Tyttocharax madeirae
Species of fish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tyttocharax madeirae, the blackedge tetra, also known as the bristly-mouthed tetra or the blue tetra,[3][4] is a small freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Stevardiidae. This species is found in the Amazon basin of South America.[5] It was first caught by Edgar A. Smith in 1912 in Brazil and described by American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler in 1913.
| Tyttocharax madeirae | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Stevardiidae |
| Genus: | Tyttocharax |
| Species: | T. madeirae |
| Binomial name | |
| Tyttocharax madeirae Fowler, 1913 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Unlike many other characins, T. madeirae has seen little inclusion into the aquarium trade.[6]
Discovery and naming
Along with other descriptions made by Fowler in 1913, eight specimens of T. madeirae, including the holotype and the paratype, were collected by Edgar A. Smith during a 1912-1913 expedition to the Amazon basin in Brazil along the Madeira River.[5]
In his description, Fowler named the species for the Madeira River.[5]
Distribution
Tyttocharax madeirae has been found in the lower and middle tributaries of the Amazon basin,[4] being found in the nations of Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.[5][7][8] It is pelagic,[4] and according to observations by Herbert R. Axelrod were found in shallow waters 0.3 to 0.6 metres (1 ft 0 in to 2 ft 0 in) at most.[3]
In a sampling expedition by Barros et al., T. madeirae accounted for 0.82% of the total 5508 collected specimens and occurred in 13.6% of the sampled streams of the Madeira-Purus interfluvial plain.[9]
Description
Fowler did not describe the colors of a living T. madeirae. However, it was described as palish brown when in alcohol, exhibiting countershading with a paler underside.[5]
T. madeirae is considered small, with the average length of the species being 1.5 cm (0.59 in) and ranging from 1.1 to 1.8 cm (0.43 to 0.71 in).[5][10]
Ecology
Tyttocharax madeirae is an invertivore, specializing on aquatic invertebrates while also occasionally preying on terrestrial vertebrates which may fall into the water.[10]