The Madeira River is a major waterway in South America. It is estimated to be 1,450 km (900 mi) in length, while the Madeira-Mamoré is estimated near 3,250 km (2,020 mi) or 3,380 km (2,100 mi) in length depending on the measuring party and their methods. The Madeira is the biggest tributary of the Amazon, accounting for about 15% of the water in the basin. A map from Emanuel Bowen in 1747, held by the David Rumsey Map Collection, refers to the Madeira by the pre-colonial, indigenous name Cuyari.
The River of Cuyari, called by the Portuguese Madeira or the Wood River, is formed by two great rivers, which join near its mouth. It was by this River, that the Nation of Topinambes passed into the River Amazon.
The Purus River is a tributary of the Amazon River in South America. Its drainage basin is 371,042 km2 (143,260 sq mi), and the mean annual discharge is 11,207 m3/s (395,800 cu ft/s). The river shares its name with the Alto Purús National Park and the Purús Province, one of the four provinces of Peru in the Ucayali Region.
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about 7,000,000 km2 (2,700,000 sq mi), or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela, as well as the territory of French Guiana.
Hyphessobrycon is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Characidae. These species are among the fishes known as tetras. The genus is distributed in the Neotropical realm from southern Mexico to Río de la Plata in Argentina. Many of these species are native to South America; about six species are from Central America and a single species, H. compressus is from southern Mexico.
The Serpae tetra, also known as the Red Minor tetra, Jewel tetra or Callistus tetra, is a species of tetra, a tropical freshwater fish of the characin family of order Characiformes. It is native to the Amazon River drainage in Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia and northern Argentina. The fish can be found in slow moving or still backwater including, ponds, small lakes, and streams. In the wild, it forms aggregations around vegetation and tree roots, and thrives when the water temperature is 22-27 °C (72-82 °F).
Guaporé River is a river in western Brazil and northeastern Bolivia. It is 1,260 km (780 mi) long; 920 km (570 mi) of the river forms the border between Brazil and Bolivia.
Thayeria boehlkei is a species of characin fish endemic to the Amazon river basin and Araguaia river, in Peru and Brazil respectively. 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.
Glandulocaudinae are a subfamily of tropical freshwater characin fish from Central and South America. In all species of this subfamily, a gland on their caudal fin is found almost exclusively in the males, which allows the release and pumping of pheromones; also, members of this subfamily have complex courtship behaviors which lead to insemination. The ecology and life history of these fish is complex yet little studied. Glandulocaudines are important as food fish for larger fish important for commercial and subsistence reasons.
Aguarunichthys is a genus of long-whiskered catfishes native to South America.
Mimagoniates microlepis, also known as the blue tetra, the croaking tetra, the small-scaled tetra, is a species of tetra in the genus Mimagoniates. First identified by Franz Steindachner in 1876 and named Coelurichthys microlepis, it has also been identified as Coelurichthys iporangae, Coelurichthys lateralis, and Mimagoniates iporangae besides its current taxonomic classification. There is evidence of a variety called M. microlepis 'Joinville' which might be synonymous with Paragoniates microlepis.
Moenkhausia is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Characidae native to tropical and subtropical South America. These are medium-sized tetras where the largest species only reach around 12 cm (4.7 in).
Myloplus schomburgkii, also known as the Disk tetra, Disk pacu, Black-ear pacu, Black-band myleus or Black-barred myleus is a species of serrasalmid with a black bar on its side. This species is found in the middle and lower Amazon River basin, Nanay River, upper Orinoco River basin in Brazil, Peru, Venezuela and possibly in Suriname.
Myloplus is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae found in tropical and subtropical South America, where they inhabit rivers and streams. They are primarily herbivores, but also take some animal matter. Depending on the exact species, they reach up to 16–56 cm (0.5–1.8 ft) in standard length. Adult males have a double-lobed anal fin and filamentous extensions on the dorsal fin, and both sexes can be brightly colored when breeding.
Tyttocharax is a genus of characins found in tropical South America.
Spinipterus is a genus of catfishes of the family Auchenipteridae.
Hyphessobrycon agulha is a species of tetra in the family Characidae. As a freshwater fish, it inhabits the basin of the Madeira River in Brazil along with parts of Peru and Bolivia, and it reaches a maximum length of 4.3 centimetres. Though it is mainly found in the wild, it is occasionally kept by fishkeepers and is sometimes confused with the neon tetra. The fish is primarily an insectivore, though it does eat vegetable matter. It is considered to form a group with other species in Hyphessobrycon as they share a dark stripe running lengthwise.
Iguanodectes geisleri, the red-line lizard tetra, is a species of freshwater fish from South America. It is a small species, largely herbivorous with some omnivorous traits, that prefers to live in schools and is partial to shallow waters, especially in blackwater habitats. Some aspects of its body plan are unique amongst its genus, including the position and length of the anal fin.
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 purusii is a small freshwater fish from the rivers of South America. It is largely herbivorous, and prefers to live in schools. The name "purusii" originates from the species' type locality, the Purus river basin of Brazil, with a range that also extends into Peru. Furthermore, it has been documented from the Amazon, Madeira, Guaporé, and Pastaza rivers, but specific study of its ecology is otherwise lacking.
Iguanodectes rachovii is a species of freshwater fish that inhabits the rivers of the Amazon basin. It largely consumes insects, though it will eat plants if given the opportunity, and has a peaceful disposition, able to live alongside various other species. It is often found in groups of 3 to 30 specimens, lingering at the edges of streams near the surface of the water.
