Mimagoniates
| Mimagoniates | |
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| Genus: | Mimagoniates Regan, 1907
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| Type species | |
| Mimagoniates barberi Regan 1907
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7, see text | |
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Coelurichthys Miranda-Ribeiro, 1908 | |
Mimagoniates is a genus of tropical characid fish from Central and South America. Commonly known as croaking tetras or chirping tetras because they can produce sounds, some of these fish were formerly included in Glandulocauda.
They have a supplementary breathing organ located above the gills which makes a faint chirping sound when these fish come to the surface to gulp air. It also plays a role in courtship as the male chases and hovers near the female while taking gulps of air and expelling it to make a rhythmic noise. [1]
Croaking behavior may have evolved from a behavior called "surface nipping", which occurs when the fish is searching for food. This gulping of air has no useful respiratory function.[2]
Species
The following species are accepted as valid today:[3]
- Mimagoniates barberi Regan, 1907
- Mimagoniates inequalis (C. H. Eigenmann, 1911) (croaking tetra)
- Mimagoniates lateralis (Nichols, 1913)
- Mimagoniates microlepis (Steindachner, 1876) (blue tetra)
- Mimagoniates pulcher Menezes & S. H. Weitzman, 2009
- Mimagoniates rheocharis Menezes & S. H. Weitzman, 1990
- Mimagoniates sylvicola Menezes & S. H. Weitzman, 1990
References
- Axelrod, Herbert Richard (1996): Exotic Tropical Fishes. T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-87666-543-1
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Mimagoniates". FishBase. October 2011 version.
- Microsoft Encarta [2008]: Tetra (Archived 2009-11-01). Retrieved 2008-NOV-10.
- Nelson, Keith (1964): The Evolution of a Pattern of Sound Production Associated with Courtship in the Characid Fish, Glandulocauda inequalis. Evolution 18(4): 526–540. doi:10.2307/2406207 (HTML abstract and first page image)
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