| Astyanax altiparanae | |
|---|---|
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| Illustration of female and male Astyanax altiparanae | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Characidae |
| Genus: | Astyanax |
| Species: | A. altiparanae
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| Binomial name | |
| Astyanax altiparanae Garutti & Britski, 2000
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Astyanax altiparanae, sometimes called the yellow-tail tetra or yellow-tail lambari, is a species of schooling freshwater fish widely distributed across the southern half of South America. It is an ecologically flexible species, able to adapt to various resource and space conditions, and its diet follows this pattern; it is considered opportunistic and omnivorous. Its widespread nature and unspecified ecology contribute to its status as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List.[1] It was originally described from the upper Paraná river basin, which is the origin of its specific epithet; "alto" means "higher" in Brazilian Portuguese, hence "alto Paraná".
It matures early, reproduces quickly, and accepts laboratory conditions with ease, which makes it a good model organism. It can also be used as a living indicator for environmental conditions, as the composition of its scales often reflects the availability of different resources in its environment, and it responds to various pollutants in ways that can be easily measured. Because A. altiparanae can be kept in captivity with few problems, it has recently[as of?] become a large part of the aquaculture scene in South America. It is used both for live bait and for human consumption, so farming both prevents overfishing of wild specimens and prevents introduction of exotic species for these purposes.
As a part of the Astyanax bimaculatus species complex, A. altiparanae is one of many species with unclear cladistic status in the genus Astyanax. Some researchers consider it synonymous with Astyanax lacustris, but there are various data that suggest the two should remain separate, including chromosomal, mitochondrial, and geographical. Studies of generic phylogeny are ongoing.
- ^ a b Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) (2022). "Astyanax altiparanae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (in Portuguese). 2022: e.T186416A1812732. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T186416A1812732.pt. Retrieved 7 March 2023.