Banded Leporinus

Leporinus affinis

A torpedo-shaped yellow fish with bold black bands from fast Amazon streams that eats plants and fruit.

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About the Banded Leporinus

Banded leporinus can reach about 10 inches long. Adults are yellow with nine thick black vertical stripes; young fish have fewer stripes, which split as they grow. They live in fast-flowing creeks and streams of the Amazon basin in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela, near the bottom, and hide in sand holes. They eat mostly plants, fruit and leaves.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Leporinus affinis^[1]
Size: Up to about 10 inches long.^[1]
Diet: Mostly herbivore. Plants, fruit and leaves.^[1]
Habitat: Fast-flowing creeks and streams, near the bottom.^[1]
Where it lives: The Amazon basin in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.^[1]
Group life: Schools.^[1]
Babies: Eggs laid among dense water plants.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020).^[2]

Fun facts

Young banded leporinus have fewer stripes that split as they grow.^[1]
They have been seen jumping.^[1]
Males and females look exactly alike.^[1]

Vocabulary

fish: A cold-blooded animal that lives in water, breathes with gills and usually has fins and scales.
school: A group of fish swimming together.
herbivore: An animal that eats only plants.
oviparous: Laying eggs that hatch outside the mother's body.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · AmazoniaSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Banded leporinus.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/banded-leporinus (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Leporinus affinis.” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/162695030/162695080 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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