Moenkhausia Parecis

📖 Overview

The type locality of Moenkhausia parecis is a small small "terra-firme igarapé" (= highland creek) with little preserved riparian vegetation and surrounded by large plantation fields (mostly soy and corn), near Vilhena, Mato Grosso. This stream has 1.5-2.5 m width and and 0.3-0.8 m depth, clear water, swift currents, and a bottom composed of sand and dead leaves. M. parecis forms small groups of 10-15 individuals, swimming in midwater. It is syntopic with Ancistrus verecundus, Bryconops piracolina, Cetopsorhamdia sp. 3 (cf. Bockmann & Slobodian, 2013: 25), Corydoras sp., Hyphessobrycon lucenorum, Hyphessobrycon aff. melonostichos and Pyrrhulina sp. The stomach contents of four paratypes consisted of ants, scales, unidentified insect fragments, seeds, unidentified vegetal fragments and sediments .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 11; Anal soft rays: 19 - 22; Vertebrae: 32 - 33. Moenkhausia parecis can be diagnosed from all congeners, except M. clorophthalma, some populations of M. cotinho, M. lineomaculata, M. petymbuaba, and M. plumbea, by having a dark blotch on the anterior portion of each scale of the second to seventh longitudinal series (vs. pigmentation absent or, when present, concentrated at the posterior margin of scales, forming a reticulate pattern). It is easily distinguished from all aforementioned species by having completely blue eyes in life (vs. green in M. clorophthalma, mostly green with some red in M. petymbuaba, lower portion blue and upper portion orange in M. lineomaculata, clear or red in M. cotinho, and clear, with a longitudinal dark stripe in M. plumbea). It differs also from M. clorophthalma, M. petymbuaba and M. plumbea by having 15-18 (rarely 18) branched anal-fin rays (vs. 18-24), from M. cotinho and M. lineomaculata by having a smaller caudal-peduncle spot, with only the base of the middle caudal-fin rays pigmented (vs. blotch larger, base of all caudal-fin rays pigmented in M. cotinho and M. lineomaculata, except the outermost unbranched rays in some specimens of M. lineomaculata) and by the absence of a light area preceding caudal peduncle spot (vs. presence of a light area preceding caudal-peduncle spot). It further differs from M. clorophthalma, M. petymbuaba and M. plumbea by the presence of a well-defined, round caudal-peduncle spot, that does not extend to the tip of the middle caudal-fin rays (vs. caudal-peduncle spot absent or poorly defined in M. clorophthalma and M. plumbea or caudal-peduncle spot confluent with longitudinal stripe on body, reaching the tip of middle caudal-fin rays in M. petymbuaba) .: fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Moenkhausia Parecis is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical South America: Rio Madeira basin in Brazil.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

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