Nannostomus marginatus

Dwarf pencilfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Lebiasinidae
Genus: Nannostomus
Species: N. marginatus
Binomial name
Nannostomus marginatus
(C. H. Eigenmann, 1909)

Nannostomus marginatus, commonly known as the dwarf pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the genus Nannostomus in the Lebiasinidae family of characins.[1] They were first described in 1909 by C. H. Eigenmann and are typical of members of this genus being small, elongated fish with prominent horizontal stripes. The most notable feature of N. marginatus is its size, it being one of the smallest members of the genus, only reaching a maximum size of 35 mm. They occur widely on the South American continent having been recorded in Brazil, Guyana, Colombia, Suriname, and Peru.[2]

Common name and synonyms

The common name given to N. marginatus is typically dwarf pencilfish, reflecting its diminutive size, although it is not the smallest known member of the genus since N. anduzei has a maximum length of only 16 mm. The only alternative Latin name is N. marginatus picturatus, a variant described by Hoedeman in 1954, but now regarded merely as a synonym.

References

  1. "ITIS report Nannostomus marginatus TSN 163106". Retrieved Feb 25, 2012.
  2. "Fishbase report of Nannostomus marginatus". Retrieved Feb 25, 2012.


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