Known only from the rio Uaupés system in Brazil with type locality ‘brook emptying into Igarape Yavuari River, tributary of River Uaupés, upper Negro River basin, 0°14’31″N, 68°03’48″W, Amazonas, Brazil’.

The full extent of its range is unclear but additional populations may exist.

Décor is relatively unimportant and maintenance simple provided sufficient space is available.

A natural-style arr…

In the aquarium hobby, the population from the rio Tiquié has been referred to as ‘C084’, while a similar, but larger, form from the Río Huallaga in Peru is known as ‘C085’. Both forms have been marketed as C. sp. ‘mega metae’.

The existence of multiple, similarly-coloured species which coexist and sometimes form mixed schools is relatively common in the genus.

This species is also referred to as ‘black-anded leporinus’, ‘striped leporinus’ and ‘eight-banded leporinus’.

Young specimens are often traded for aquaria without warning as to their potential size and requirements, and as a result it’s fairly ubiquitous in public aquarium displays.

It was initially going to be described as Hyphessobrycon cardinalis by Myers and Weitzman (1956) but just before this was due to be published Schultz presented an alternative description in the hobbyist magazine ‘Tropical Fish Hobbyist’ and named the fish after the publication’s founder, Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod.

A significant proportion of the fish available in the aquarium trade are still wild caught or derive from community-led breeding projects such as Project Piaba in the middle Negro region, where this sp…

S. daemon is relatively common in the aquarium trade but is by no means easy to maintain, with particular attention to space, diet, water quality, and chemistry required in order for it to thrive.

It can be distinguished from other members of the genus by possessing two dark blotches on the flank and a prominent ocellus at the caudal-fin base. Among the named species it is most similar to…