''Megalamphodus bentosi'', the Bentos tetra, ornate tetra or candy cane tetra, is a species of

characin Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationsh ...

fish found in sluggish tributaries of the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. Occasionally, it makes its way into the aquarium trade. It has often been confused with the rosy tetra. Named in memory of a Colonel Bentos, who was a volunteer on the

Thayer Expedition The Thayer Expedition was an American scientific expedition to Brazil, sponsored by Boston businessman Nathaniel Thayer Jr. It was a biological and geological expedition undertaken by multiple scientists, several based at Harvard University, betw ...

(1865–1866), during which the type specimen was collected.

Description

The ornate tetra can grow up to . It is silvery pink, and has a dark spot around the gills, which distinguishes it from the rosy tetra. Its dorsal fin is black and has a white tip on it. Males have longer dorsal and anal fins and appear slightly larger than females.Hyphessobrycon bentosi (Ornate Tetra) — Seriously Fish
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Distribution and habitat

The ornate tetra lives in sluggish tributaries of the Amazon River, associated flood plain lakes. It is a

benthopelagic The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of ...

fish and is often found in creeks and around submerged vegetation.

Diet

It is an omnivorous fish that feeds on small invertebrates.

In the aquarium

Ornate tetras are kept in the aquarium hobby. Most individuals in the aquarium trade are bred commercially over collecting them in the wild. They have been sold as bentos tetras, white tip tetras, or false rosy tetras in certain stores.Animal World
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References

Megalamphodus Taxa named by Marion Durbin Ellis Fish described in 1908 Tetras of Brazil Freshwater fish of Peru {{characiformes-stub