Pinktail chalceus

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Pinktail chalceus
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Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Chalceidae
Genus: Chalceus
Species:
C. macrolepidotus
Binomial name
Chalceus macrolepidotus
Cuvier, 1818

The pinktail chalceus (Chalceus macrolepidotus), [1] [2] also called the pinktail characin, [3] [4] is a species of freshwater fish of the family Chalceidae found in South America. It is one of five fish in the genus Chalceus , and is the type species of the genus.

Description

The pinktail chalceus is a small, light-colored freshwater fish with a tail that is usually dark red to pink and is much more intensely colored than the rest of the animal. It has large, noticeable scales and reaches 24.5 cm SL, making it the largest known member of Chalceus. [2] The smallest is Chalceus epakros. [5]

Chalceus epakros , before being classified, was regularly misidentified as either the pinktail chalceus or the yellowfin chalceus (Chalceus erythrurus). [6] C. epakros and the pinktail can be told apart because the pinktail is uniform silvery in color, whereas C. epakros has a line down the middle of either side that reaches its caudal peduncle.

Etymology

The common name "pinktail chalceus" comes from its caudal fin, which is typically much more saturated in color than the main body. [6] The specific name macrolepidotus means "large scale" in Latin, which is considered an accurate reflection of its scale size; [7] the scales themselves are cycloid. [6] The original description gave it the common name "large-scaled chalceus". [8]

The genus name Chalceus comes from the Greek word chalkos, which means brass or copper. [2] This name was given based on the observation that the scales on the type specimen were coppery ("sometimes golden") when preserved in alcohol. [9]

Taxonomy

Upon description by French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1818, the pinktail chalceus was placed into the new genus Chalceus. [10] By way of monotypy, it ended up as the type species therein. [11] [12] Since then, several additions and retractions have occurred, as well as a redescription of the genus in the year 2004, and there are now five accepted species in total, C. macrolepidotus included. [3] [6]

The original scientific name given by Cuvier has remained its accepted scientific name. [1] Synonyms include Brycon macrolepidotus, Chalceus ararapeera, Chalceus erythrurus, Pellegrina heterolepsis, and Creagrutus pellegrini. [2] [7] The name Chalceus erythrurus has since been assigned to a different species in the genus altogether. [13]

The yellowfin chalceus, C. erythrurus, was briefly classified as Chalceus macrolepidotus iquitensis, a subspecies of the pinktail chalceus, by biologist Shoji Nakashima in 1941. [14]

Habitat

The pinktail chalceus is found in well-oxygenated (fast-flowing) waters in South America; specifically, it is found in French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname, inhabiting the Orinoco and Negro Rivers. [2] C. epakros and the pinktail are the only two Chalceus species known to occur in Guyana. [15] It has been non-natively established in Mexico as well, though it is not considered invasive by the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS). [16]

Diet and behavior

The pinktail chalceus is a fast-moving and active fish that stays near the river's surface. [17] It tends to cluster together in schools. [18] Its diet generally consists of small invertebrates; [2] when searching for food, it may leap out of the water to target a bug above the surface.

It is notably skittish. [17] This is a trait it shares with the yellowfin chalceus. [19]

In aquaria

The pinktail chalceus is moderately popular in the aquarium trade, though it requires a larger aquarium than many prospective keepers have access to (55 gallons or above). [20] It has enough of a reputation for jumping out of its tank (like its behavior in the wild) that sellers regularly warn buyers about it. [21] This is more likely to happen if the pinktail is startled and does not have anyplace to take cover, such as plants or driftwood hideaways. [17]

Aquarists with adequate space to keep pinktails are advised to have a shoal larger than 6 to 8 specimens; anything lower, and squabbling is likely to happen. [7] [22] Because they are a fast and active species, the tank they live in doesn't need extraneous decor, but offering cover for them to hide in may make them more relaxed. [22]

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Characiformes</span> Order of fishes

Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Characidae</span> Family of fishes

Characidae, the characids or characins, is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is an historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a, by and large, monophyletic group. To arrive there, this family has undergone much systematic and taxonomic change. Among those fishes remaining in the Characidae currently are the tetras, comprising the very similar genera Hemigrammus and Hyphessobrycon, as well as a few related forms, such as the cave and neon tetras. Fish of this family are important as food in several regions, and also constitute a large percentage of captive freshwater aquarium fish species.

Priocharax is a genus of characins, very small freshwater fish from the Amazon and Orinoco basins in tropical South America.

<i>Chalceus</i> Genus of fishes

Chalceus is a genus of fish that inhabits freshwater habitats in South America. Members can be found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as in the Guianas and various tributaries of the former. It is the sole representative of the family Chalceidae.

<i>Cynodon</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Cynodon is a genus of dogtooth characins from tropical South America, including the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and rivers in the Guianas. These predatory fish reach up to 32.2 cm (1.06 ft) in standard length. They are mainly piscivorous, but will also take insects.

<i>Hydrolycus</i> Genus of fishes

Hydrolycus is a genus of large dogtooth characins from tropical South America, where found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas. The genus includes the largest dogtooth characins, reaching up to 1.17 m (3.8 ft) in length. They have long, pointed teeth used for spearing their prey, generally smaller fish. In a study of the stomachs of 45 individuals, most were empty, but among the remaining the prey fish were 15–50% of the length Hydrolycus itself.

<i>Hydrolycus armatus</i> Species of fish

Hydrolycus armatus is a species of dogtooth characin found in freshwater of tropical South America. It is sometimes known as the payara, a name it shares with the related H. scomberoides.

Cynodon septenarius, the silver paraya, is one of three species of dogtooth characins in the genus Cynodon. It is the most recently described member of its genus. This fish is found in tropical fresh waters of South America, including the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and rivers in Guyana.

<i>Hydrolycus tatauaia</i> Species of fish

Hydrolycus tatauaia is a species of dogtooth characin found in the Amazon, Orinoco and Essequibo basins in tropical South America. Adults mainly occur in deep and/or fast-flowing rivers. It is migratory, moving upstream to breed in November–April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tucan fish</span> Species of fish

The tucan fish, also called the yellowfin chalceus, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Chalceidae. It is one of five species in the genus Chalceus, and was the second species to be described therein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalceidae</span> Family of fish

Chalceidae, the tucanfishes, is a family of freshwater fish first described by Henry Weed Fowler in the year 1958. It is a monotypic family, home only to the genus incertae sedisChalceus.

<i>Chalceus epakros</i> Species of fish

Chalceus epakros is a species of freshwater fish in the family Chalceidae, found in northern South America. It is a fairly recent addition to its genus, alongside the species C. guaporensis and C. spilogyros.

<i>Chalceus guaporensis</i> Species of fish

Chalceus guaporensis is a species of freshwater fish in the family Chalceidae that inhabits northern South America. Alongside C. epakros and C. spilogyros, it was added to the genus Chalceus in the year 2004.

<i>Chalceus spilogyros</i> Species of fish

Chalceus spilogyros, sometimes misspelled as Chalceus spilogyrus, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Chalceidae that inhabits northern South America. It is a relatively new member of the genus Chalceus, along with C. epakros and C. guaporensis.

<i>Bryconops alburnoides</i> Species of fish

Bryconops alburnoides is a small freshwater fish, approximately 6 inches long at its largest, that lives in the rivers of South America. It has a slender body, with a yellowish dorsal fin and yellow-tinged back scales that fade into silver on its belly. It is largely an insectivore that picks land-dwelling insects from the riverbanks, though it eats much more whenever rain washes prey into the water.

<i>Bryconops collettei</i> Species of fish

Bryconops collettei is a small freshwater fish from the rivers of South America. It is mostly silvery, with notable green iridescence on its sides, and a diffuse ocellus (eyespot) on the upper lobe of the caudal fin. Before its distinction as a separate species, specimens of B. collettei were misidentified as specimens of Bryconops caudomaculatus due to several morphological similarities, including a caudal ocellus and generally similar fin coloration.

Bryconops disruptus is a small freshwater fish of the family Iguanodectidae. It is only found in the Rio Negro in South America. Like the rest of the genus Bryconops, B. disruptus is silvery in color, with a relatively deep chest and a notable set of teeth. The specific epithet "disruptus" refers to the incomplete lateral line.

Bryconops durbinae, sometimes listed under the name Bryconops durbini, is a small species of freshwater fish in the family Iguanodectidae. It is the smallest species of the genus Bryconops, and is endemic to the Tapajós river basin in Brazil.

<i>Bryconops gracilis</i> Species of fish

Bryconops gracilis is a small species of freshwater fish from the rivers of South America. It is one of multiple species for which the common name "lambari" is used. Though not well-studied, it has been re-described in recent years in order to differentiate it from Bryconops alburnoides, a congener to which it bears a strong resemblance.

<i>Bryconops tocantinensis</i> Species of fish

Bryconops tocantinensis is a small freshwater fish from the rivers of Brazil. It has yellow-gold scales on its back and white scales on its belly, with a bright-silver stripe marking the divide between the two. It gets the name "tocantinensis" from its endemism to the upper Tocantins basin drainage - specifically, the Conceição River.

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Pinktail Chalceus (Chalceus macrolepidotus) Ecological Risk Screening Summary . 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Chalceus macrolepidotus" in FishBase . December 2021 version.
  3. 1 2 "ITIS - Report: Chalceus macrolepidotus". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  4. ↑ "ADW: Chalceus macrolepidotus: CLASSIFICATION". animaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  5. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2021). Species of Chalceus in FishBase . December 2021 version.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Zanata, A.M.; M. Toledo-Piza (2004). "Taxonomic revision of the South American fish genus Chalceus Cuvier (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Characiformes) with the description of three new species". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 140 (11): 103–135. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00090.x .
  7. 1 2 3 "Pink-tailed Characin". Tropical Freshwater Fish. Mongabay. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  8. ↑ Schomburgk, Robert Hermann (1841). The Natural History of the Fishes of Guiana. Dublin: W.H. Lizars, ... S. Highley, ... London; and W. Curry, jun. and Company. p. 216. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Scharpf, Christopher; Lazara, Kenneth J. (15 September 2020). "Order CHARACIFORMES: Families IGUANODECTIDAE, TRIPORTHEIDAE, BRYCONIDAE, CHALCEIDAE and GASTEROPELECIDAE". The ETYFish Project. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  10. ↑ Cuvier, Georges (1818). "Sur les Poissons du sous-genre Myletes". Mémoires du Muséum d'histoire naturelle. 4: 454. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (Genus Chalceus)". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  12. ↑ Reis, Roberto; Toledo-piza Ragazzo, Monica; Harold, Antony; Pavanelli, Carla; Buckup, Paulo A. (2003). "Genera incertae sedis in Characidae" . Retrieved 27 December 2021.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Chalceus erythrurus" in FishBase . December 2021 version.
  14. ↑ Nakashima, Shoji (1941). "Algunos peces del Oriente perauno" (PDF). Boletin de Museo Historia Natural "Javier Prado". 16: 62–63. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "Chalceus, Cuvier, 1817". Plazi TreatmentBank. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  16. ↑ González Martínez A I, Barrios Y, De Jesús S, Wong L J, Pagad S (2020). Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - Mexico. Version 1.5. Invasive Species Specialist Group ISSG. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/08knmc accessed via GBIF.org on 2021-12-24.
  17. 1 2 3 "Pink-tail Chalceus Species Profile". Maidenhead Aquatics. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  18. ↑ Bukkems, Jan. "Chalceus macrolepidotus – Pink Tailed Chalceus". Aqua-Info. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  19. ↑ "Chalceus erythrurus (Tucanfish)". Seriously Fish. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  20. ↑ "Pinktail Chalceus". LiveAquaria. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  21. ↑ "Pinktail Chalceus (Chalceus macrolepidotus)". Aqua-Imports. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  22. 1 2 "Chalceus macrolepidotus (Pink-tailed Chalceus)". SeriouslyFish. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
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