Tyttocharax madeirae, the blackedge tetra, also known as the bristly-mouthed tetra or the blue tetra,[2][3] is a small freshwater fish of the family Characidae found in the Amazon basin of South America.[4] It was first caught by Edgar A. Smith in 1912 in Brazil and described by American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler in 1913.
| Tyttocharax madeirae | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Characidae |
| Genus: | Tyttocharax |
| Species: | T. madeirae
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| Binomial name | |
| Tyttocharax madeirae Fowler, 1913
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Unlike many other charcharins, T. madeirae has seen little inclusion into the aquarium trade.[5]
Discovery and naming
editAlong 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.[4]
In his description, Fowler named the species for the Madeira River.[4]
Distribution
editTyttocharax madeirae has been found in the lower and middle tributaries of the Amazon basin,[3] being found in the nations of Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.[4][6][7] It is pelagic,[3] and according to observations by Herbert R. Axelrod were found in shallow waters 0.3 to 0.6 meters deep (1 to 2 feet) at most.[2]
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.[8]
Description
editFowler 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.[4] T. madeirae is considered small, with the average length of the species being 1.5 cm (0.59 inches) and ranging from 1.1 to 1.8 cm (0.43 to 0.71 inches).[4][9]
Ecology
editTyttocharax madeirae is an invertivore, specializing on aquatic invertebrates while also occasionally preying on terrestrial vertebrates which may fall into the water.[9]
References
edit- ^ Reis, Roberto E.; Kullander, Sven O.; Ferraris, Carl J. (2003). Check list of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America. EDIPUCRS. ISBN 85-7430-361-5.
- ^ a b Axelrod, Herbet R.; Emmens, Cliff W.; Burgess, Warren E.; Pronek, Neal (1983). Exotic Tropical Fishes Expanded Edition. T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-87666-543-1.
- ^ a b c Binohlan, Crispina B. (2008). "Tyttocharax madeirae Fowler, 1913". FishBase.
- ^ a b c d e f Henry W. Fowler (1913), "Fishes from the Madeira River, Brazil", Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 65 (3), Academy of Natural Sciences: 566
- ^ Queiroz, Luiz J. de; Torrente-Vilara, Gislene; Vieira, Fabíola G.; Ohara, Ohara; Zuanon, Jansen; Doria, Carolina R. C. (2013), "Fishes of Cuniã Lake, Madeira River Basin, Brazil", CheckList, 9 (3): 540–548, doi:10.15560/9.3.540
- ^ "Information on record GBIF197246957". Global Biodiversity Information Facility database. The Polistes Corporation. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "Information on record GBIF472664439". Global Biodiversity Information Facility database. The Polistes Corporation. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ Barros, Daniela de França; Zuanon, Jansen; Mendonça, Fernando Pereira de; Espirito Santo, Helder Mateus Viana; Galuch, André Vieira; Albernaz, Ana Luísa Kerti Mangabeira (2011), "The fish fauna of streams in the madeira-purus interfluvial region, Brazilian Amazon", CheckList, 7 (6): 768–773, doi:10.15560/11022
- ^ a b Ibañez, Carla; Tedesco, Pablo A.; Bigorne, Rémy; Hugueny, Bernard; Pouilly, Marc; Zepita, Claudia; Zubieta, José; Oberdoff, Thierry (2007), "Dietary-morphological relationships in fish assemblages of small forested streams in the Bolivian Amazon", Aquatic Living Resources, 20 (2): 131–142, doi:10.1051/alr:2007024, hdl:10256/7795, S2CID 55780428