Erythrinus erythrinus
Species of fish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erythrinus erythrinus, the red wolf fish, is a relatively small species of trahira (family Erythrinidae) from freshwater habitats in South America.[3]
| Erythrinus erythrinus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Erythrinidae |
| Genus: | Erythrinus |
| Species: | E. erythrinus |
| Binomial name | |
| Erythrinus erythrinus | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Range and habitat
E. erythrinus is a South American freshwater fish that is native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers in the Guianas.[3] The species is also reported as native to the Paraná—Paraguay basin, including the Pantanal,[4][5] but the population in the lower Paraná basin and Iguazu basin may be an undescribed species.[6] E. erythrinus has been introduced to the upper Paraná basin where not native.[7] It mainly lives in creeks and marshes where the water has a pH of 5.6–7.8.[3]
Appearance and behavior
E. erythrinus can reach a maximum standard length of 20 cm (7.9 in), although other reports suggest it can reach about 25 cm (10 in).[3]
It feeds primarily on small fish, insects, and benthic crustaceans.[8] Juveniles are aggressive mimics of female aplocheilid killifish, notably Laimosemion agilae, and they use this to catch male killifish that seek a mate.[9]
E. erythrinus is not of major interest to fisheries, but is sometimes used as a bait fish[6] and seen in the aquarium fish trade.[3]
Taxonomy
It was described by Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Schneider in 1801,[10] originally under the lizardfish genus Synodus. The species was first placed in Erythrinus in 1854 by Gray (under the name Erythrinus salmoneus, a junior synonym of Erythrinus erythrinus), and this treatment has been recognized by recent authorities such as Osvaldo Takeshi Oyakawa in 2003.[11]