Genus · Tetras

Priocharax

Priocharax is a genus with 13 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Tetras section, recorded from Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Adult sizes run from 0.5 in to 1 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
13
Adult sizes
0.5–1 in
IUCN assessed
13 of 13
Recorded from
3 countries

About the genus

Priocharax is a genus of extremely small tetras in the family Characidae, native to Amazonian river systems in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. It is one of the smallest-bodied genera in the entire atlas: recorded adult sizes run from roughly 0.5–1 in, placing several of its species among the tiniest known vertebrates. Like a number of other diminutive Amazonian characins, at least some Priocharax species reach their small size partly through developmental truncation, maturing and reproducing while retaining juvenile, only partly ossified skeletal features rather than passing through a full adult developmental sequence. The atlas covers 13 species.

Priocharax is essentially a genus of scientific rather than aquarium interest: none of its species carry established common names in the trade, and their minute size and apparent ties to soft, often blackwater Amazonian habitats make them impractical aquarium subjects even for specialists. Conservation data for the genus are correspondingly sparse — the large majority of atlas species are not yet formally assessed by the IUCN, consistent with a group of tiny, recently documented fish from remote headwater and floodplain habitats that have had limited survey coverage.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 2 Data Deficient · 1 Not Evaluated · 10

The 13 species

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

Mattox, Pinion & Britz, 2026

NE

Weitzman & Vari, 1987

1 in TL · NE

Mattox, Souza, Toledo-Piza & Oliveira, 2021

0.5 in SL · NE

Mattox, Lima, Britz, Souza & Oliveira, 2024

0.5 in SL · NE

Mattox, Britz, Souza, Casas, Lima & Oliveira, 2023

0.5 in SL · DD

Toledo-Piza, Mattox & Britz, 2014

0.5 in SL · LC

Mattox, Lima, Britz, Souza & Oliveira, 2024

0.5 in SL · NE

Lopez, Souza, Reia, Mantuaneli, Morales, Lima, Oliveira & Mattox, 2025

0.5 in SL · NE

Weitzman & Vari, 1987

0.5 in SL · LC

Mattox, Acosta-Santos, Bogotá-Gregory, Agudelo & Lima, 2025

1 in SL · NE

Lopez, Souza, Reia, Mantuaneli, Morales, Lima, Oliveira & Mattox, 2025

0.5 in SL · NE

Mattox, Britz, Souza, Casas, Lima & Oliveira, 2023

0.5 in SL · NE

Mattox, Souza, Toledo-Piza, Britz & Oliveira, 2020

0.5 in SL · NE

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Priocharax. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/priocharax/

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