Penguin tetras (Thayeria) are well known aquarium fishes. Of the scientifically accepted four species (T. boehlkei, T. ifati, T. obliqua, T. tapajonica) T. boehlkei is always on offer in the ornamental fish trade. Almost all of them are offsprings, although the species is widely distributed in South America (Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia).
The Rio Teles Pires is an approximately 1,400 km long river in Brazil and one of the two headwaters of the Rio Tapajós. Apparently, a biodiversity hotspot for Thayeria is located in the Teles Pires: in a recent scientific study of Teles Pires fish species (Ohara, W. M. et al. (2017): Peixes do rio teles pires: diversidade e guia de identificação.), the authors were able to detect 3 different species: T. boehlkei, the then undescribed T. tapajonica, and another scientifically new species in which the lateral stripe begins only below the dorsal fin (as in T. ifati from the Maroni River in Guiana). They provisionally call this species “falso ifati”.
But the most spectacular new discovery from the Teles Pires probably passed them by: the Thayeria sp. Red Tail! It is a wonderfully colorful Penguin tetra, which combines all positive characteristics of the T. boehlkei (size, swimming, social behavior, demands on the aquarium keeping), only that it is additionally very colorful. Whether the species really originates from Teles Pires, we can of course not judge, but we can now offer this new gem in larger numbers as a German offspring for the first time.
For our customers: Thayeria sp. Red Tail Teles Pires has code 296752 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
