| Tucan fish | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Chalceidae |
| Genus: | Chalceus |
| Species: | C. erythrurus |
| Binomial name | |
| Chalceus erythrurus Cope, 1870 | |
The tucan fish (Chalceus erythrurus), [1] [2] also called the yellowfin chalceus, [3] [4] 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.
The tucan fish has a pale-silver body, with bright-yellow ventral fins (hence its other common name); the rest of its fins are some mixture of yellow and red, usually with a reddish tail fin. [5] In terms of size, it reaches 21.4 cm SL. [1] This makes it one of the larger members of the genus Chalceus, outsized only by the pinktail chalceus.
The name "tucan fish" directly translates to "toucan fish", as "tucán" means toucan in Spanish. [6] All members of the family Chalceidae are sometimes referred to as tucanfishes, but C. erythrurus is the species to which it is most often applied. [7]
The genus name Chalceus is Greek, and means brass or copper. [1] The specific name erythrurus also originates in Greek, with "eruthros" meaning red and "ouros" meaning tail in reference to its caudal fin usually being reddish. [8]
Upon being described by Edward Drinker Cope in the year 1870, the tucan fish was placed in the new genus Plethodectes with the full name Plethodectes erythrurus. [9] However, Cope switched it over to the genus Chalceus in the year 1872. [10]
It was briefly classified as Chalceus macrolepidotus iquitensis, a subspecies of the pinktail chalceus C. macrolepidotus, by Shoji Nakashima in 1941. [11] Henry Watson Fowler described it as Pellegrinina heterolepis in 1907, but Jacques Géry proved it to be a member of the Chalceus genus in 1977. [12] [13]
The name Chalceus erythrurus was once mistakenly applied to C. macrolepidotus, and they are sometimes confused with one another. [14] They can be told apart because of the tucan fish's bright-yellow ventral fins, as well as a few other coloration patterns. [5]
The tucan fish can be found in the Amazon and Solimões rivers, and its habitat extends into Peru by way of the Ucayali river. [1] [13]
Like others in the genus Chalceus, the tucan fish is primarily a carnivore, targeting aquatic invertebrates (such as insects and crustaceans). [15] It is known to be somewhat skittish, and may jump out of the water on occasion. [3]
Characidae, the characids or characins is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a by and large monophyletic group at family rank. To arrive there, this family has undergone much systematic and taxonomic change. Among those fishes that remain in the Characidae for the time being 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 and also include popular aquarium fish species.
Tetra is the common name of many small freshwater characiform fishes. Tetras come from Africa, Central America, and South America, belonging to the biological family Characidae and to its former subfamilies Alestidae and Lebiasinidae. The Characidae are distinguished from other fish by the presence of a small adipose fin between the dorsal and caudal fins. Many of these, such as the neon tetra, are brightly colored and easy to keep in captivity. Consequently, they are extremely popular for home aquaria.
The yellowfin cutthroat trout is an extinct subspecies or variety of the cutthroat trout, a North American freshwater fish.
Bryconops is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Iguanodectidae from South America. It consists of small fish, all under half-a-foot long, with slender bodies and silvery scales, though there is some mild color variation. Several species can be identified by way of a humeral patch, and others have a reddish ocellus, or eyespot, on one or both lobes of the dorsal fin.
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.
Iguanodectes is a genus of freshwater fish found in tropical South America, with eight currently described species. They are all small tetras, none longer than 5 inches, and often have attractive silvery or striped scales, which makes them a target for the ornamental fish industry. Alongside the genus Piabucus, it is in the subfamily Iguanodectinae, which in turn is in the family Iguanodectidae. The genus Bryconops, which is also in Iguanodectidae, makes up a sister clade to Iguanodectinae.
Rogadius is a genus of marine, demersal ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae. These fishes are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
Carlastyanax aurocaudatus is a small species of freshwater fish in the family Characidae native to the Río Cauca in Colombia. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Carlastyanax, which was named in 1972 specifically for the species by Jacques Géry. Upon description, it was named Astyanax aurocaudatus by Carl H. Eigenmann. There has been debate concerning whether or not the genus should be recognized, but C. aurocaudatus is currently considered a valid species.
The pinktail chalceus, also called the pinktail characin, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bryconops munduruku is a small freshwater fish of the family Iguanodectidae that lives in the rivers of South America. Its adipose fin is black, with a clear base, and it has two humeral spots, which is a feature it shares with few congeners. Its fins are a variety of yellow, red, black, and clear, and mature males have hooks on select fin-rays.
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.
Bryconops rheoruber is a species of freshwater fish from the rivers of Brazil. Its back scales are tan-to-cream, and its belly is silvery; the divide between the two colors is marked by a broad iridescent-silver stripe. Its fins are a mixture of pale, clear, and reddish, which contributed to its specific name. "Rheo" means "flow" or "current" in Greek, and "ruber" means "red" in Latin.
Iguanodectes polylepis is a species of freshwater fish from the rivers of South America. Its range is restricted to Brazil, where it inhabits the Madeira and Purus river basins. It is one of the larger members of the genus, but remains generally small, only a little over a quarter-foot long.
Iguanodectes spilurus, the green-line lizard tetra, is a small characiform fish from the rivers of South America. It is not a well-studied species, but research is available, including data from hobbyists that keep it as an ornamental fish. It has a distinct lateral stripe of reflective-green scales, and lacks any red markings therein; red is common in congeners' lateral stripes.
Astyanax brevimanus, sometimes referred to as the Quiché tetra, is a small species of freshwater fish native to various locales in Guatemala. Its native range is somewhat restricted, but it is a populous and adaptable species, so there is no risk of it going extinct anytime soon. It is unknown what A. brevimanus eats, or what specific habitats it prefers; current information is largely in the form of physical descriptions, general areas of occurrence, and hypotheses regarding relationships to congeners. Its silvery scales, indistinct humeral (shoulder) spot, and dark caudal-peduncle spot are features not unusual in species of Astyanax.