| SOURCE FOR OCCURRENCE IN ECUADOR: Very common in lowland streams of western Ecuador. There are many references for its occurrence in the area (e.g., Gery, 1977; Glodek, 1978; Barriga, 1991; Laaz et al., 2009). |
| ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Fowler, H.W. 1911. New fresh-water fishes from western Ecuador. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1911:493-520. |
| TYPE SPECIMENS: |
| TAXONOMIC STATUS: Valid (Eschmeyer and Fricke, 2011). No major taxonomic issues. |
| RANGE ECUADOR: Listed as occurring in the Guayas and Esmeraldas drainages by Glodek (1978). Aguirre et al. collected this species in the Santa Rosa River in El Oro Province in July, 2008. Specimens from the Santa Rosa collections are available at the University of Guayaquil's Museum of Natural Sciences. |
| RANGE OUTSIDE OF ECUADOR: Drainages of northwestern Peru (Ortega et al., 2011). |
| COLLECTIONS IN ECUADOR: Common species in western Ecuador, many lots in museum collections. Extensive collections made by Glodek at the Rio Palenque Biological Reserve in Los Rios province are available at the FMNH (Chicago). |
| MAXIMUM SIZE: 17 cm SL (Fish Base, 2011) |
| DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: This is a small to medium-sized tetra that is easy to distinguish from most other characids in the area through the presence of a large black spot towards the center of the body. Other characid genera in the region lack this spot. Sexual dimorphism is very pronounced with males being much larger, having long dorsal and anal fins, and developing iridescently colored scales and a bright red coloration along the edges of the fins. Rhoadsia altipinna is morphologically similar to another species in the genus Rhoadsia that occurs in the region, R. minor, with the main differences between species being body size and depth. Rhoadsia minor is generally smaller reaching a maximum body size of about 10.4 cm SL (Fishbase, 2011). R. altipinna has a deeper body, with body depth fitting 2.25 to 2.50 times in the standard length, whereas body depth fits 2.8 to 3.0 times in SL in R. minor (Glodek, 1978). Rhoadsia minor also appears to occur at high altitudes and is typically found at altitudes above 1,000 m (Gery, 1977), whereas R. altipinna is common at low elevations. Gery (1977) suggested that R. altipinna and R. minor may be geographical subspecies rather than good species. |
| ECOLOGY: Very little has been published on the ecology of this species. Laaz et al. (2009) indicate that R. altipinna prefers rivers of moderate flow with rocky bottoms. Probably important as a prey species for large piscivorous fishes in the region. |
| ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE: A relatively small fish, it is not of direct economic importance. May have potential as an ornamental fish because of the bright colors that males develop (Laaz et al., 2009). |
| CONSERVATION STATUS: Not threatened. Common in western Ecuador. |
| LINK TO FISHBASE PAGE: Click here for link |
| SPECIES PROFILE CREATED BY: Windsor Aguirre |
| SPECIES PROFILE CONTRIBUTORS: NA |
