There are fi ve species of the genus Pyrrhulina Valenciennes, in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1846 and four species of the genus Copella Myers, 1965 in the north eastern part of South America up to now. P. fi lamentosa Valenciennes, 1846 – the type-species – and P. lugubris Eigenmann, 1922 are re-described. The relationships of P. stoli Boeseman, 1953 are discussed. The three taxa of the genus Copella (formerly Copeina) arnoldi, C. eigenmanni and C. carsevennensis established by Regan (1912) are re-described and compared. The type specimens of these three taxa are juvenil or semiadult fishes in poor conditions. A type locality is designated for C. arnoldi (Ilha do Arapiranga, Brazil, Para). This species was only known from aquarium fishes up to date. The designation was possible because of the discovery of specimens which were imported for aquarists in 1928 from this locality. C. eigenmanni comprises type specimens from different localities which represent different species (C. arnoldi from Brazil, Para, C. metae from Colombia and C. carsevennensis from Guyana). A lectotypus is designated for C. eigenmanni from the type specimens collected in Colombia. Copeina metae Eigenmann, 1914 is now a junior synonym of Copeina eigenmanni Regan, 1912. Now we know exactly which species C. eigenmanni represents. If there are other undescribed species from this region (estuary mouth of the Amazon) so the species can be better characterized by new adult specimens. C. carsevennensis lives in the Guyana countries sympatricaly with Pyrrhulina fi lamentosa. Copella callolepis (Regan, 1912) is a valid species. It was called C. spec. aff. meinkeni by Zarske & Géry (2006).

Characiformes, Lebiasinidae, Pyrrhulina, Copella, nordöstliches Brasilien, Lectotypus- und Locus-typicus-Festlegung, Historie.