Megalamphodus

A beautiful species that is very similar to a host of others in the genus, some of which are undescribed. The most frequently encountered of these in the trade is the rosy tetra, H. rosaceus. H. bentosi may also be seen for sale as 'Bentos' tetra' or 'White-tipped tetra'. As with the closely related Hemigrammus, the taxonomic status of all species in the genus Hyphessobrycon is currently Incertae Sedis, meaning uncertain. The genus is currently used as something of a ...

This species is very common in the aquarium trade and is also referred to as 'jewel', 'red minor', 'blood', or 'callistus' tetra. A number of selectively-bred ornamental strains have been developed, including 'metallic', 'long-finned', 'balloon' and 'fairy-fin'. Characiformes is among the most diverse orders of freshwa...

In the igarapés Baré and Ubim, western Brazil H. erythrostigma was collected from stretches measuring 5-7 metres in width with thick riparian and overhanging vegetation. The substrate was mostly composed of sand and the fish displayed a preference for boundary zones between shallow and deeper water. Conductivity was measured at 14.2-62.1 mS/cm³, dissolved oxy...

This species is occasionally available in the aquarium trade, although usually as bycatch among shipments of other fishes. It is sometimes traded as H. sp. 'Araguaia red', H. sp. 'Araguaia' or 'Schultz's tetra'.

The majority of records pertain to the rio Guaporé (Río Iténez in Bolivia), the main affluent of the rio Mamoré, which drains the vast tropical wetland known as the Pantanal, and the upper rio Paraguai, which also has its headwaters in the Pantanal but flows in the opposite direction. The Guaporé and Paraguai are connected due to rising water levels during the annual wet season.

A beautiful species that is very similar to a host of others in the genus, some of which are undescribed. The most common of these in the hobby is H. bentosi. The two are so similar in appearance that H. rosaceus was once considered to be a subspecies of H. bentosi. The easiest way to distinguish them is by the presence of a dark marking just behind the operculum in H. bentosi, which is lacking in H. rosaceus. As with the closely related Hemigrammus, the taxonomic status of all species in the...

This species is an opportunistic omnivore by nature. The stomach contents of wild specimens from the rio Padauari were composed of fruit remains and aquatic insects with the former constituting 99% and latter 1% of all items consumed. Stomachs of individuals from igarapé Água Boa cont...

At least two colour forms have been traded, one of which is more intensely-coloured and has been referred to as H. sweglesi 'red' or 'rubra'. The bright red pigmentation is retained in long-term captive specimens, suggesting that it is not considered to be an artefact of diet, but we suspect it might reflect conditions at the collection locality with the reddest fish putatively inhabiting blackwater and plainer forms clearwater environments. Zarske (2014) found the two forms to be identical in terms of morphology an...