Brachypetersius is a genus of small African tetras in family Alestidae, recorded in the atlas from Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Gabon - Congo basin rivers and forest streams. At 1.5–4 in, its five species share the general Alestidae body plan: a laterally compressed, silvery, schooling fish with a forked tail, broadly similar in build to better-known Congo basin relatives.
Brachypetersius altus, the African spottail tetra, and Brachypetersius huloti, the Lomboma tetra, are the names most likely to turn up among specialist keepers of African tetras, generally kept as peaceful schooling fish in soft, blackwater-style aquascapes that echo their native Congo basin waters. The remaining species - B. cadwaladeri, B. gabonensis, and B. pseudonummifer - are little seen in the trade. All five atlas species carry a Least Concern rating, a relatively reassuring picture for a genus that has not drawn much conservation scrutiny.