Lebiasinidae

Lebiasinidae
Nannostomus trifasciatus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Family:	Lebiasinidae Gill, 1893
Subfamilies
Lebiasininae Pyrrhulininae

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 18 cm (0.8 to 7.1 in) in adult length. They prey on insect larvae, especially those of mosquitos. The family includes the voladoras (genera Lebiasina and Piabucina), mostly found in highlands of the north Andes, the Guiana Shield and Central America, but the other species are mainly lowland fish inhabiting the Orinoco, Amazon and Paraguay River basins, and rivers of the Guianas.^[1]

Around 67 species are placed in these genera:^[2]

Subfamily Lebiasininae - voladoras

• Derhamia (one species)
• Lebiasina (12 species)
• Piabucina (9 species)

Subfamily Pyrrhulininae, tribe Pyrrhulinini

• Copeina (two species)
• Copella (9 species)
• Pyrrhulina (17 species)

Subfamily Pyrrhulininae, tribe Nannostomini

• Nannostomus (17 species)

• Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7