Genus · Tetras

Monotocheirodon

Monotocheirodon is a genus with 4 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Tetras section, recorded from Peru, Bolivia and Colombia. Adult sizes run from 1 in to 1.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
4
Adult sizes
1–1.5 in
IUCN assessed
4 of 4 · 1 threatened
Recorded from
3 countries

About the genus

Monotocheirodon is a genus of small characid tetras found in headwater and tributary streams across Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, on the eastern, Amazon-draining slopes of the Andes. The 4 species in the atlas are modest in size, 1–1.5 in, and none carries an established common name, reflecting a genus documented mainly through regional ichthyological surveys rather than aquarium collection.

With no species regularly reaching the aquarium trade, Monotocheirodon is best understood as a genus of scientific rather than hobbyist interest - useful as an indicator of clearwater Andean-foothill stream diversity rather than as a source of ornamental fish. The conservation picture is mixed and, for half the genus, unresolved: of the 4 species, 2 are Not Evaluated, 1 is Vulnerable, and 1 is Least Concern, a split that hints at localized threat in part of the genus's Andean range without allowing a confident genus-wide conservation statement.

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

The 4 species

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

Menezes, Weitzman & Quagio-Grassiotto, 2013

1.5 in SL · NE

Carvalho, Thomaz, Urbano-Bonilla & Prada-Pedreros, 2024

1 in SL · VU

Menezes, Weitzman & Quagio-Grassiotto, 2013

1.5 in SL · NE

Eigenmann, 1924

1.5 in SL · LC

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Monotocheirodon. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/monotocheirodon/

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