Dog tetras

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Dog tetras
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Dog tooth tetra ( Hydrolycus armatus )

Systematics
Sub-cohort : Ostariophysi
Otophysa
Order : Tetras (Characiformes)
Family : Wolf tetra (Cynodontidae)
Genre : Hydrolycus
Type : Dog tetras
Scientific name
Hydrolycus armatus
Jardine , 1841

The dog tooth tetra ( Hydrolycus armatus ) is the largest representative of the wolf tetra . It lives in the rivers of tropical South America .

Names

Hydrolycus armatus (Dog Tooth Characin or Water Wolf) is called Cachorra, Pirandirá or Pirantera in Brazil and Payara in Spanish-speaking countries.

distribution

The dog-tooth tetra lives in the catchment area of ​​the Amazon and Orinoco rivers in Brazil , Peru , Colombia , Guiana and Venezuela . Another area of ​​distribution are the rivers Araguaia and Tocantins .

morphology

The dog tooth tetra has an elongated body and a relatively small head. It is silvery to silvery-bluish in color and has a white underside of the abdomen. Its fang-like teeth are characteristic.

Way of life

The dog tooth tetra can grow up to a maximum of 66 cm long, in exceptional cases even up to 1.50 meters and 20 kilograms, and feeds on fish, mostly other types of tetra such as piranhas . The Payara can also attack prey fish that are only insignificantly smaller than itself. They inhabit the same habitat as the peacock cichlid ( Cichla ocellaris ), with which they compete for food. The dog-tooth tetra prefers fast-flowing water and prefers to stay in the deep pools of rapids and waterfalls, where it lurks for prey behind rocks or other obstacles. Its main activity extends in the early morning hours and at dusk. At a length of approx. 25 centimeters, Hydrolycus armatus is sexually mature and spawns from November to April.

use

The species is of no importance as a food fish. As a sport fish, it is popular because of its size and strength. Some Hydrolycus species are also kept as ornamental fish in aquariums.

literature

  • Mônica Toledo-Piza, Menezes, A. Naércio, G. Mendes dos Santos: Revision of the neotropical fish genus Hydrolycus (Ostariophysi: Cynodontinae) with the description of two new species. Published by Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, 1999, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 255-280.
  • Jacques Géry: Characoides of the World. TFH Publications, New Jersey 1977, pp. 299-302 NJ.
  • K. Arendt: Saber-toothed tetra - impressive predators in the aquarium. TI Magazine No. 133, Feb. 1997, pp. 9-15.
  • K. Arendt: The tooth reproduction of the saber-tooth tetra. BSSW Report No. 1/98, pp. 8-13.
  • Günther Sterba: Freshwater fish in the world . Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 2002, ISBN 3-89350-991-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ port. Bitch
  2. ↑ a b c Hundezahnsalmler on Fishbase.org (English)
  3. ↑ a b c d Trairão at www.pesca.tur.br (Portuguese), accessed on November 3, 2014.

Web links

Commons : Hundezahnsalmler ( Hydrolycus armatus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Photos of tetras: [1]