Paracheirodon is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Characidae of the order Characiformes. The type species is P. innesi, the well-known neon tetra, and the Paracheirodon species are among the fishes known as tetras. All species of this genus are native to the Neotropic ecozone, occurring in the Orinoco and Amazon Basins in northern South America. Preferring soft, acidic waters, these midwater shoaling fishes feed predominantly on small crustaceans, insects, worms, and zooplankton. When spawning, they scatter their eggs and guard neither eggs nor young.