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Psalidodon balbus

(Myers, 1927)Formerly Hyphessobrycon balbus Myers, 1927

Last revised 2026Edit this page

On this page5 sections
Detail of head and anterior potion of body.
Detail of head and anterior potion of body.Pedro De Podestà

Quick factsEdit

Max size
50mm SL2.0in SL
Aquarium size
not recorded
Temp
not recorded
pH
not recorded
Hardness
not recorded

Difficulty3 of 8 measures

Easy

How the rating is worked out

Space
small tank
Water
unknown
Temp
unknown
Diet
unknown
Temperament
unknown
Social
needs to be in a group
Compatibility
fine with others

Other demands

Each of these can raise the rating on its own, whatever the measures above say.

Hardiness
unknown

Psalidodon 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.

Etymology

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Psalidodon: from the Ancient Greek ψαλίς (psalís), meaning 'scissors', and ὀδούς (odoús), meaning 'tooth'.

balbus: from the Latin balbus, meaning 'stuttering', in reference to the incomplete lateral line in this species which is described as 'stuttering' in its description.

Distribution

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Known only from headwaters of the upper Paraná river basin in the Federal District plus the neighbouring state of Goiás, central Brazil.

Type locality is 'Planaltina, Lagoa Fervedeira, Goiás, Brazil' with additional records existing mostly from the rio São Bartolomeu including the Bananal, Santa Maria-Torto and Gama tributary systems.

Habitat

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At the localities listed in 'Distribution' P. balbus was collected alongside a number of other species including Steindachnerina insculpta, Characidium gomesi, C. xanthopterum, C. zebra, Bryconamericus stramineus, Knodus moenkhausii, Hasemania sp., Astyanax sp., Aspidoras fuscoguttatus, Neoplecostomus corumba, Hypostomus ancistroides, Rhamdia quelen, Rivulus pictus, Phalloceros harpagos, Poecilia reticulata (introduced) and Cichlasoma paranaense.

References

  1. Aquino, P. P. U. and T. Belisário d`Araújo Couto (2010). Pisces, Teleostei, Characiformes, Characidae, Hasemania crenuchoides Zarske and Géry, 1999, Hyphessobrycon balbus Myers, 1927 and Oligosarcus planaltinae Menezes and Géry, 1983: New records in Distrito Federal, Central Brazil. Checklist 6(4), 594-595
  2. Myers, G. S. (1927). Descriptions of new South American fresh-water fishes collected by Dr. Carl Ternetz. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 68(3), 107-135
  3. Calcagnotto, D., S. A. Schaefer, and R. DeSalle (2005). Relationships among characiform fishes inferred from analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 36(1), 135-153
  4. Reis, R. E., S. O. Kullander and C. J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds) (2003). Check list of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America. CLOFFSCA. EDIPUCRS, Porto Alegre, i-xi + 1-729
  5. Oliveira, C. A., G. S. Avellino, K. T. Abe, T. C. Mariguela, R. C. Benine, G. Orti, R. P. Vari, and R. M. Corrêa e Castro (2011). Phylogenetic relationships within the speciose family Characidae (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Characiformes) based on multilocus analysis and extensive ingroup sampling. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11(1), 275-300
  6. de Carvalho, F. R. (2011). Sistemática de Hyphessobrycon Durbin, 1908 (Ostariophysi: Characidae). unpublished PHD Thesis, i-xxiii + 1-365
  7. Aquino, P. P. U., M. Schneider, M. J. M. Silva, C. P. Fonseca, H. B. Arakawa and D. R. Cavalcanti (2009). Ictiofauna dos córregos do Parque Nacional de Brasília, bacia do Alto Rio Paraná, Distrito Federal, Brasil Central. Biota Neotropica 9(1), 217-230

Species images · 4

Detail of head and anterior potion of body.
Detail of head and anterior potion of body.Pedro De Podestà
Habitat in the Santa Maria/Torta tributary drainage of the upper rio Paraná, Brazil.
Habitat in the Santa Maria/Torta tributary drainage of the upper rio Paraná, Brazil.Pedro De Podestà
Preserved specimen.
Preserved specimen.Pedro De Podestà
Another habitat in the Santa Maria/Torta basin.
Another habitat in the Santa Maria/Torta basin.Pedro De Podestà

These photographs are used with each photographer's permission.

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How the name has changed

  1. Moved from Hyphessobrycon balbus to Psalidodon balbus.

    2024Phylogenomics of Characidae, a hyper-diverse Neotropical freshwater fish lineage, with a phylogenetic classification including four families (Teleostei: Characiformes)

Distribution

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Also missing: aquarium size, a common name, aquarium size notes, maintenance, water condition notes, diet, behaviour and compatibility, sexual dimorphism, reproduction, notes.

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