Mimagoniates
Mimagoniates is a genus of characid fish from rivers and streams in southeastern, southern and central-western Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay.[1][2] The individual species generally have relatively small ranges and two, M. lateralis and M. sylvicola, are considered threatened by Brazil's Ministry of the Environment.[3]
Mimagoniates | |
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Scientific classification | |
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Subfamily: | Stevardiinae |
Genus: | Mimagoniates Regan, 1907 |
Synonyms | |
Coelurichthys Miranda-Ribeiro, 1908 |
Commonly known as croaking tetra or chirping tetra because they can produce sounds,[4] some of these fish were historically included in Glandulocauda and together with Lophiobrycon they form the tribe Glandulocaudini.[2] Mimagoniates have a supplementary breathing organ located above the gills which makes a faint chirping sound when these fish come to the surface to gulp air. It also plays a role in courtship as the male chases and hovers near the female while taking gulps of air and expelling it to make a rhythmic noise.[4] Croaking behavior may have evolved from a behavior called "surface nipping", which occurs when the fish is searching for food. This gulping of air has no useful respiratory function.[5] They are small fish, up to 3–6.1 cm (1.2–2.4 in) in standard length depending on the exact species.[1]
Species
There are currently 7 recognized species in this genus:[1][2]
- Mimagoniates barberi Regan, 1907
- Mimagoniates inequalis (C. H. Eigenmann, 1911) (Croaking tetra)
- Mimagoniates lateralis (Nichols, 1913)
- Mimagoniates microlepis (Steindachner, 1877) (Blue tetra)
- Mimagoniates pulcher Menezes & S. H. Weitzman, 2009
- Mimagoniates rheocharis Menezes & S. H. Weitzman, 1990
- Mimagoniates sylvicola Menezes & S. H. Weitzman, 1990
References
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2016). Species of Mimagoniates in FishBase. January 2016 version.
- Thomaz, A.T., Arcila, D., Ortí, G. & Malabarba, L.R. (2015): Molecular phylogeny of the subfamily Stevardiinae Gill, 1858 (Characiformes: Characidae): classification and the evolution of reproductive traits. BMC Evolutionary Biology, (2015) 15: 146.
- ICMBio (Ministry of the Environment, Brazil): Portaria MMA nº 445, de 17 de dezembro de 2014. Lista de Especies Ameaçadas - Saiba Mais. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- Axelrod, Herbert Richard (1996): Exotic Tropical Fishes. T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-87666-543-1
- Nelson, Keith (1964): The Evolution of a Pattern of Sound Production Associated with Courtship in the Characid Fish, Glandulocauda inequalis. Evolution 18(4): 526–540.doi:10.2307/2406207