorded there, mostly in the Magdalena and Choco region drainages on the country's Pacific and Caribbean slopes. Adults are modest in size, from about 1.5–2.5 in, with the slim, laterally compressed body and silvery flanks typical of small riverine characins. As a genus restricted to a single country with a relatively narrow drainage footprint, it has a much tighter range than most South American tetra genera in the atlas.

The Magdalena tetra (A. magdalenensis) and a species known locally as sardina (A. conventa) are the two species with recorded common names, hinting at at least local recognition, but Argopleura has no real presence in the international aquarium trade. Conservation status leans reassuring where assessed - three species Least Concern - with one species Data Deficient. Given the genus's total restriction to Colombia, ongoing habitat pressure in the Magdalena basin, one of the most degraded major river systems in South America, is a reasonable long-term concern even where current assessments read Least Concern.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 3 Data Deficient · 1

The 4 species

Every Argopleura recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

(Eigenmann, 1913)

2 in SL · LC

(Eigenmann, 1913)

sardina, sardinita, galocha

1.5 in SL · DD

(Eigenmann, 1913)

2.5 in SL · LC

(Eigenmann, 1913)

Magdalena Tetra

2.5 in SL · LC

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Argopleura. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/argopleura/

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