Thayeria boehlkei

Taxobox | name = Blackline penguinfish

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image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Thayeria boehlkei"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Characiformes
familia = Characidae
subfamilia = Characinae
genus = "Thayeria"
species = "T. boehlkei"
binomial = "Thayeria boehlkei"
binomial_authority = Weitzman, 1957

"Thayeria boehlkei" is a species of characin fish endemic to the Amazon river basin and Araguaia river, in Peru and Brazil respectively.FishBase species|genus=Thayeria|species=boehlkei|year=2007|month=Apr] 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. [Mills D (1993) "Aquarium Fish" Harper Collins ISBN 0-7322-5012-9] Axelrod HR, Vorderwinkler W (1995) "Encyclopedia of tropical fishes". 30th edition. Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications, USA.]

=Misidentification= The species was previously misidentified as "Thayeria sanctaemariae"McInerny D, Gerard G (1958) All about tropical fish. 2nd Edn. George Harrap & Co. London. p. 276-277.] and "Thayeria obliqua". "T. obliqua" is a superficially similar, but different species of "Thayeria", while "T. sanctaemariae", is a synonym of "T. obliqua".

Diet

The species feeds on worms, small insects and crustaceans.

Reproduction

In captivity, this normally schooling species, forms pairs that scatters their many adhesive eggs amongst plants. Clutch size is very large and may be up to 1000 eggs, the embryos of which are black in colourcite book |last=Riehl |first=Rüdiger. Editor. |coauthors=Baensch, HA |title=Aquarium Atlas |year=1996. 5th Edn. |publisher=Tetra Press |location=Germany |isbn=3-88244-050-3] The eggs hatch in "ca." 20 hours and are free-swimming after 4 days.

In the aquarium

The species is best kept in groups, to allow the species to school, in freshwater, tropical, community aquaria with other peaceful, non-predatory fishes.cite book | title = Exotic Tropical Fishes | last = Axelrod | first = Herbert, R. | publisher = T.F.H. Publications. | year = 1996 | ISBN = 0-87666-543-1] This fish is tolerant of pH, but prefer acidic water for breeding.

ee also

*Characidae
*Tetra
*List of freshwater aquarium fish species

References