''Thayeria'' is a genus of

tetra Tetra is the common name of many small freshwater characiform fishes. Tetras come from Africa, Central America, and South America, belonging to the biological families Characidae, Alestidae (the "African tetras"), Lepidarchidae, Lebiasi ...

s from 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 ...

, and the

Approuague The Approuague () river (or Apuruaque in Tupi) is a major river in French Guiana. It is long. It runs north from the Tumuk Humak Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, almost parallel with the Oyapock, with its mouth by the Pointe Béhague cape. The ...

and Maroni Rivers in tropical South America. It includes three species, including the blackline penguinfish, ''T. boehlkei''. Members of this genus, among other characteristics, are small, have one lateral black stripe, and have a

vesica piscis The vesica piscis is a type of lens, a mathematical shape formed by the intersection of two disks with the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each disk lies on the perimeter of the other. In Latin, "" literally means "bla ...

shape. They are peaceful.

In aquaria

In captivity this species will live on average 3–5 years with proper husbandry. They like most tetras and family of

Characidae Characidae, the characids, is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish belonging to the order Characiformes. They are found throughout much of Central and South America, including such major waterways as the Amazon and Orinoco Riv ...

thrive in small shoals of 5 individuals or more. They will often establish a dominance pecking order among the group. Penguin tetras are commonly found in fish stores and are available from online retailers, they require at least 20 US gallons of swimming area, and will typically grow to around 3 inches. These fish are known for their atypical swimming position that has them swimming at a slight upright angle, and will inhabit the top and middle regions in their aquarium.

Species

* '' Thayeria boehlkei'' S. H. Weitzman, 1957 (blackline penguinfish) * '' Thayeria ifati''

Géry Géry () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meuse department The following is a list of the 499 Communes of France, communes of the Meuse (department), Meuse Departments of ...

, 1959 * '' Thayeria obliqua'' C. H. Eigenmann, 1908 (penguinfish)

Location and habitat

''Thayeria'' inhabits small streams and the margins of smaller rivers in the lowland Amazon basin, where it is part of the highly diverse Neotropical fish fauna.

References

* Pristellini Taxa named by Carl H. Eigenmann Fish of South America {{Characidae-stub