Genus · Tetras

Copeina

Copeina is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Tetras section, recorded from Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador. Adult sizes run from 2 in to 3 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
2–3 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2
Recorded from
4 countries

About the genus

Copeina is a genus of characins in family Lebiasinidae, the pencilfish and splash-tetra family, native to the western Amazon basin - the atlas records it from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The 2 atlas species run 2–3 in and share the elongate, torpedo-shaped body and slightly upturned mouth typical of surface-feeding lebiasinids.

C. guttata, the redspotted copeina, is the species most familiar to hobbyists, prized for red-spotted fins and an interesting kinship with the better-known splash tetra genus Copella - but with a notably different breeding style. Rather than the leaping, out-of-water egg-laying Copella arnoldi is famous for, C. guttata pairs spawn over open substrate, guarding the eggs in place. C. osgoodi has little presence in the aquarium trade by comparison. Conservation status is unremarkable so far: one species Least Concern, the other Data Deficient.

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

The 2 species

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

(Steindachner, 1876)

Redspotted copeina, Red spotted characin

3 in SL · LC

(Eigenmann, 1922)

2 in SL · DD

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Copeina. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/copeina/

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