Green neon tetras appear similar to neon tetras, Paracheirodon innesi, although they are smaller and the red patch on the lateral body is less pronounced. The lateral blue-green stripe extends to the base of the caudal fin. These fish can grow to a maximum overall length of approximately 2.5 cm. ("Aquaria Central", 1997; "Wikiverse", 2004)
Paracheirodon species generally spawn in schools, although single males and females may become closely associated while the female releases her eggs and the male releases his sperm.
Information on reproduction in tetras comes from specimens housed in aquaria. Female neon tetras lay approximately 130 eggs on the substrate. Fry hatch in about 24 hours. These fish tend to breed every few weeks. The larvae of these fish are sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, so are restricted in the areas in which they may lay their eggs. Generally, eggs are left under canopies to ensure they hatch. Eggs are typically laid during the rainy and wet seasons when water levels are higher. ("Aquaria Central", 1997; Binohlan and Casal, 2003)
The longevity of green neon tetras has not been reported.
Home ranges of these animals in the wild hav not been reported.
Green neon tetras transmit sound energy to the auditory organ by the use of a Weberian apparatus. This structure allows these fish to have better hearing characterized by large bandwidths and high sensitivity. (Hertwig and Schneider, 1999)
In addition to their hearing, green neon tetras have eyes, and can perceive visual signals, although the role of such signals in their commmunication has not been documented. Tactile communication may have some role in mating.
Patterns of predation on these animals in their natural habitat have not been reported. However, it is likely that they are eaten by larger fish and other larger, aquatic predators at all life stages. The structural color that makes up their neon stripes may help to confuse predators and make it more difficult to catch these small fish. They are also protected from predators to some extent through their schooling behavior.
The role ofin its ecosystem has not been investigated. Green neon tetras act as important predators on their small, invertebrate prey, and serve as important food sources for larger, aquatic predators.
Green neon tetras, and neon tetras in general, are important in the pet trade. They are popular for their bright coloration. ("Aquaria Central", 1997)
has no reported adverse effect on human economies.
is not listed by CITES or IUCN as a conservation concern. This species is common within their native range and widely used in the pet trade.
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Nitasha Bali (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, William Fink (editor, instructor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
uses sound to communicate
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
an animal that mainly eats meat
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
fertilization takes place outside the female's body
union of egg and spermatozoan
mainly lives in water that is not salty.
having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
specialized for swimming
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
An aquatic biome consisting of the open ocean, far from land, does not include sea bottom (benthic zone).
the business of buying and selling animals for people to keep in their homes as pets.
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
breeding is confined to a particular season
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
uses touch to communicate
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others
uses sight to communicate
animal constituent of plankton; mainly small crustaceans and fish larvae. (Compare to phytoplankton.)
Aquaria Central. 1997. "Aquaria Central" (On-line). Neon tetra (Paraceirodon innesi). Accessed October 27, 2004 at http://www.aquariacentral.com/fishinfo/fresh/neon.htm.
FishIndex.com. 1998. "Paracheirodon simulans (Green Neon Tetra)" (On-line). Fish Index. Accessed October 27, 2004 at http://species.fishindex.com/species_13174paracheirodon_simulans.html.
Wikipedia. 2004. "Wikiverse" (On-line). Green Neon Tetra. Accessed October 28, 2004 at http://green-neon-tetra.wikiverse.org/.
Binohlan, C., C. Casal. 2003. "Paracheirodon simulans" (On-line). Fishbase. Accessed October 27, 2004 at http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=12394.
Fink, W., S. Weitzman. 1983. Relationships of the Neon Tetras, A Group of South American Freshwater Fishes, with Comments on the Phylogeny of New World Characiforms. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 150/6: 339-358.
Fink, W., S. Weitzman. 1974. The So-Called Cheirodontin Fishes of Central America with Descriptions of Two New Species(Pisces: Characidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 172: 1-35.
Gilbert, S. 2003. Developmental Biology. 7th ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates Inc..
Hertwig, I., H. Schneider. 1999. Comparative light and electron microscopic study of the auditory organs of two species of fishes (pisces): Hyphessobrycon simulans (Ostariophysi) and Poecilia reticulata (Acanthopterygii). European Journal of Comaparative Morphology, 37/1: 17-28. Accessed October 27, 2004 at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10342429&dopt=Abstract.
Robins, C., R. Bailey, C. Bond, J. Brooker, E. Lachner, R. Lea, W. Scott. 1991. World Fishes Important to North Americans. Bethesda, Maryland, USA: American Fisheries Society.