Genus · Piranhas & Pacus

Leporinus

Leporinus is a genus with 101 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Piranhas & Pacus section, recorded from Brazil, Colombia, Guyana and 9 more countries. Adult sizes run from 2.5 in to 27 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas: 101
Adult sizes: 2.5–27 in
IUCN assessed: 101 of 101 · 3 threatened
Recorded from: 12 countries

About the genus

Leporinus is a genus of headstanders in the family Anostomidae, torpedo-shaped characiforms named for the way many species rest or forage at a steep head-down angle in the water column. The atlas covers 101 species distributed across South American river systems, with the heaviest representation in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela, Peru, Suriname, Argentina and Bolivia, essentially the Amazon, Orinoco and associated basins. Most species share a similar body plan: an elongated, faintly compressed body, a small terminal or slightly underslung mouth suited to grazing algae, plant material and small invertebrates, and, in a striking number of species, bold dark vertical banding down a pale or golden body. Size ranges widely across the genus, from around 2.5 in to over 27 in in the largest river forms.

The banded pattern is the genus's real calling card in the aquarium trade: the banded leporinus (L. fasciatus) and several similarly patterned species that share the common name 'black-banded leporinus,' among them L. acutidens, L. amblyrhynchus, L. bistriatus and L. elongatus, are kept for their striking looks, though they need a large, well-covered tank as adults and have a hobby reputation for nipping fins and grazing on soft-leaved plants. The threespot leporinus (L. friderici) and Bleher's headstander (L. bleheri) are also occasionally traded. Conservation pressure across the genus appears modest so far, with the IUCN tally dominated by Least Concern species, though a large Not Evaluated share (34) means the picture for many South American populations remains incomplete.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered · 1 Vulnerable · 2 Near Threatened · 2 Least Concern · 56 Data Deficient · 6 Not Evaluated · 34

The 101 species

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

Leporinus acutidens

(Valenciennes, 1837)

Black-banded leporinus

13 in SL · LC

Leporinus affinis

Günther, 1864

Boga, Black-banded leporinus, Many-banded headstander

12 in TL · LC

7.5 in SL · LC

Leporinus amazonicus

Santos & Zuanon, 2008

10 in SL · LC

Leporinus amblyrhynchus

Garavello & Britski, 1987

Black-banded leporinus

11 in SL · LC

Leporinus apollo

Sidlauskas, Mol & Vari, 2011

Apollo leporinus

5.5 in SL · LC

Leporinus arcus

Eigenmann, 1912

Lipstick leporinus, Arcus leporinus

15.5 in TL · LC

5.5 in SL · NT

Leporinus bleheri

Géry, 1999

Bleher's headstander, Tiger headstander, Black-banded leporinus

5.5 in SL · DD

15.5 in TL · LC

Leporinus elongatus

Valenciennes, 1850

Black-banded leporinus, Slender leporinus

19.5 in TL · LC

12 in TL · LC

Leporinus friderici

(Bloch, 1794)

Threespot leporinus, Friderici's headstander

19.5 in SL · LC

10 in TL · LC

10.5 in TL · LC

Leporinus klausewitzi

Géry, 1960

Clown headstander, Spotted headstander

6 in TL · LC

10 in TL · NE

Leporinus macrocephalus

Garavello & Britski, 1988

Piauçu, Piavussu, Big-headed headstander

27 in TL · LC

Leporinus maculatus

Müller & Troschel, 1844

Spotted headstander, Spotted leporinus

8 in TL · LC

Leporinus marcgravii

Lütken, 1875

Marcgrave's headstander

6 in SL · LC

Leporinus maxakali

Birindelli, Vieira & Garavello, 2026

5 in SL · NE

Leporinus melanopleura

Günther, 1864

Spottail leporinus

2.5 in TL · LC

Leporinus melanopleurodes

Birindelli, Britski & Garavello, 2013

5 in SL · NE

Leporinus melanostictus

Norman, 1926

Black-banded leporinus, Black-spotted leporinus

11 in SL · LC

17.5 in SL · VU

7 in TL · LC

Leporinus octofasciatus

Steindachner, 1915

Eight-banded leporinus, Black-banded leporinus

12.5 in SL · LC

Leporinus octomaculatus

Britski & Garavello, 1993

Eight-spotted leporinus, Spotted leporinus

5 in SL · LC

6.5 in SL · LC

4.5 in TL · NE

Leporinus piau

Fowler, 1941

Piau

13 in FL · LC

Leporinus piavussu

Britski, Birindelli & Garavello, 2012

Piavuçu

15 in SL · LC

5.5 in SL · LC

10.5 in SL · DD

Leporinus steindachneri

Eigenmann, 1907

14 in SL · NE

Leporinus steyermarki

Inger, 1956

Steyermark's toothpick leporinus, Dot-dash leporinus, Golden spotted leporinus

12 in TL · NE

Leporinus striatus

Kner, 1858

Striped headstander, Striped leporinus

10 in TL · NE

Leporinus subniger

Fowler, 1943

Black-banded leporinus

12 in TL · LC

Leporinus taeniatus

Lütken, 1875

Banded leporinus, Black-banded leporinus

10.5 in SL · LC

11.5 in SL · LC

Leporinus trifasciatus

Steindachner, 1876

Three-banded leporinus, Araçu cabeça gorda, Piau

11.5 in SL · LC

Leporinus trimaculatus

Garavello & Santos, 1992

Three-spot headstander, Black-banded leporinus

9 in SL · LC

12 in TL · LC

Leporinus y-ophorus

Eigenmann, 1922

Y-striped leporinus, Y-lyre headstander

6 in TL · LC

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Leporinus. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/leporinus/

← All Piranhas & Pacus