9, see text Copella is a genus of freshwater fish belonging to the family Lebiasinidae, native to South America, known colloquially to aquarists as splashing tetras or splash tetras, because of the unique reproductive method of the best-known representative of the genus, Copella arnoldi.

Copella species are found in assorted slow-moving tributaries in the Amazon basin, Orinoco and The Guianas.

[1] The currently recognized species in this genus are:[2] Though the majority of fishes of this genus spawn in a conventional fashion among fine-leaved aquatic plants, C. arnoldi (and any undescribed relatives) is unique among fishes in that it lays its eggs on plants out of water.

The male displays to passing females beneath overhanging vegetation growing beside its native waters, and when a receptive female accepts the invitation to spawn, she positions herself directly alongside the male, and the pair leaps out of the water together, attaching themselves by fin suction to the underside of a leaf.

Once the eggs hatch, the fry fall into the water from the leaf and swim for cover.