Bucktooth tetra
Encyclopedia
The bucktooth tetra is the only member
of the genus
Exodon and is a freshwater
fish
of the characin family
(family Characidae
) of order
Characiformes
. It is native to South America
. Though first described in 1845, it was not imported and distributed by the aquarium trade until 1932.
This species is of typical elongated tetra
appearance; it is light tan in appearance with two distinct black spots (one before the tail and another below the dorsal fin
). The dorsal fin is bright red. The name is quite contradictory of the actual fish however, with Bucktooth tetras showing no signs of actual teeth. It grows to a maximum overall length of approximately 12 cm (4.7 in).
The fish's natural diet consist of small invertebrate
s, other fish, and plants. It is not a safe tank mate for fellow tetra
s because it will eat small fish and it is not a safe tank mate for larger species because it is a notorious lepidophage
. Bucktooth tetra are best alone or in large planted tanks with adequate coverage for other species. They are best kept in shoals of 8 or more; a shoal that is less than 8 will pick at each other and stress the exodons to a point where it will catch some disease or will die of severe wounds. It is otherwise extremely hardy and can live in home aquaria for more than ten years.
Synonyms include Epicyrtus paradoxus and Hystricodon paradoxus.
As a practical matter for aquarists, the bucktooth tetra does well with scale-less fish (i.e. catfish) that are not nocturnal predators (e.g., the iridescent shark), and many of the small to medium sized aggressive cichlids.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Exodon and is a freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
of the characin family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(family Characidae
Characidae
The Characidae, characids or characins are a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a by and large monophyletic group at family...
) of order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Characiformes
Characiformes
The Characiformes are an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, there are a few thousand different species, including the well-known piranha and tetras.-Taxonomy:...
. It is native to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Though first described in 1845, it was not imported and distributed by the aquarium trade until 1932.
This species is of typical elongated tetra
Tetra
thumb|right|250px|Pristella tetra — [[Pristella maxillaris]].thumb|right|250px|Golden Pristella tetra, a [[morph |morph]] of [[Pristella maxillaris]].thumb|right|250px|[[Silvertip tetra]] — Hasemania nana....
appearance; it is light tan in appearance with two distinct black spots (one before the tail and another below the dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
). The dorsal fin is bright red. The name is quite contradictory of the actual fish however, with Bucktooth tetras showing no signs of actual teeth. It grows to a maximum overall length of approximately 12 cm (4.7 in).
The fish's natural diet consist of small invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, other fish, and plants. It is not a safe tank mate for fellow tetra
Tetra
thumb|right|250px|Pristella tetra — [[Pristella maxillaris]].thumb|right|250px|Golden Pristella tetra, a [[morph |morph]] of [[Pristella maxillaris]].thumb|right|250px|[[Silvertip tetra]] — Hasemania nana....
s because it will eat small fish and it is not a safe tank mate for larger species because it is a notorious lepidophage
Lepidophagy
Lepidophagy is a specialised feeding behaviour in fish that involves eating of scales of other fish. Lepidophagy is widespread, having been independently evolved in at least five freshwater families and seven marine families...
. Bucktooth tetra are best alone or in large planted tanks with adequate coverage for other species. They are best kept in shoals of 8 or more; a shoal that is less than 8 will pick at each other and stress the exodons to a point where it will catch some disease or will die of severe wounds. It is otherwise extremely hardy and can live in home aquaria for more than ten years.
Synonyms include Epicyrtus paradoxus and Hystricodon paradoxus.
See also
As a practical matter for aquarists, the bucktooth tetra does well with scale-less fish (i.e. catfish) that are not nocturnal predators (e.g., the iridescent shark), and many of the small to medium sized aggressive cichlids.