Hyphessobrycon

Hyphessobrycon acaciae is a small tetra known only from streams in the middle and upper Río Guamal, part of the Río Meta system in Colombia. The dark lateral band separates it from most Hyphessobrycon in the Orinoco basin, and it is told from the remaining few by counts of fin rays, teeth and scales. The Guamal drains into the upper Meta, which flows into the Río Orinoco.

Hyphessobrycon agulha is a small tetra known with certainty only from the rio Madeira system in the Amazon basin of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. Relatively rare in the hobby, it is occasionally traded as the 'red-tailed flag tetra'. It lends its name to a group of closely-related species with a dark lower half of the body, especially above the anal fin, and it is very peaceful.

The ember tetra, Hyphessobrycon amandae, is a tiny characid from the rio das Mortes, a tributary of the Araguaia in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Also traded as the 'Amanda's', 'dwarf red', 'red' and 'fire' tetra, it grows to around 20 mm SL. Very peaceful and gregarious, it makes a good dither fish for Apistogramma and other dwarf cichlids and spawns often in a mature aquarium.

The Amapá tetra, Hyphessobrycon amapaensis, is a small characid from the rio Preto and rio Maraca drainages in Amapá state, northeastern Brazil. Also known as the 'red line' or 'scarlet' tetra, it is very similar to the flag tetra, H. heterorhabdus, but has a broader red stripe and a white or creamy central stripe. It comes from clear, light brown savanna streams over sand and gravel.

The Buenos Aires tetra, Hyphessobrycon anisitsi, is a characid from the Paraná and Uruguay river systems in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. A popular and hardy aquarium fish, it is also available as a line-bred albino strain, sometimes traded as 'golden'. It has a reputation for fin-nipping, though mostly when too few are kept or space is limited, and a group of at least 8-10 is the minimum.

Hyphessobrycon auca is a small characid known only from two ponds in the Esteros del Iberá wetlands of Corrientes province, northern Argentina. The ponds lie on a sand bar deposited by the Paraná during the Pleistocene and hold soft, mildly acidic, rain-fed water. It looks very similar to H. anisitsi and is told apart by its dentition and by the small hooks on the fins of males.

Hyphessobrycon balbus is a small characid known only from upper Paraná basin headwaters in the Federal District and Goiás, central Brazil. Most records come from the rio São Bartolomeu, including the Bananal, Santa Maria-Torto and Gama tributary systems.

The yellow tetra, Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus, is a characid from coastal rivers of southeastern Brazil between Espírito Santo and Rio Grande do Sul. It also occurs in parts of the upper Paraná basin, in floodplain tributaries, lakes and streams, usually under forest cover. Two vertically elongate humeral spots, the front one more prominent, help separate it from similar congeners. Generally peaceful, it is best kept as a group of 8-10 or more.

Hyphessobrycon borealis is a small characid from French Guiana, recorded from the Oyapock/Oiapoque to the Maroni river systems. It inhabits shallow marginal zones with little current, where it forms large schools. The largest recorded specimen measured 27.8 mm, and the species lacks a humeral spot but has an oval spot on the caudal peduncle.

Hyphessobrycon brumado is a small characid known only from the rio Brumado, part of the coastal rio de Contas drainage in Bahia state, eastern Brazil. It was collected from moderately-flowing streams at 971-1048 m with rock and sand substrates. It superficially resembles the silver-tipped tetra, Hasemania nana, but has an adipose fin, and a broad black lateral stripe extends onto the median caudal-fin rays.

The Colombian tetra, Hyphessobrycon columbianus, is a characid that appears to be known only from the Río Acandí in Chocó, northern Colombia. It is also traded as 'blue flame', 'blue-red' and 'Colombian red fin' tetra, and was misidentified as H. ecuadorensis for several years before it was described. Both sexes are silver with iridescent blue in the upper body and bright blood red caudal and anal fins.

The Mayan tetra, Hyphessobrycon compressus, is a characid from southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. The type species of the genus Hyphessobrycon, it is not well known in the ornamental trade. Analysis has shown it to be more closely related to 'rosy tetra' species such as H. eques and H. pulchripinnis than to many other members of the genus. It has been collected from rivers, streams, temporal swamps and permanent lakes.

Hyphessobrycon eschwartzae is a small, laterally-striped characid known only from the Río Madre de Dios watershed in southeastern Peru. It has been collected in the Tambopata National Reserve and north of Puerto Maldonado. Lima et al. (2014) placed it in a narrowly defined H. heterorhabdus group with H. heterorhabdus and H. amapaensis, marked by a dark midlateral stripe, a red stripe above it and a red upper half to the eye.

The flame tetra, Hyphessobrycon flammeus, is a small characid from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states in Brazil. Popular in the hobby, it is bred commercially in several countries and also sold as 'red', 'fire', 'rio' and 'Von Rio' tetra. In nature it is now uncommon or even extinct across much of its range, and the São Paulo populations may have been introduced by aquarists or breeders.

The black neon tetra, Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, is a characid from the upper rio Paraguai in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. A ubiquitous aquarium fish since its discovery, it is produced commercially in several countries, so wild fish are no longer collected. It is widespread north and south of the Pantanal, favouring minor tributaries, headwater rivers, oxbows and seasonal floodplains.

The flag tetra, Hyphessobrycon heterorhabdus, is a characid from Pará and Maranhão states in eastern Brazil, also known as 'Belgian flag tetra'. Its name has been misapplied to similar fishes across much of the Amazon, the Orinoco and the Guianas, and the true species may reach no further upstream than the rio Tapajós. It lives almost exclusively in small, shaded forest streams called igarapés.

The Loreto tetra, Hyphessobrycon loretoensis, is a small characid from the upper Amazon basin in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. It is relatively popular in the hobby, but most traded fish are wild-caught, so availability can be sporadic. Most records are from forest streams and minor tributaries with tea-coloured water, overhanging vegetation and leaf litter.

The black stripe tetra, Hyphessobrycon melanostichos, is a characid endemic to the Rio Doze de Outubro in the upper Rio Tapajos basin, Brazil. It shares a number of similarities with Hyphessobrycon sp. 'Blue Ribbon' but has a lighter, more streamlined body, a smaller humeral spot and red colouring. It can become territorial in small tanks, but a group of 10 or more should prevent problems.

The purple tetra, Hyphessobrycon metae, is a characid endemic to the middle Río Orinoco watershed in Colombia and Venezuela. Also known as 'Río Meta tetra', it is often misidentified, and H. peruvianus has repeatedly appeared under its name. The dark band on the caudal peduncle, without a broad dark band along the lower body, separates it from H. peruvianus and H. loretoensis.

The Peruvian tetra, Hyphessobrycon peruvianus, is a characid known only from the upper Amazon basin in Peru. Popular in the trade, it is sometimes confused with H. loretoensis and H. metae and has repeatedly appeared under the latter name in aquarium literature. A more elongate body, a dark band reaching the tips of the median caudal-fin rays and red markings at the base of both caudal lobes set it apart.

The lemon tetra, Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis, is a characid from central Brazil, mostly recorded from the rio Tapajós basin. It is bred commercially in several countries, but the origin of the aquarium strain is questionable. Fish identical to it have been photographed in the lower Xingu, while a related 'orange red' form from the Tapajós may not be the same species.

The flame-back bleeding heart tetra, Hyphessobrycon pyrrhonotus, is a characid endemic to the rio Negro system in Amazonas state, Brazil. The smallest of the three 'bleeding heart' species, it alone has a red, wedge-shaped patch along the upper body from below the dorsal fin to the base of the caudal. It lives in shallow blackwater tributaries near Barcelos, among roots, branches and leaf litter.

The yellow phantom tetra, Hyphessobrycon roseus, is a small characid from Suriname, French Guiana and the Brazilian bank of the Oyapock/Oiapoque. Although popular in the hobby, its identity is somewhat confused, and two colour forms have been traded. It inhabits forest tributaries and igarapés with acidic, brownish water, sandy substrates and leaf litter.

The false x-ray tetra, Hyphessobrycon simulatus, is a characid endemic to French Guiana, from the Maroni to the Oyapock/Oiapoque river basins. Uncommon in the trade, it was originally described in the genus Pseudopristella. It is told from Pristella maxillaris by a larger humeral spot and black in the anal fin limited to the first ray.

The savanna tetra, Hyphessobrycon stegemanni, is a characid from the middle rio Tocantins and rio Araguaia basins in central Brazil. In the hobby its name has often been misapplied to Hemigrammus ataktos, since both occur in the Tocantins and have a dark lateral stripe. Its range lies almost entirely in the cerrado, the tropical wooded grassland of central Brazil.

Hyphessobrycon vilmae is a small characid that appears to be endemic to the upper rio Tapajós basin in Amazonas and Mato Grosso states, Brazil. It is occasionally traded as 'chocolate neon tetra', and has a continuous, solid dark lateral stripe with no obvious humeral blotch. Generally peaceful, it is best kept in a mixed-sex group of at least 8-10.