Tetra is the common name of many small

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

characiform fishes. Tetras come from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, belonging to the biological families

Characidae Characidae, the characids, is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish belonging to the order Characiformes. They are found throughout much of Central and South America, including such major waterways as the Amazon and Orinoco Riv ...

Alestidae African tetras (family (biology), family Alestidae, formerly spelled Alestiidae) are a group of Characiformes, characiform fish found exclusively in Africa. This family contains about 18 genera and 119 species. Among the best known members are th ...

(the "African tetras"),

Lepidarchidae Lepidarchidae is a small family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. I ...

Lebiasinidae The Lebiasinidae are a family (biology), family of freshwater fishes found in Costa Rica, Panama, and South America. They are usually small and are known as ornamental fishes in Aquarium, aquaria, including popular fishes such as the various penc ...

Acestrorhynchidae Acestrorhynchidae is a family of freshwater fish in the order Characiformes, found in South America. Members of this family are known as freshwater barracudas (not to be confused with the unrelated true barracudas of the Sphyraenidae) and bitin ...

Stevardiidae Stevardiidae is a large family of freshwater fish in the order Characiformes. It includes many genera previously placed in the family Characidae, which was split into multiple families in 2024. They are found throughout South and Central Americ ...

, and

Acestrorhamphidae Acestrorhamphidae, the American tetras, are a diverse family of freshwater fish in the order Characiformes. They are native to North and South America, from the southwestern United States south to temperate Argentina, with a few species introduc ...

. In the past, all of these families were placed in the Characidae. The Characidae and their allies are distinguished from other fish by the presence of a small

adipose fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only b ...

between the

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

and

caudal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only ...

s. Many of these, such as the

neon tetra The neon tetra (''Paracheirodon innesi'') is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater and clearwater streams in the Amazon basin of South Am ...

(''Paracheirodon innesi''), are brightly colored and easy to keep in captivity. Consequently, they are extremely popular for home aquaria. ''Tetra'' is no longer a

taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

term. It is short for ''

Tetragonopterus ''Tetragonopterus'' is a genus of fish in the family Characidae native to South America. It is the only member of the subfamily Tetragonopterinae. The subfamily was originally much larger as previously defined, and contained many of the genera ...

'', a genus name formerly applied to many of these fish, which is

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

for "square-finned" (literally, four-sided-wing). Because of the popularity of tetras in the

fishkeeping Fishkeeping is a popular hobby, practiced by aquarists, concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. It is a practice that encompasses the art of maintaining one's own aquatic ecosystem, featuring a lot of variety with various w ...

hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other ...

, many unrelated fish are commonly known as tetras, including species from different families. Even vastly different fish may be called tetras. For example,

payara The payara, ''(Hydrolycus scomberoides)'', is a species of dogtooth tetra. This predatory fish is found in the Amazon Basin in tropical South America. It was the first of four species to be described in the genus '' Hydrolycus''. Description T ...

(''Hydrolycus scomberoides'') is occasionally known as the " sabretooth tetra" or "vampire tetra". Tetras generally have compressed (sometimes deep),

fusiform Fusiform (from Latin ''fusus'' ‘spindle’) means having a spindle (textiles), spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends. It is similar to the lemon (geometry), lemon-shape, but often implies a focal broadening of a ...

bodies and are typically identifiable by their fins. They ordinarily possess a homocercal

(a twin-lobed, or forked, tail fin whose upper and lower lobes are of equal size) and a tall dorsal fin characterized by a short connection to the fish's body.Carey, R. ''Tetras and Barbs: A Complete Guide to the Successful Care and Breeding of Two of the Most Popular Groups of Aquarium Fish''. TFH Publications, Inc., 2009 Additionally, tetras possess a long anal fin stretching from a position just posterior of the dorsal fin and ending on the ventral caudal peduncle, and a small, fleshy adipose fin located dorsally between the dorsal and caudal fins. This adipose fin represents the fourth unpaired fin on the fish (the four unpaired fins are the caudal fin, dorsal fin, anal fin, and adipose fin), lending to the name tetra, which is Greek for four. While this adipose fin is generally considered the distinguishing feature, some tetras (such as the emperor tetras, '' Nematobrycon palmeri'') lack this appendage. Ichthyologists debate the function of the adipose fin, doubting its role in swimming due to its small size and lack of stiffening rays or spines.Moyle, P., & Cech, J. ''Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology'' (5th ed.). Pearson, Benjamin Cummings, 2004 Although the list below is sorted by common name, in a number of cases, the common name is applied to different species. Since the aquarium trade may use a different name for the same species, advanced

aquarist An aquarist is a person who manages aquariums, either professionally or as a hobby. They typically care for aquatic animals, including fish and marine invertebrates. Some may care for aquatic mammals. Aquarists often work at public aquariums. They ...

s tend to use scientific names for the less-common tetras. The list below is incomplete.

Species

Tetra species: A–D * Adonis tetra, ''Lepidarchus adonis'' * African long-finned tetra, ''Brycinus longipinnis'' * African moon tetra, ''Bathyaethiops caudomaculatus'' * Arnold's tetra, ''Arnoldichthys spilopterus'' * Banded tetra, ''Psalidodon fasciatus'' * Bandtail tetra, ''Moenkhausia dichroura'' * Barred glass tetra, ''Phenagoniates macrolepis'' * Beacon tetra, ''Hemigrammus ocellifer'' * Belgian flag tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon heterorhabdus'' * black morpho tetra, ''Poecilocharax weitzmani'' *

Black neon tetra The black neon tetra (''Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi'') is a freshwater fish of the characin family (Characidae) of the order Characiformes. It is native to the Paraguay basin of southern Brazil. They are often found in the aquarium trade, and ...

, ''Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi'' *

Black phantom tetra The black phantom tetra (''Megalamphodus megalopterus''), or simply phantom tetra, is a small freshwater fish of the tetra family (biology), family (Acestrorhamphidae) of order (biology), order Characiformes.https://www.aquariumsource.com/black-p ...

, ''Hyphessobrycon megalopterus'' *

Black tetra The black tetra (''Gymnocorymbus ternetzi''), also known as the black skirt tetra, petticoat tetra, high-fin black skirt tetra, black skirt tetra, black widow tetra and blackamoor, is a freshwater fish of the characin family (Characidae). It i ...

or butterfly tetra, ''Gymnocorymbus ternetzi'' *

, ''Gymnocorymbus thayer'' * Black wedge tetra, ''Hemigrammus pulcher'' * Blackband tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon scholzei'' * Blackedge tetra, ''Tyttocharax madeirae'' * Black-flag tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon rosaceus'' * Black-jacket tetra, ''Moenkhausia takasei'' * blackline tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon scholzei'' * Bleeding heart tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma'' * Blind tetra, ''Stygichthys typhlops'' * Blood Red tetra, ''Brittanichthys axelrodi'' *

Bloodfin tetra The bloodfin tetra (''Aphyocharax anisitsi'') is a species of characin from the Paraná River basin in South America. The bloodfin is a relatively large tetra, growing to 5.5 cm.Nico, L., 2022, Aphyocharax anisitsi' Eigenmann and Kennedy, 1 ...

, ''Aphyocharax anisitsi'' * Blueberry tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon wadai'' * blue tetra, ''Boehlkea fredcochui'' * blue tetra, ''Mimagoniates microlepis'' * blue tetra, ''Tyttocharax madeirae'' * Bucktooth tetra, ''Exodon paradoxus'' * Buenos Aires tetra, ''Psalidodon anisitsi'' * Callistus tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon eques'' * calypso tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon axelrodi'' *

Candy cane tetra ''Megalamphodus bentosi'', the Bentos tetra, ornate tetra or candy cane tetra, is a species of characin fish found in sluggish tributaries of the Amazon Basin in Brazil and Peru. Occasionally, it makes its way into the aquarium trade. It has often ...

, ''Hyphessobrycon'' sp. HY511 * Cardinal tetra, ''Paracheirodon axelrodi'' * Carlana tetra, ''Carlana eigenmanni'' * Cochu's blue tetra, ''Knodus borki'' * Colombian tetra, '' Hyphessobrycon columbianus'' *

Central tetra Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

, ''Astyanax aeneus'' * Coffee-bean tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon takasei'' * Colcibolca tetra, ''Astyanax nasutus'' * Congo tetra, ''Phenacogrammus interruptus'' * Copper tetra, ''Hasemania melanura'' * Costello tetra, ''Hemigrammus hyanuary'' * Creek tetra, ''Bryconamericus scleroparius'' * Creek tetra, ''Bryconamericus terrabensis'' * Croaking tetra, ''Mimagoniates inequalis'' * Croaking tetra, '' Mimagoniates lateralis'' * Croaking tetra, '' Mimagoniates microlepis'' * Dawn tetra, ''Aphyocharax paraguayensis'' * Dawn tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon eos'' * Diamond tetra, ''Moenkhausia pittieri'' * Discus tetra, ''Brachychalcinus orbicularis'' * Disk tetra, ''Myleus schomburgkii'' * Dragonfin tetra, ''Pseudocorynopoma doriae'' E–Q * Ember tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon amandae'' * Emperor tetra, ''Nematobrycon palmeri'' * False black tetra, ''Gymnocorymbus thayeri'' * False rummynose tetra, ''Petitella georgiae'' * Featherfin tetra, ''Hemigrammus unilineatus'' * Firehead tetra, ''Petitella bleheri'' * Flag tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon heterorhabdus'' * Flame tail tetra, ''Aphyocharax erythrurus'' * Flame tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon flammeus'' *

Garnet tetra ''Holopristis pulcher'', also known as the pretty tetra, garnet tetra or black wedge tetra, is a semi-popular aquarium species. In the wild, the species is found near Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon, and probably also in Brazil and Colombia ...

, ''Hemigrammus pulcher'' * Glass tetra, ''Moenkhausia oligolepis'' * Glass bloodfin tetra, ''Prionobrama filigera'' * Glossy tetra, ''Moenkhausia oligolepis'' * Glowlight tetra, ''

Hemigrammus erythrozonus ''Hemigrammus erythrozonus'', commonly known as the glowlight tetra, is a small tropical fish from the Essequibo River, Guyana, South America. It is silver in colour and a bright iridescent orange to red stripe extends from the snout to the base ...

'' * Gold tetra (aka golden tetra, or brass tetra), ''Hemigrammus rodwayi'' * Goldencrown tetra, ''Aphyocharax alburnus'' * Goldspotted tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon griemi'' * Gold-tailed tetra, ''Carlastyanax aurocaudatus'' * Green dwarf tetra, ''Odontocharacidium aphanes'' * Green neon tetra, ''Paracheirodon simulans'' * Griem's tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon griemi'' * Head & Taillight tetra, ''Hemigrammus ocellifer'' *

Hummingbird tetra ''Trochilocharax ornatus'' (hummingbird tetra) is a species of characin endemic to Peru. This species is the only member of the genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the bio ...

''Trochilocharax ornatus'' * January tetra, ''Hemigrammus hyanuary'' * Jellybean tetra, ''Lepidarchus adonis'' * Jewel tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon eques'' * Jumping tetra, ''Hemibrycon tridens'' * Largespot tetra, ''Astyanax orthodus'' * Lemon tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis'' * Longfin tetra, ''Brycinus longipinnis'' * Long-finned glass tetra, ''Xenagoniates bondi'' * Longjaw tetra, ''Bramocharax bransfordii'' * Loreto tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon loretoensis'' * Mayan tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon compressus'' *

Mexican tetra The Mexican tetra (''Astyanax mexicanus''), also known as the blind cave fish, blind cave characin or the blind cave tetra, is a freshwater fish in the Characidae family (tetras and relatives) of the order Characiformes. The type species of its ...

, ''Astyanax mexicanus'' * Mimic scale-eating tetra, ''Deuterodon heterostomus'' * Mourning tetra, ''Brycon pesu'' * Naked tetra, ''Gymnocharacinus bergii'' *

Neon tetra The neon tetra (''Paracheirodon innesi'') is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater and clearwater streams in the Amazon basin of South Am ...

, ''Paracheirodon innesi'' *

Niger tetra ''Arnoldichthys'' is monospecific genus of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lepidarchidae, the African tetras. The only species in the genus is ''Arnoldichthys spilopterus'', the Niger tetra. This taxon is endemic to Nigeria. D ...

, ''Arnoldichthys spilopterus'' * Nurse tetra, ''Brycinus nurse'' * Oneline tetra, ''Nannaethiops unitaeniatus'' * One-line tetra, ''Hemigrammus unilineatus'' * Orangefin tetra, ''Bryconops affinis'' * Ornate tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon bentosi'' * Panama tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon panamensis'' * Penguin tetra, ''Thayeria boehlkei'' * Peruvian tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon peruvianus'' * Petticoat tetra, ''Gymnocorymbus ternetzi'' *

Phantom tetra The black phantom tetra (''Megalamphodus megalopterus''), or simply phantom tetra, is a small freshwater fish of the tetra family (Acestrorhamphidae) of order Characiformes.https://www.aquariumsource.com/black-phantom-tetra/ It is native to the u ...

, ''Hyphessobrycon megalopterus'' * Pittier's tetra, ''Moenkhausia pittieri'' * Pretty tetra, ''Hemigrammus pulcher'' * Pristella tetra, ''Pristella maxillaris'' * Pygmy tetra, ''Odontostilbe dialeptura'' R–Z * rainbow tetra, ''Nematobrycon lacortei'' * rainbow tetra, ''Nematobrycon palmeri'' * Red eye tetra, ''Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae'' * Red phantom tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon sweglesi'' * Red tetra or rio tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon flammeus'' * Redspotted tetra, ''Copeina guttata'' *

Rosy tetra The rosy tetra (''Megalamphodus rosaceus'') is a small species of characin from the South American countries of Guyana and Suriname. It is popular in the aquarium trade. Description The rosy tetra has a light pink-white body with red fins, except ...

, ''Hyphessobrycon rosaceus'' * Royal tetra, ''Inpaichthys kerri'' *

Ruby tetra The ruby tetra (''Axelrodia riesei'') is a species of freshwater fish in the family Characidae. It is endemic to the Río Meta, Colombia, South America. In nature, it has a natural red colour, but this is somewhat lessened in captivity. Ruby tet ...

, ''Axelrodia riesei'' * Rummy-nose tetra, ''Petitella rhodostoma'' * brilliant rummy-nose tetra, ''Petitella bleheri'' * Sailfin tetra, ''Crenuchus spilurus'' * Savage tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon savagei'' * Savanna tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon stegemanni'' * Semaphore tetra, ''Pterobrycon myrnae'' * Serpae tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon eques'' * Sharptooth tetra, ''Micralestes acutidens'' * Silver tetra, ''Ctenobrycon spilurus'' * Silver tetra, ''Gymnocorymbus thayeri'' * Silver tetra, ''Micralestes acutidens'' *

Silvertip tetra The silvertip tetra (''Hasemania nana'') is a species of characid freshwater fish omnivores native to streams and creeks in the São Francisco basin in Brazil, but frequently kept in aquariums. Silvertip tetras are slightly more aggressive than ...

, ''Hasemania melanura'' *

, ''Hasemania nana'' * Splash tetra, ''Copella arnoldi'' * Spot-fin tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon socolofi'' * Spottail tetra, ''Moenkhausia dichroura'' * Spotted tetra, ''Copella nattereri'' * Swegles's tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon sweglesi'' * Tailspot tetra, ''Bryconops caudomaculatus'' * Three-lined African tetra, ''Neolebias trilineatus'' *

Tietê tetra ''Brycon insignis'', the Tiete tetra, is a species of fish in the family Characidae. It is endemic to the Paraíba do Sul River basin in southeast Brazil. ''B. insignis'' migrates upstream to spawn and has traditionally been important to fisheri ...

, ''Brycon insignis'' * Tortuguero tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon tortuguerae'' * transparent tetra, ''Charax gibbosus'' * True big-scale tetra, ''Brycinus macrolepidotus'' * Uruguay tetra, ''Cheirodon interruptus'' * White spot tetra, ''Aphyocharax paraguayensis'' *

x-ray tetra ''Pristella maxillaris'' is a species of characin in the genus '' Pristella'', and is commonly known as the X-ray fish or X-ray tetra because of its translucent body. Description It is a widely distributed and adaptable fish, found in the Ama ...

, ''Pristella maxillaris'' * Yellow tetra, ''Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus'' * Yellow-tailed African tetra, ''Alestopetersius caudalis''

References

{{reflist Fish common names Paraphyletic groups