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Description
Pyrrhulina spilota is a rare species of splashing tetra from Peru. These interesting shoalers are in the same family as pencilfish, and share many similarities with them. They are loose shoalers that keep to themselves and are very peaceful. Like pencils, these features make them good dither fish for small cichlids such as Apistogramma spp. These are avid jumpers, so a lid is a necessity. Due to their jumping nature, these fish have a highly developed "third eye", visible as an iridescent patch of scales on the forehead. This sensory organ allows them to detect light (or a lack thereof) and which direction light is coming. This is useful for detecting predators or foliage overhead.
These are subadults, around 1.5" long.