Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Characiformes
(Characins) > Acestrorhynchidae
(Smallscale pike characins) > Heterocharacinae
Etymology: Heterocharax: Greek, heteros = other + Greek, charax = a marine fish without identification (Ref. 45335); leptogrammus: From the thin stripe above the anal-fin base; noun in apposition.
Environment / Climate / Range
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 3.4 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 36811)
Morphology | Morphometrics
soft rays: 28 - 34;
Vertebrae: 34. A thin band of dark pigmentation present from dorsal to the anal fin base (lacking in H. macrolepis). Differs from H. virgulatus where this band and the longitudinal band extending from the posterior portion of the head to the caudal fin base is thicker and more heavily pigmented. Further, this species differs from H. virgulatus with its relatively smaller orbital diameter; more pointed posteroventral corner of preopercle; relatively elongate gill rakers along the epibranchial and hypobranchial portion of the first branchial arch; single ossification in the position primitively occupied by infraorbitals 4 and 5; small posterior dentary teeth beginning behind lateralmost tooth of the anterior row thus not forming a second internal teeth series (Ref. 38319).
South America: Negro River and upper portion of Orinoco River basin.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Toledo-Piza, M., 2000. Two new Heterocharax species (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Characidae), with a redescription of H. macrolepis. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 11(4):289-304. (Ref. 38319)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.6250 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01122 (0.00514 - 0.02450), b=3.04 (2.87 - 3.21), based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.3 ±0.5 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref. 69278
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low vulnerability (10 of 100) .