Genus · Killifish

Maratecoara

Maratecoara is a genus with 4 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Killifish section, recorded from Brazil. Adult sizes run from 1 in to 2 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
4
Adult sizes
1–2 in
IUCN assessed
4 of 4 · 2 threatened
Recorded from
Brazil

About the genus

Maratecoara is a genus of small killifish in family Rivulidae, restricted in the atlas to Brazil. The 4 species are tiny, 1–2 in, and belong to the same South American seasonal-killifish lineage as many Cerrado and coastal-plain rivulids, groups adapted to living in shallow pools and marshes that can dry out between rainy seasons.

None of the 4 species - M. formosa, M. gesmonei, M. lacortei, and M. splendida - carries an established common name in the atlas, reflecting a genus known mainly to killifish specialists and regional ichthyologists rather than the general aquarium trade. The conservation picture is more concerning than for most small characin or livebearer genera in the atlas: of the 4 species, 2 are assessed Vulnerable, 1 is Least Concern, and 1 is Not Evaluated, consistent with the pattern seen across many range-restricted Brazilian seasonal-pool killifish, where a single stretch of habitat converted to agriculture or drained for development can threaten an entire population.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable · 2 Least Concern · 1 Not Evaluated · 1

The 4 species

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

Costa & Brasil in Costa, 1995

2 in TL · VU

Nielsen, Martins & Britzke, 2014

1 in SL · NE

(Lazara, 1991)

2 in SL · LC

Costa, 1995

1.5 in SL · VU

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Maratecoara. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/maratecoara/

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