Pyrrhulina


Pyrrhulina is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Lebiasinidae, the pencil fishes, splash tetras and related fishes. The species in this genus are found in tropical South America. Several of these species are popular aquarium fish.
Pyrrhulina is closely related to Copeina and Copella, although it is distinguished from the former by having only one row of teeth. When the genus Copella was established, many species were removed from the genus Pyrrhulina and placed there, because differences in the maxillary bones in the males had been detected. Copella species are slimmer and more elongated than those species that remained in the genus Pyrrhulina.

Species

Pyrrhulina contains the following valid species:Pyrrhulina australis C. H. Eigenmann & C. H. Kennedy, 1903Pyrrhulina beni N. E. Pearson, 1924Pyrrhulina brevis Steindachner, 1876Pyrrhulina capim Vieira & Netto-Ferreira, 2019Pyrrhulina eleanorae Fowler, 1940Pyrrhulina elongata Zarske & Géry, 2001Pyrrhulina filamentosa Valenciennes, 1847Pyrrhulina laeta Pyrrhulina lugubris C. H. Eigenmann, 1922Pyrrhulina marilynae Netto-Ferreira & Marinho, 2013Pyrrhulina maxima C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1889Pyrrhulina melanostoma Pyrrhulina obermulleri G. S. Myers, 1926Pyrrhulina rachoviana G. S. Myers, 1926 Pyrrhulina semifasciata Steindachner, 1876Pyrrhulina spilota S. H. Weitzman, 1960Pyrrhulina stoli Boeseman, 1953Pyrrhulina vittata Regan, 1912 Pyrrhulina zigzag Zarske & Géry, 1997

Taxonomy

Pyrrhulina was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1846 by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes when he described Pyrrhulina filamentosa as a new species, and the only species in the new genus Pyrrhulina. The type locality of P. filamentosa was given as Suriname. Pyrrhulina is classified within the subfamily Pyrrhulinae of the family Lebiasinidae, which also includes the pencil fishes and splash tetras, within the suborder Characoidei of the order Characiformes.

Etymology

Pyrrhulina adds the suffix -ina, which means "to have the nature of", onto pyrrhós, meaning "flame coloured", apparently an allusion to the overall red coour of the type species, P. filamentosa.

Environment

Specifications

  • Maturity: Lm 2.2
  • Max length: 5.0 cm SL male/unsexed.