Thayeria boehlkei

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Thayeria boehlkei
Thayeria boehlkei.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Acestrorhamphidae
Genus: Thayeria
Species:
T. boehlkei
Binomial name
Thayeria boehlkei

Thayeria boehlkei, the blackline penguinfish, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American characins. This spevies is endemic to the Amazon River basin and Araguaia River, in Peru and Brazil respectively. [2] 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. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The fish is named in honor of James E. Böhlke (1930–1982) of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, because of his interest in and contributions to the knowledge of South American characids. [5]

Distribution and habitat

Thayeria boehlkei inhabits small streams and the margins of smaller rivers in the lowland Amazon basin, [6] where it has been recorded in the Araguaia, Tocantins, Xingu, Tapajós and Teles-Pires rivers. [1]

Diet

The species feeds on worms, small insects, flake food and crustaceans. [2]

Reproduction

In captivity, this normally schooling 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 [7] [8] The eggs hatch in about 20 hours and are free-swimming after 4 days. [4]

In the aquarium

The species is best kept in groups, to allow the species to school, in tropical freshwater community aquaria with other peaceful, non-predatory fishes. [4] [8] [9] This fish tolerates a fairly broad range of water pHs, but prefers acidic water for breeding. [9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) (2022). "Thayeria boehlkei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022 e.T49830510A141158690. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T49830510A141158690.en . Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Thayeria boehlkei". FishBase . Apr 2007 version.
  3. ↑ Mills D (1993) Aquarium Fish Harper Collins ISBN   0-7322-5012-9
  4. 1 2 3 Axelrod HR, Vorderwinkler W (1995) Encyclopedia of tropical fishes. 30th edition. Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications, USA.
  5. ↑ Christopher Scharpf (3 October 2025). "Family ACESTRORHAMPHIDAE Eigenmann 1907 (American Tetras)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Penguin Tetra - Thayeria boehlkei Fish Profile & Care Guide". Aquadiction. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  7. ↑ McInerny D, Gerard G (1958) All about tropical fish. 2nd Edn. George Harrap & Co. London. p. 276–277.
  8. 1 2 Baensch, HA (1996). Rüdiger Riehl (ed.). Aquarium Atlas (5th ed.). Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN   3-88244-050-3.
  9. 1 2 Axelrod, Herbert, R. (1996). Exotic Tropical Fishes. T.F.H. Publications. ISBN   0-87666-543-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)


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