| Family: |
Hypopomidae (Bluntnose knifefishes) |
| Max. size: |
19.5 cm TL (male/unsexed); 20.3 cm TL (female) |
| Environment: |
benthopelagic; freshwater; pH range: 5.3 - 6.7 |
| Distribution: |
South America: central Amazon and lower Negro in Brazil; and Essequibo drainage in Guyana. |
| Diagnosis: |
Anal soft rays: 192-210. Brachyhypopomus hendersoni is distinguished from other species of the genus Brachyhypopomus by the following combination of characters: caudal filament length 32.3-64.5% length to end of anal fin (vs. 7.4-31.6% in B. alberti, B. arrayae, B. batesi, B. belindae, B. benjamini, B. bennetti, B. bombilla, B. hamiltoni, B. occidentalis, B. palenque, B. provenzanoi, B. regani, B. sullivani, and B. verdii); 15-17 precaudal vertebrae (vs. 18-25 in B. beebei, B. brevirostris, B. draco, B. flavipomus, B. gauderio, B. janeiroensis, B. jureiae, and B. pinnicaudatus); head width at occiput 39.2-47.8% HL (vs. 49.5-70.4% in B. bullocki, B. diazi, and B. menezesi); and dorsal rami of the recurrent branch of the anterior lateral line nerve not visible (vs. visible in B. cunia and B. walteri) (Ref. 116763). |
| Biology: |
In the type locality region, this species occurs usually in marginal emergent plants (mainly wild rice, Oryza spp.), rafts of floating macrophytes (including grasses, e.g., Paspalum, and water hyacinths, Eichhornia spp.), and decaying plant matter along the edges of low-conductivity blackwater floodplain ria lakes (e.g., lago Tefé, lago Amanã, and lago Caiambé), and along river and oxbow lake margins. Feeds on aquatic insect larvae (primarily Chironomidae), and other
small aquatic invertebrates in the type locality. Spawns in floating macrophytes during the rising and high water period (Ref. 116763). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 14 December 2022 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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