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The flame tetra ( Hyphessobrycon flammeus), also known as the red tetra or Rio tetra, is a small freshwater fish of the characin family Characidae. This tetra was first introduced as aquarium fish in 1920 by C. Bruening, Hamburg, Germany, and formally described in 1924 by Dr. George S. Myers.Myers, G.S. 1924. A new characin fish from Rio de Janeiro. – The Fish Culturist, 4: 330–331.Type series of 2 specimens, United States National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Washington D.C., catalog number USNM 92969 (includes both specimens), see Vari, R.P. and Howe, J.C. 1991. Catalog of type specimens of Recent fishes in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. 1. Characiformes (Teleostei, Ostariophysi). – Smithsonian Contributions in Zoology, 517: 1–52. Today large numbers are bred in captivity and it is common in the aquarium trade,Aquainfo: Breeding Hyphessobrycon flammeus. Retrieved 21 March 2017. but the remaining wild population in Southeast Brazil is highly threatened.Carvalho, F.R., Jesus, G.C.d. & Langeani, F. (2014). Redescription of Hyphessobrycon flammeus Myers, 1924 (Ostariophysi: Characidae), a threatened species from Brazil. Neotropical Ichthyology, 12 (2): 247–256.SeriouslyFish: Hyphessobrycon flammeus. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
Cuba produced a postal stamp with an image of H. flammeus in 1978.See image here, from: Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (eds.) 2007. FishBase. – WorldWideWeb electronic publication, www.fishbase.org, version 11/2007.
The species has declined drastically, mainly because of habitat loss, pollution and introduced species (especially tilapia and black bass). Although sometimes reported as extinct in the wild, wild populations survive. In its small remaining distribution, it is common in the Tietê River basin (which possibly is not natural, but introduced) and rare elsewhere. The last confirmed record from Rio de Janeiro is from 1992. The species is listed as endangered in the Brazilian national red list. Brazilian national red list of endangered species
Today large numbers are bred in captivity and it is common in the aquarium trade. This includes some selectively-bred forms (such as golden, orange and albino) that differ from the original wild form.
Aquarium keeping and captive breeding
H. flammeus is a peaceful schooling fish, and will generally do well in groups. H. flammeus has an omnivorous diet. The species will breed in captivity.
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