Nannostomus mortenthaleri

(Paepke & Arendt, 2001)

Vernacular names
English : Mortenthaler’s pencilfish
French : Poisson-crayon rouge

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Characiformes
Family : Lebiasinidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach up to 2.9 cm in length. Elongated, flat oval-shaped body with pointed snout. Body shows two black and two pink to bright red horizontal bars running from head to tail. Tip of dorsal fin, caudal and anal fins orange to red.

Range and habitat
This species is endemic to Peru and occurs only in the Mayanas province, in the Rio Nanay drainage. It lives in shallow black water rivers and marshes with dead leaves on river bottom.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species has a very small range and its single population is continuously declining because of the capture of adult specimens for the trade.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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