Genus · Tetras

Prionobrama

Prionobrama is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Tetras section, recorded from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. Adult sizes run from 2 in to 2.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
2–2.5 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2
Recorded from
4 countries

About the genus

Prionobrama is a small genus of South American tetras found across Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay, mainly in the Amazon and Paraná-Paraguay drainages. The atlas's 2 species are modest in size, 2–2.5 in, with the slender, highly translucent body and bright orange-to-red tips on the caudal fin lobes that give the genus its common name, the glass bloodfins. That near-transparent body, through which the spine and swim bladder are faintly visible, is a distinguishing feature shared by both Prionobrama filigera and P. paraguayensis.

The glass bloodfin tetra has a modest but real presence in the aquarium hobby as an active, peaceful schooling fish for community tanks, prized for the flash of colour its tail adds against an otherwise clear body. It is generally considered hardy and undemanding for a mid-sized tetra. Conservation status is only partly assessed across the genus - one species is Least Concern and the other Not Evaluated - which is typical for South American characins with a wide range but limited targeted survey work.

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

The 2 species

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

(Cope, 1870)

Glass bloodfin, Glassbloodfin, Glass tetra

2.5 in TL · NE

(Eigenmann, 1914)

Glass Bloodfin, Paraguayan Bloodfin

2 in SL · LC

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Prionobrama. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/prionobrama/

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