Copella is a genus of small, slender surface-dwelling tetras in the splash-tetra family Lebiasinidae, native to South American countries including Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. Atlas species are modest in size, roughly 1.5–2.5 in, with elongated bodies, upturned mouths suited to feeding near the surface, and often red or orange highlights in the fins.
The genus is best known for one of the most celebrated breeding behaviors in the aquarium hobby: the splash tetra, Copella arnoldi, lays its eggs out of the water entirely. A pair leaps together onto an overhanging leaf or other surface above the waterline, deposits eggs there, and the male then returns repeatedly to splash the clutch with his tail to keep it moist until the fry hatch and drop into the water below. Other species such as the spotted splash tetra (C. compta) and red-spotted copeina (C. nattereri) share the family's surface-oriented habits without quite matching C. arnoldi's fame. Conservation status across the genus is currently favorable, with all six atlas species assessed as Least Concern.