Erythrinus sp. Orinoco

31. January 2025

The predatory tetras of the genus Erythrinus should be easy to identify, because from a scientific point of view only two species are accepted: E. erythrinus, which inhabits virtually the entire tropics and parts of the subtropics of South and Central America, and E. kessleri, an endemic (i.e., occurs only there) from the state of Bahia in Brazil. However, Erythrinus imported from different regions look very different. We call the most frequently imported, very colorful form from Peru Erythrinus erythrinus (without this being scientifically confirmed), see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/fischarchiv/erythrinus-erythrinus-peru/ there also further general notes.

We have received Erythrinus from Colombia and Venezuela that are completely different in color from the Peruvians. These fish also look very different from each other; we suspect that males and females are behind the different coloration. As these Erythrinus come from the Orinoco catchment, we have labeled them accordingly on our stock list.

We assume that these fish, like all Erythrinus, grow to 20-25 cm in length. They are typical predatory fish. Also the keeper should take care of his fingers, because the jumping animals like to bite heartily and that bleeds properly!

For our customers: the animals have code 253385 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Only available in very small quantities!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer