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Gasteropelecus sternicla (Linnaeus, 1758)

River hatchetfish
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Gasteropelecus sternicla
Picture by Muséum-Aquarium de Nancy/D. Terver

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Characiformes (Characins) > Gasteropelecidae (Freshwater hatchetfishes)
Etymology: Gasteropelecus: Greek, gaster = stomach + Latin, pelecus =hatchet (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Linnaeus.

Issue
See Weitzman (1960) for distribution.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; pelagic; pH range: 6.0 - 7.0; dH range: ? - 15. Tropical; 23°C - 27°C (Ref. 1672)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

South America: Peruvian Amazon, middle Amazon, the Guianas and Venezuela (Ref. 39056). Recorded from the Paraguay basin (Ref. 81048).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 3.9 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 116942)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Gregarious, can sometimes be aggressive or calm. Frequents slow-flowing waters of creeks and swamps (Ref. 27188). Lives in groups at the surface. It is capable of capturing small aerial insects. The females are bigger than the males. Feeds on worms, crustaceans and insects (Ref. 7020). Has not been bred in captivity (Ref. 27188). Aquarium specimens reach 6.5 cm TL (Ref. 7020). Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; may jump out of the aquarium; minimum aquarium size 80 cm (Ref. 51539).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Weitzman, Stanley | Collaborators

Weitzman, S.H. and L. Palmer, 2003. Gasteropelecidae (Freshwater hatchetfishes). p. 101-103. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil. (Ref. 39056)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 20 October 2020

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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