Genus · Tetras

Pseudochalceus

Pseudochalceus is a genus with 4 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Tetras section, recorded from Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Adult sizes run from 2.5 in to 4 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
4
Adult sizes
2.5–4 in
IUCN assessed
4 of 4 · 1 threatened
Recorded from
3 countries

About the genus

Pseudochalceus is a genus of characins (tetras) native to river drainages of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, on the Pacific and northern Andean side of South America. The four species in the atlas are on the larger side for tetras, with adults spanning roughly 2.5–4 in, and share the elongated, laterally compressed, silvery body typical of open-water characins built for steady swimming in flowing streams.

The lined tetra (Pseudochalceus lineatus) and Kyburz tetra (P. kyburzi) are the two species with recorded common names in the atlas, but Pseudochalceus as a whole is only occasionally available in the aquarium trade and is better known to characin specialists than to general hobbyists; detailed, confirmed husbandry notes for the genus are sparse. Conservation status is mixed and not fully resolved — the atlas's tally includes a Vulnerable rating and a Least Concern species alongside two rated Data Deficient, meaning half the genus still lacks enough data for a confident IUCN assessment.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable · 1 Least Concern · 1 Data Deficient · 2

The 4 species

Every Pseudochalceus recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources. 1 has hobbyist breeding reports (◉).

Orcés V., 1967

2.5 in SL · DD

Schultz, 1966

Kyburz Tetra

4 in TL · DD

Kner, 1863

Lined Tetra

3 in SL · LC

Géry, 1972

3 in SL · VU

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Pseudochalceus. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/pseudochalceus/

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