Bryconops inpai

Since its description by Hans-armin Knöppel, Wolfgang Junk, and Jacques Géry in 1968, B. inpai has been considered a member of the subgenus Creatochanes.^[2] While Creatochanes itself was once considered a separate genus all on its own, it has since been synonymized with Bryconops and is now considered a subgenus.^[10] The high likelihood of such an occurrence was addressed in the original paper describing B. inpai, which is why it was designated as such in the first place.^[2]

Bryconops inpai is in the family Iguanodectidae, which is a fairly recent revival (2011) from the work of Carl Eigenmann.^[11] Previously, the genus Bryconops was considered a member of the family Characidae, and several resources still list it as such (like ADW and ITIS);^[12][13] however, its current placement is in Iguanodectidae, with Piabucus and Iguanodectes.^[3][14][15] As such, B. inpai is considered an Iguanodectid fish.

Bryconops inpai is endemic to the Casiquiare and Negro rivers of South America, which are both blackwater rivers. As is the case with many other members of Bryconops, this fondness for a blackwater habitat indicates that B. inpai does not have high-oxygen needs. Blackwater rivers are low in oxygen due to the fact that microbes use much of the available dissolved oxygen in the process of decay, which is what releases tannins into the water and gives it the characteristic color.^[16][17]

Other members of Bryconops found in the Rio Negro include B. disruptus and B. humeralis, the latter of which is also found in the Casiquiare.^[18][19]

Bryconops inpai's native range is made up of rivers with very little endemic plant life, which makes it inhospitable to many other species.^[20] As such, B. inpai's diet largely consists of terrestrial insects that are washed into the river or fall in from trees hanging above.^[2] This is in line with much of the rest of the genus, which is made up mostly of invertivores.^[21] B. inpai also takes supplemental plant matter, largely in the form of flowers and seeds (which is also not uncommon in Bryconops).^[2][21]

Bryconops inpai has not been evaluated by the IUCN.^[3] However, its type locality (where it was first discovered) is within a protected region of the Amazon, the Ducke Reserve, and as such it has at least a small portion of territory under surveillance.^[2] Nonetheless, the Rio Negro - as with many other rivers - is under threat from environmental hazards as a result of illegal gold mining in South America, which is a booming industry despite its dangers both to participants and to the environment.^[22][23]