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Erythrinus erythrinus

Species of fish From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Erythrinus erythrinus
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Erythrinus erythrinus, the red wolf fish, is a relatively small species of trahira (family Erythrinidae) from freshwater habitats in South America.[2]

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Range and habitat

E. erythrinus is a South American freshwater fish that is native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers in the Guianas.[2] The species is also reported as native to the ParanáParaguay basin, including the Pantanal,[3][4] but the population in the lower Paraná basin and Iguazu basin may be an undescribed species.[5] E. erythrinus has been introduced to the upper Paraná basin where not native.[6] It mainly lives in creeks and marshes where the water has a pH of 5.6–7.8.[2]

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Appearance and behavior

E. erythrinus can reach a maximum standard length of 20 cm (7.9 in), although other reports suggest it can reach about 25 cm (10 in).[2]

It feeds primarily on small fish, insects, and benthic crustaceans.[7] Juveniles are aggressive mimics of female aplocheilid killifish, notably Laimosemion agilae, and they use this to catch male killifish that seek a mate.[8]

E. erythrinus is not of major interest to fisheries, but is sometimes used as a bait fish[5] and seen in the aquarium fish trade.[2]

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Taxonomy

It was described by Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Schneider in 1801,[9] originally under the lizardfish genus Synodus. The species was first placed in Erythrinus in 1854 by Gray (under the name Erythrinus salmoneus, a junior synonym of Erythrinus erythrinus), and this treatment has been recognized by recent authorities such as Osvaldo Takeshi Oyakawa in 2003.[10]

References

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