Genus · Tetras

Parastremma

Parastremma is a genus with 3 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Tetras section, recorded from Colombia and Brazil. Adult sizes run from 3.5 in to 7 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
3
Adult sizes
3.5–7 in
IUCN assessed
3 of 3
Recorded from
2 countries

About the genus

Parastremma is a genus of characin (family Characidae) from northern South America, with the three atlas species - P. album, P. pulchrum, and P. sadina - recorded from Colombia and Brazil. At 3.5–7 in, these fish run considerably larger than the small tetras most aquarists associate with the family, suggesting a mid-water schooling or loosely social fish rather than a true nano species, though the atlas does not have confirmed detail on their specific habitat, diet, or behaviour beyond that size range and native distribution.

This is a genus with little presence in either the aquarium trade or the popular literature; data are sparse enough that the atlas prefers to say less here rather than guess at care requirements or wild behaviour that have not been well documented in sources available to it. The IUCN picture - two Data Deficient assessments and one Not Evaluated - fits a pattern common among mid-sized Neotropical characins from less-surveyed river systems: a genus that is not necessarily rare, but has simply not received the targeted field study needed for a confident conservation status.

IUCN Red List: Data Deficient · 2 Not Evaluated · 1

The 3 species

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

Dahl, 1960

3.5 in SL · DD

Dahl, 1960

4 in SL · DD

Eigenmann, 1912

7 in SL · NE

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Parastremma. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/parastremma/

← All Tetras