Lebiasinidae
| Lebiasinidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nannostomus trifasciatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Superfamily: | Erythrinoidea |
| Family: | Lebiasinidae |
| Subfamilies | |
|
Lebiasininae | |
The pencil fishes are a family (Lebiasinidae) of freshwater fishes found in Costa Rica, Panama, and South America. They are usually small and are known as ornamental fishes in aquaria, including popular fishes such as the various pencil fish and the splashing tetra.
Lebiasinids are small, cylindrical fish, ranging from 2 to 7 cm (0.79 to 2.76 in) in adult length. They prey on insect larvae, especially those of mosquitos. The family includes the voladoras, found in high-altitude lakes in the Andes and Central America, but the other species are lowland fish inhabiting the Orinoco, Amazon, and Paraguay River basins.[1]
Genera
Around 67 species are placed in these genera:[2]
Subfamily Lebiasininae - voladoras
Subfamily Pyrrhulininae, tribe Pyrrhulinini
- Copeina (two species)
- Copella (9 species)
- Pyrrhulina (17 species)
Subfamily Pyrrhulininae, tribe Nannostomini
- Nannostomus (17 species)
External links
- ↑ Weitzman, S.H. & Vari, R.P. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 102. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). "Lebiasinidae" in FishBase. October 2011 version.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Lebiasinidae" in FishBase. Feb 2007 version.
- Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7