Megalamphodus bentosi
Species of fish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Megalamphodus bentosi[2], the Bentos tetra, ornate tetra or candy cane tetra, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American tetras. This species is found in sluggish tributaries of the Amazon Basin in Brazil and Peru. Occasionally, it makes its way into the aquarium trade. It has often been confused with the rosy tetra.
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| Ornate tetra | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Acestrorhamphidae |
| Subfamily: | Megalamphodinae |
| Genus: | Megalamphodus |
| Species: | M. bentosi |
| Binomial name | |
| Megalamphodus bentosi (Durbin, 1908) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Etymology and taxonomy
This fish was named in memory of a Colonel Bentos, who was a volunteer on the Thayer Expedition to Brazil (1865–1866), during which the type specimen was collected.[2] The genus Megalamphodus is classified within the subfamily Megalamphodinae, the red tetras, of the family Acestrorhamphidae.[3]
Description
Distribution and habitat
The ornate tetra lives in sluggish tributaries of the Amazon River and associated flood plain lakes. It is a benthopelagic fish and is often found in creeks and around submerged vegetation.[1]
Diet
It is an omnivorous fish that feeds on small invertebrates.
