Redeye tetra

Redeye tetra
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Characidae
Genus: Moenkhausia
Species:
M. sanctaefilomenae
Binomial name
Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae
(Steindachner, 1907)

The redeye tetra (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae), is a species of tetra from the São Francisco, upper Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay river basins in eastern and central South America.[2][3] This freshwater fish is commonly kept in aquariums and bred in large numbers at commercial facilities in Eastern Europe and Asia.[4] The redeye tetra is one of the more popular aquarium fish due to their schooling capability.

It can grow up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in length,[4] and live for approximately 5 years.[3] The red-eye tetra has a bright silver body accented by a white-edged black basal half of the tail and a thin red circle around its eye. It is part of a group that consists of three similar species, the two others being M. forestii (upper Paraguay and upper Paraná basins) and M. oligolepis (Amazon and Paraguay basins, and the Guianas).[5]

Yellow-banded tetra is another common name for the M. sanctaefilomenae. The fish has a yellow band on its caudal peduncle, which differentiates it from the glass tetra.[6]

  1. ^ "Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae". FishBase. April 2008 version.
  3. ^ a b "Red Eye Tetra". about.com. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  4. ^ a b Riehl & Baensch (1987). "Aquarium Atlas Volume 1", Mergus, p.302
  5. ^ Benine, R.C.; T.C. Mariguela; C. Oliveira (2009). "New species of Moenkhausia Eigenmann, 1903 (Characiformes: Characidae) with comments on the Moenkhausia oligolepis species complex". Neotropical Ichthyology. 7 (2): 161–168. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252009000200005. hdl:11449/18468.
  6. ^ Alderton, David (2019). Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish (3rd ed.). UK: Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-2413-6424-6.