Thayeria boehlkei
Encyclopedia
Thayeria boehlkei is a species of characin
fish
endemic to the Amazon river
basin and Araguaia river
, in Peru
and Brazil
respectively. The species is popular with aquarium
hobbyists where it is traded under a variety of common names including blackline penguinfish, blackline Thayeria, hockey-stick tetra, penguin fish and penguin tetra.
inhabits small streams and the margins of smaller rivers in the Amazon Basin
of lowland Amazonia, where its is part of the highly diverse Neotropical fish
fauna.
The species was previously misidentified as Thayeria sanctaemariae and Thayeria obliqua. T. obliqua is a superficially similar, but different species of Thayeria
, while T. sanctaemariae, is a synonym of T. obliqua.
species forms pairs that scatter their many adhesive eggs amongst plants. Clutch size is very large and may be up to 1000 eggs, the embryos of which are black in colour The eggs hatch in about 20 hour
s and are free-swimming after 4 days.
with other peaceful, non-predatory fishes. This fish will tolerate a fairly broad range of water pH
s, but prefers acidic water for breeding.
Characidae
The Characidae, characids or characins are a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a by and large monophyletic group at family...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
endemic to the Amazon river
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
basin and Araguaia river
Araguaia River
The Araguaia River or, in Portuguese, Rio Araguaia is one of the major rivers of Brazil, and the principal tributary of the Tocantins. It has a total length of approximately 2,627 km. Araguaia means "river of macaws" in the Tupi language....
, in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
respectively. The species is popular with aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
hobbyists where it is traded under a variety of common names including blackline penguinfish, blackline Thayeria, hockey-stick tetra, penguin fish and penguin tetra.
Location and habitat
ThayeriaThayeria
The genus Thayeria is used to group several species of tetras, including the blackline penguinfish, Thayeria boehlkei. These fish, among other characteristics, are small, have one lateral black stripe, and have a vesica piscis shape...
inhabits small streams and the margins of smaller rivers in the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
of lowland Amazonia, where its is part of the highly diverse Neotropical fish
Neotropical fishes
The freshwater fishes of tropical South and Central America represent one of the most diverse aquatic ecosystems on Earth, with more than 5,600 species, representing about 10% all living vertebrate species...
fauna.
Misidentification
The species was previously misidentified as Thayeria sanctaemariae and Thayeria obliqua. T. obliqua is a superficially similar, but different species of Thayeria
Thayeria
The genus Thayeria is used to group several species of tetras, including the blackline penguinfish, Thayeria boehlkei. These fish, among other characteristics, are small, have one lateral black stripe, and have a vesica piscis shape...
, while T. sanctaemariae, is a synonym of T. obliqua.
Reproduction
In captivity, this normally schoolingShoaling and schooling
In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling , and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling . In common usage, the terms are sometimes used rather loosely...
species forms pairs that scatter their many adhesive eggs amongst plants. Clutch size is very large and may be up to 1000 eggs, the embryos of which are black in colour The eggs hatch in about 20 hour
Hour
The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds...
s and are free-swimming after 4 days.
In the aquarium
The species is best kept in groups, to allow the species to school, in tropical freshwater community aquariaCommunity tank
Community aquaria are tanks that are designed to contain more than one species of fish. Most commonly they include a variety of species that do not normally occur together in nature, for example angelfish from Brazil, swordtails from Mexico, and gouramis from South East Asia...
with other peaceful, non-predatory fishes. This fish will tolerate a fairly broad range of water pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
s, but prefers acidic water for breeding.