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Definition of cardinal tetra

cardinal tetra

Plural:cardinal tetras
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• noun

1

A small, brilliantly colored freshwater fish native to the Orinoco and Negro river basins in South America, highly popular in the aquarium trade and distinguished by an iridescent blue stripe above a vivid red band spanning the entire length of its body.

Example

"The hobbyist carefully introduced a school of cardinal tetras into the planted aquarium to add a vibrant, schooling splash of color."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for cardinal tetra

Word Nuance & Usage

Frequently confused with the closely related neon tetra, but distinguished by its bright red lateral stripe that runs the entire length of its lower body, rather than stopping halfway.

• Nearby Words

cardigan
cardinal
cardinal flower
cardinal tetra
cardinalfish
cardoon
carex

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Cardinal tetra. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/cardinal%20tetra
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