Lebiasinidae

Dwarf pencilfish

Nannostomus marginatus

Horizontal stripes etched

• Tropical
• Lower river
• Southern Hemisphere
• Regional distribution
• Freshwater fish
• South America
• Small
• Tropical fish

Nannostomus marginatus (from the Greek: nanos = small, and the Latin stomus = relating to the mouth; from the Latin: marginatus = marginated), commonly known as the dwarf pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the genus Nannostomus in the characin family Lebiasinidae. They were first described in 1909 by C. H. Eigenmann, and are typical of members of this genus, being small, elongated fish with prominent horizontal stripes. The most notable feature of N. marginatus is its size, being one of the smallest members of the genus, only reaching a maximum size of 35 mm (1.4 in).