This species is very similar to L. ocellatus and often carries the trade name "black ocellatus". It is found living alongside L. stappersi in nature….

For aquarists perhaps more useful are the subtle differences in colour pattern with P. simulans differing from both P. innesi and P. axelrodi in possessing a greener (vs. bluer) lateral stripe which covers more (vs. less) of the eye/head and extends to the caudal-fin base (vs. terminating anterior to caudal-fin base), a lesser (vs. greater) amount of relatively duller (vs. brighter) red pigmentation on the flanks.

The taxonomic history of all three species is complicated with earlier authors such as Géry (1960, 1977) ten…

This fish was originally thought to be a morph of L. ocellatus but has now been described as a distinct species. It is still occasionally offered for sale as "pearly ocellatus" and may also be seen under the invalid name L. meleagris….

This species can be found in most dealers' tanks and is one of the best choices for the newcomer to fishkeeping, being attractive, hardy and inexpensive. As virtually all the fish sold in the trade have been captive bred they tend to be relatively unfussy regarding water chemistry and diet.

It's occasionally confused with N. lacortei, which is currently the only other species in the genus. They can easily be told apart by looking at the eye of the fish in question, as the male N. l…

Type locality is the Río Calima in Valle del Cauca department, western Colombia.

The Calima is a major tributary within the Río San Juan system and N. lacortei is considered endemic to this drainage.

This species is something of an "ugly duckling", as it's usually sold as a fairly bland looking, silvery juvenile. Given time and a good diet it develops into a magnificent fish as an adult, that really does sparkle like a diamond. A big shoal of these in a planted tank looks stunning.

The taxonomic status of all species in the genus Moenkhausia is currently Incertae Sedis, meaning uncertain. The genus is currently used as something of a catch-all for a large number of small ch…

At least two colour forms have been traded, one of which is more intensely-coloured and has been referred to as H. sweglesi ‘red’ or ‘rubra’. The bright red pigmentation is retained in long-term captive specimens, suggesting that it is not considered to be an artefact of diet, but we suspect it might reflect conditions at the collection locality with the reddest fish putatively inhabiting blackwater and plainer forms clearwater environments. Zarske (2014) found the two forms to be identical in terms of morphology an…

This small species is a popular aquarium fish but there is some confusion surrounding its identity. Two colour forms have been traded, one of which also possesses tiny hooks on the fin rays.

It can be distinguished from congeners by colour pattern; the body is rose-coloured, fins red with no black markings, and the ovoid humeral spot is prominent, measuring around half of the body depth.

The majority of records pertain to the rio Guaporé (Río Iténez in Bolivia), the main affluent of the rio Mamoré, which drains the vast tropical wetland known as the Pantanal, and the upper rio Paraguai, which also has its headwaters in the Pantanal but flows in the opposite direction. The Guaporé and Paraguai are connected due to rising water levels during the annual wet season.

Care must be taken when purchasing this species as females look so different to males that the sexes were initially described as separate species!