X-Ray Fish

Scientific name - Pristella maxillaris

Conservation status

The IUCN categorise X-Ray Fish or tetra populations as stable. They are found in parts of South America – in the coastal drainages of northeastern Guyana, Brazil, and Venezuela. Local populations in these places are abundant – but X-Ray Fish are vulnerable to a range of predators including birds, larger fish, and aquatic invertebrates. In addition, the eco systems in which X-Ray Fish thrive are seriously threatened by habitat loss and deforestation.

Overview

Fossil records go back 66 million years.

The name X-Ray comes from their translucent see-through bodies which provide camouflage and allow light to penetrate. They also have silvery bones and an acute sense of hearing.

Their diet is omnivorous and includes small invertebrates, algae, and biofilm. X-Ray Fish are small - up to 5cm long - and can leap out of water to catch insects. They live up to 3 or 4 years in the wild.

X-Ray Fish live in freshwater streams, tributaries, and flooded marshlands and prefer shallow warm water. X-Ray Fish scatter their eggs in dimly lit areas filled with plants.

They swim in tight-knit shoals which create a force or movement which can dislodge and reveal prey.

https://theinfox.com/animals/x-ray-fish/

https://biologydictionary.net/x-ray-fish/

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176102916/176102941