Neolebias is a genus of small African characins found in forest streams and swamps of Central and West Africa, with atlas records from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Benin, the Central African Republic, and Chad. They are diminutive fish, the 12 atlas species ranging from about 0.5–2 in, slender-bodied and often marked with a dark horizontal stripe or banding along the flank, a pattern shared with several other small tetra-like characiforms. Most inhabit shaded, often acidic blackwater habitats among leaf litter and fine vegetation.
A handful of Neolebias reach the specialist aquarium hobby as peaceful nano and blackwater-biotope fish, among them Neolebias powelli, the domino tetra, and Neolebias trewavasae, the African emperor tetra, both valued for their small size and calm temperament in planted community tanks. The genus carries real conservation weight: of the 12 atlas species, 3 are Endangered and one is Critically Endangered, with another Vulnerable, reflecting how restricted and pressured some of these forest-stream ranges have become; only 4 species are currently rated Least Concern, and 2 are Data Deficient.