Nannostomus is a genus of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. All of the species in this genus are known as pencil fish, a popular name that was initially only applied to two species in the 1920s, Nannostomus unifasciatus and Nannostomus eques, by the late 1950s however, the term would be applied to all members of the genus. Several species have become popular aquarium fish due to their attractive coloration, unique shape, and interesting demeanor.
Maylandia lombardoi, is a 13 centimetres (5.1 in) long freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae. This species is popular in the aquarium hobby where it is sold under a variety of common names including: lombardoi mbuna, kenyi mbuna or kennyi mbuna or kenyi cichlid. This species is sometimes seen in the genus Metriaclima owing to a dispute in which a minority of cichlid researchers do not consider Maylandia valid (see Maylandia for discussion. The specific name honours the exotic fish dealer John Lombardo.
Adolfo's catfish is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Corydoradinae sub-family of the family Callichthyidae. It originates in inland waters in South America, and is found in the Rio Negro basin and the Rio Uapes in Brazil. It is also known as Adolfo's corydoras. It has similar patterns to the C. imitator but it has a shorter snout and red coloration in front of its dorsal fin.
Britski's catfish is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the subfamily Corydoradinae of the family Callichthyidae native to South America where it is found in the upper Paraguay River basin in Brazil. This species was formerly classified as Brochis britskii.
Nannostomus trifasciatus,, commonly known as the three-lined or three-stripe pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. They are popular in the aquarium trade due to their small size, beautiful color pattern, and relative hardiness.
Nannostomus harrisoni,, is a species of pencil fish. Native to The Guianas, the species displays a single horizontal stripe of intense black, and blood red adornments on its fins. N. harrisoni is often confused with Nannostomus unifasciatus, another long, slender, single-striped species with similar profile and coloration, but N. harrisoni swims in a horizontal posture, as opposed to the snout-up oblique posture of N.unifasciatus, and the bright red adornments on the ventral fins of N. harrisoni are absent in N. unifasciatus. Though the recently described species N. grandis has been dubbed the largest member of the genus, adults of N. harrisoni commonly grow to a length of 70 mm, making it in fact the largest species of pencil fish described to date. It is commonly known as Harrison's pencilfish.
The black-winged hatchetfish is a freshwater ray-finned fish native to South America.
The sickle barb is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Enteromius. it gets its common name from the sickle shaped anal fin of mature males, they are normally a translucent brown colour with a spot on the caudal peduncle but in breeding condition the males take on a rosy hue. It is a common and widespread species of swamps and shallow waters, including floodplains, in central Africa from the Congo Basin to the Zambezi. It is harvested commercially for food and for the aquarium trade and in some areas, such as Katanga, pollution may be a threat but it is a common and widespread small fish and is not considered to be globally threatened.
Nannostomus anduzei is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the genus Nannostomus in the characin family Lebiasinidae. It is native to Venezuela and northern Brazil, particularly the upper Orinoco and Rio Ererê, a tributary of the Rio Negro. The adults grow to a maximum length of only 16 mm, making them one of the smallest pencilfish. Other common names include miniature pencilfish, miniature nannostomus, and Anduzi's nannostomus.
Nannostomus bifasciatus,, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. It is commonly known as the two-lined pencilfish. It can be found in slow-moving swamps and rivers in French Guiana and Suriname.
Nannostomus britskii,, commonly known as the spotstripe pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the family Lebiasinidae of characins. They were first described in 1978 by Stanley H. Weitzman along with two other new species, from a collection of specimens preserved in the São Paulo museum. They have been recorded from only two localities, both in Brazil. No live specimens had been seen, collected, or exported for the aquarium trade until very recently.
Nannostomus eques,, commonly known as the diptail,brown or hockey stick pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. It was first described in 1876 by Franz Steindachner making it one of the first members of the genus to be discovered and described. It is fairly typical of members of this genus being a small, elongated fish with prominent horizontal stripes. It occurs quite widely in South America, having been recorded in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Guyana. It is also quite commonly met with in the aquarium trade where its habit of swimming and posturing at a 'snout-up' angle—one of two Nannostomus species to do so, the other being Nannostomus unifasciatus—makes it a popular choice.
Nannostomus espei,, commonly known as Espe's pencilfish or barred pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. It was first described in 1956 by Herman Meinken from the Mazaruni River system in Guyana and to date this is its only known location. It is notable amongst the genus in that the dominant body pattern consists of five broad, comma-like patches instead of the more normal horizontal stripes seen in the rest of the genus. This pattern of patches is assumed by other species at night, but only N. espei displays the pattern permanently and in daylight.
Nannostomus marginatus,, commonly known as the dwarf pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the genus Nannostomus in the characin family Lebiasinidae. They were first described in 1909 by C. H. Eigenmann and are typical of members of this genus being small, elongated fish with prominent horizontal stripes. The most notable feature of N. marginatus is its size, it being one of the smallest members of the genus, only reaching a maximum size of 35 mm. They occur widely on the South American continent having been recorded in Brazil, Guyana, Colombia, Suriname, and Peru, and have been a popular aquarium species since their introduction to aquarists in the early twentieth century.
Nannostomus unifasciatus,, commonly known as the one-lined pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the genus Nannostomus in the characin family Lebiasinidae. They are popular in the aquarium trade due to their small size, beautiful color pattern, unique swimming posture and relative hardiness. With its long, pencil-shaped profile, its single jet black stripe reminiscent of the graphite core of a pencil, and its eraser-colored caudal fin, this is the species for which the popular name, 'pencilfish', was first coined in the 1920s, later to be applied to all the species of the genus Nannostomus.
Gerald Robert "Gerry" Allen is an American-born Australian ichthyologist. His career began in 1963, when he spent a semester at the University of Hawaii, where he also received a PhD in marine zoology in 1971. In 1972, Allen wrote his doctoral thesis on the systematics and biology of the anemone fish.
Hyphessobrycon 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 been confused with the rosy tetra.
Copella arnoldi, commonly known as the splash tetra or the splashing tetra, is a species of tropical freshwater fish belonging to the family Lebiasinidae. It is native to South America.
Boulengerella cuiveri, commonly known as the bicuda, is a species of pike-characin in the family Ctenoluciidae.
Corydoras agassizii is a species of catfish found in the Amazon basin. It can be found in the border area of Peru and Brazil. It lives in tropical waters with a water temperature of 22 - 26 °C, a pH of 6.0 - 8.0 and a hardness of 2 - 25 dH.
