genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
characid
Characidae, the characids or characins is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their st ...
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
from rivers and streams in
southeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
,
southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
.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.'' The individual species generally have relatively small ranges and two, ''M. lateralis'' and ''M. sylvicola'', are considered
threatened
Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...
ICMBio
The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Portuguese: ''Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade'', ICMBio) is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment's administrative arm."Brazilian Federal Law 11.516/2007 (Por ...
(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.
Commonly known as croaking tetra or chirping tetra because they can produce sounds, some of these fish were historically included in ''
Glandulocauda
''Glandulocauda'' is a genus of small characin freshwater fish that are endemic to Brazil, where restricted to the upper Paraná basin and coastal river basins in São Paulo state.Thomaz, A.T., Arcila, D., Ortí, G. & Malabarba, L.R. (2015): Mo ...
'' and together with ''
Lophiobrycon
''Lophiobrycon weitzmani'' is a species of small characin endemic to Brazil, where it is found in the upper Paraná River basin. It is considered threatened by Brazil's Ministry of the Environment. ICMBio (Ministry of the Environment, Brazil)Port ...
'' they form the
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...
Glandulocaudini. ''Mimagoniates'' have a supplementary
breathing organ
The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...
located above the
gill
A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...
s which makes a faint chirping sound when these fish come to the surface to gulp
air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
. It also plays a role in
courtship
Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private m ...
as the male chases and hovers near the female while taking gulps of air and expelling it to make a rhythmic noise.Axelrod, Herbert Richard (1996): ''Exotic Tropical Fishes''. T.F.H. Publications. 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
The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...
function.Nelson, Keith (1964): The Evolution of a Pattern of Sound Production Associated with Courtship in the Characid Fish, ''Glandulocauda inequalis''. ''
Evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
'' 18(4): 526–540. They are small fish, up to in
standard length
Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.
Overall length
* Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...
depending on the exact species.
Species
There are currently 7 recognized species in this genus:
* ''
Mimagoniates barberi
''Mimagoniates'' is a genus of characid fish from rivers and streams in southeastern, southern and central-western Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay.Thomaz, A.T., Arcila, D., Ortí, G. & Malabarba, L.R. (2015): Molecular phylogeny of ...
''
Regan
The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...
, 1907
* ''
Mimagoniates inequalis
''Mimagoniates inequalis'', known as the croaking tetra (a common name also applied to '' M. lateralis'' and '' M. microlepis''C. H. Eigenmann, 1911) (Croaking tetra)
* ''
Mimagoniates lateralis
''Mimagoniates lateralis'' is a species of tetra in the genus ''Mimagoniates''. Its common names
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or ...
'' (
Nichols Nichols may refer to:
People
*Nichols (surname)
*Nichol, a surname
Places Canada
* Nichols Islands, Nunavut
United States
* Nichols, California, an unincorporated community
* Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, California
* Nichols, Connecticut
* Nic ...
, 1913)
* ''
Mimagoniates microlepis
''Mimagoniates microlepis'', also known as the blue tetra (a common name shared with ''Tyttocharax madeirae'', ''Knodus borki'', and possibly other Characidae, as well), the croaking tetra (a name also applied to '' Mimagoniates inequalis'' and ' ...
'' (
Steindachner
Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...
, 1877) (Blue tetra)
* ''
Mimagoniates pulcher
''Mimagoniates'' is a genus of characid fish from rivers and streams in southeastern, southern and central-western Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay.Thomaz, A.T., Arcila, D., Ortí, G. & Malabarba, L.R. (2015): Molecular phylogeny of ...
''
Menezes Menezes, sometimes Meneses, was originally a Portuguese toponymic surname which originated in Montes Torozos, a region in Tierra de Campos, northeast of Valladolid and southeast of Palencia. The ancestor of the Meneses lineage was Tello Pérez de Me ...
Mimagoniates rheocharis
''Mimagoniates'' is a genus of characid fish from rivers and streams in southeastern, southern and central-western Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay.Thomaz, A.T., Arcila, D., Ortí, G. & Malabarba, L.R. (2015): Molecular phylogeny of ...
''
Menezes Menezes, sometimes Meneses, was originally a Portuguese toponymic surname which originated in Montes Torozos, a region in Tierra de Campos, northeast of Valladolid and southeast of Palencia. The ancestor of the Meneses lineage was Tello Pérez de Me ...
Menezes Menezes, sometimes Meneses, was originally a Portuguese toponymic surname which originated in Montes Torozos, a region in Tierra de Campos, northeast of Valladolid and southeast of Palencia. The ancestor of the Meneses lineage was Tello Pérez de Me ...