Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
| Black phantom tetra | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Characidae |
| Genus: | Hyphessobrycon |
| Species: | H. megalopterus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Hyphessobrycon megalopterus (C. H. Eigenmann, 1915) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Megalomphodus megalopterus | |
Megalomphodus megalopterus
Megalamphodus rogoaguae
The black phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon megalopterus), or simply phantom tetra, is a small freshwater fish of the characin family (Characidae) of order Characiformes. It is native to the upper Paraguay basin and upper Madeira basin (including Guaporé, Mamore and Beni) in Brazil and Bolivia. It is commonly seen in the aquarium trade.
This fish is of roughly tetragonal shape, light grey in coloring, with a black patch, surrounded by iridescent silver edging, posterior of the gills on each side. The male's fins are black, as is the female's dorsal fin; the female's pelvic, anal, and adipose fins are reddish in color. A long-finned variety, apparently developed by captive breeders, is sometimes sold in the aquarium trade (the male has elongated dorsal and anal fins even in the wild form). The black phantom tetra reaches a maximum standard length of 3.6 cm (1.4 in).
The male black phantom tetras have longer fins than the females and when in breeding condition, the females become plumper, but the biggest difference is in their color. The males have no red, while the smaller fins of the female both on the top and underneath them are red. The adipose fin, on the top of the body behind the larger dorsal fin, is much more noticeable in the females than the males, because in females it is red while in the males it is grey. The female's dorsal fin has a more intense black than the male's. When the fish are in breeding condition, the colors of both sexes become more distinct, with the male showing its black fins more obviously.
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Wikipedia