Chordates • Earth.com

Astyanax pelecus

(Astyanax pelecus)

Description

Astyanax pelecus is a species of characid fish from Brazil. It can be distinguished from its cogenerate species by: its body depth (26.7-34.8% of its standard length); its short and pointed snout smaller than the orbital diameter; and a reduced number of branched anal fin rays. A. pelecus also differs from members of its genus by its characteristic color pattern. It possesses a single humeral spot that is constricted to the region above the lateral line; at the same time it shows a conspicuous midlateral body stripe from opercle to the caudal fin base, an autapomorphy of this precise species. Most other Astyanax species have a humeral spot that is vertically or horizontally elongate and have the midlateral stripe becoming faint near that humeral spot. The species name is derived from the Greek pelekus, meaning "axe", referring to the pigmentation shape resulting from the adjoinment of the humeral spot with the midlateral stripe.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Actinopterygii
Order:Characiformes
Family:Characidae
Genus:Astyanax
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