Genus · Tetras

Lebiasina

Lebiasina is a genus with 26 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Tetras section, recorded from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and 5 more countries. Adult sizes run from 1.5 in to 6.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
26
Adult sizes
1.5–6.5 in
IUCN assessed
26 of 26
Recorded from
8 countries

About the genus

Lebiasina is a genus of characiform fishes in the pencilfish family Lebiasinidae, a relative of the small aquarium favorite Nannostomus but generally larger and more elongated, with an upturned mouth and a torpedo-shaped body built for holding station in slow, shaded forest streams. The atlas covers 26 species, from about 1.5–6.5 in, distributed across northern and western South America and into Central America: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Guyana, Panama, and Costa Rica. Like other lebiasinids, they are thought to tolerate low-oxygen, blackwater conditions better than most characins, suited to the swampy, leaf-littered habitats many species occupy.

Lebiasina has little presence in the mainstream aquarium trade; only a handful of species, such as the twospot lebiasina (L. bimaculata) and Panama lebiasina (L. panamensis), turn up with any regularity, usually among characin specialists rather than general hobbyists. Most of the genus is better known to ichthyologists than aquarists, and the conservation picture reflects that: the majority of species have not yet been formally assessed, so the honest state of knowledge is that data are sparse rather than reassuring.

IUCN Red List: Near Threatened · 1 Least Concern · 5 Not Evaluated · 20

The 26 species

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

Netto-Ferreira et al., 2013

4.5 in TL · NE

Regan, 1903

3 in TL · NE

Fowler, 1911

Gold-spotted Lebiasina, Goldspot Tetra

2 in SL · NE

Valenciennes, 1847

Twospot Lebiasina, Twospotted Lebiasina, Huaija

6.5 in SL · LC

Bussing, 1967

4.5 in SL · NE

Ardila Rodríguez, 2010

6 in SL · NE

Ardila Rodríguez, 2001

sardina

6 in TL · LC

Ardila Rodríguez, 2008

2 in SL · NE

Boulenger, 1887

2 in TL · NE

Valenciennes, 1850

6.5 in SL · NE

Boulenger, 1899

Festa's Lebiasina

5.5 in SL · LC

Ardila Rodríguez, 1994

1.5 in SL · NE

Meinken, 1936

6.5 in SL · NE

Netto-Ferreira, 2012

4.5 in TL · NE

Netto-Ferreira, 2012

Black-spotted Lebiasina

3 in SL · NE

Netto-Ferreira, 2012

1.5 in SL · NE

Boulenger, 1911

6 in SL · NE

Ardila Rodríguez, 2002

3 in SL · NE

Ardila Rodríguez, 2008

4 in TL · LC

Gill, 1877

Panama Lebiasina

3 in SL · NE

Ardila Rodríguez, 1999

5 in TL · NE

Ardila Rodríguez, 2004

4 in SL · NT

Günther, 1864

4 in TL · NE

Fernández-Yépez, 1967

4 in TL · NE

Netto-Ferreira et al., 2011

6 in SL · LC

Ardila Rodríguez, 2000

4 in SL · NE

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Lebiasina. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/lebiasina/

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