Neon tetra
Paracheirodon innesi (Myers, 1936)
Status not recordedbony fish
The neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is a bony fish in the family Acestrorhamphidae, subfamily Pristellinae. It belongs to the genus Paracheirodon, suborder Characoidei, order Characiformes and class Teleostei, within the phylum Chordata.
Quick facts about the neon tetra
Its scientific name carries the authority (Myers, 1936), and other English names for it are Piaba and Blue neon tetra.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwater, riverinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the neon tetra
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the neon tetra live?
Not recorded
What is the neon tetra?
The neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is a species of freshwater fish belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American characins, of the order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater and clearwater streams in the Amazon basin of South America. Its bright colouring makes the fish visible to conspecifics in the dark blackwater streams, and is also the main reason for its popularity among freshwater fish hobbyists, with neon tetras being one of the most widely kept tropical fish in the world.
From the Wikipedia article “Neon tetra” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neon_tetra&oldid=1366566875), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the neon tetra endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the neon tetra classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderCharaciformes
- familyAcestrorhamphidae
- genusParacheirodon
- SpeciesParacheirodon innesi (Myers, 1936)
Synonyms Hyphessobrycon innesi
Other names and names in other languages (40)
- Blue neon tetraEnglish
- PiabaEnglish
- Neon-tetraAfrikaans
- NeonvissieAfrikaans
- Neon (pesk)Breton
- Tetra neóCatalan
- 紅綠魮脂鯉Chinese
- 红绿魮脂鲤Chinese
- Neonka obecnáCzech
- neónka obecnáCzech
- Almindelig neonDanish
- Almindelig neonfiskDanish
- NeonfischGerman
- NeonsalmlerGerman
- MojaritaSpanish
- Pez tetra neónSpanish
- تترای نئونPersian
- NeonFrench
- Néon bleuFrench
- טטרה ניאוןHebrew
- NeonhalHungarian
- ネオンテトラJapanese
- Neoninė tetraLithuanian
- Paprastasis neonasLithuanian
- Neona tetraLatvian
- Neon InnesaPolish
- Neon innesa a. bystrzyk neonowyPolish
- CardinalPortuguese
- BandeirinhaPortuguese
- Néon (peixe ornamental)Portuguese
- Tetra neonPortuguese
- Неон-тетраRussian
- Голубой неонRussian
- Неон голубойRussian
- Обыкновенный неонRussian
- Неоновая рыбка ИннесаRussian
- Tetra neónováSlovak
- Неон звичайнийUkrainian
- 霓虹燈魚Chinese
- 霓虹脂鯉Chinese
Relatives of the neon tetra
Other species in the same genus Paracheirodon.
Cardinal tetra
Paracheirodon axelrodi
Green cardinal
Paracheirodon simulans
CompareNeon tetra vs Cardinal tetraNeon tetra vs Green cardinal
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the neon tetra?
The neon tetra is a fish, classed as a bony fish in the class Teleostei.
What is the scientific name of the neon tetra?
The scientific name of the neon tetra is Paracheirodon innesi.
Who named the neon tetra and when?
The authority for Paracheirodon innesi is written as (Myers, 1936).
What family does the neon tetra belong to?
The neon tetra belongs to the family Acestrorhamphidae, in the subfamily Pristellinae.
What order is the neon tetra in?
The neon tetra is in the order Characiformes, suborder Characoidei.
What other names does the neon tetra have?
Other English names for the neon tetra are Piaba and Blue neon tetra.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/neon-tetra
“Neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/neon-tetra.
@misc{neon_tetra_2026,
title = {Neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/neon-tetra},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}