Rio pearlfish
Nematolebias whitei
No photo yet
The Rio pearlfish is an annual killifish endemic to Rio de Janeiro (Araruama lagoon, Ostras River and lower São João River basins). It lives in shallow temporary pools with muddy bottoms that dry out twice a year: the adults die and the eggs wait buried in the mud for the next rains. It was introduced to California.
- Scientific name
- Nematolebias whitei
- Family
- Rivulidae
Fact sheet
General
- Water
- Freshwater
- Group
- Fish
Taxonomy
- Family
- Rivulidae
- Order
- Cyprinodontiformes
- Synonyms
- Cynolebias elegans, Cynolebias whitei, Leptolebias elegans, Pterolebias elegans
Origin
- Native region
- América do Sul
Water
- Temperature
- 20–23 °C
- pH
- 6.5–7
- General hardness (GH)
- 5–8 °dGH
Size and lifespan
- Adult size
- 8 cm
Behavior
- Swimming level
- Middle
Reproduction
- Breeding strategy
- Annual (diapause eggs)
Conservation and trade
- IUCN status
- Endangered (EN)
Spotted wrong data on this page? Let us know