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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: neon tetra
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: Weitzman and Fink (1983) revised the group, and provided distinguishing characteristics, a key, and photographs. Color photographs were provided by Géry (1977), Weitzman and Fink (1987), and Sakurai et al. (1993). Similar species include Paracheirodon simulans (green neon) and P. axelrodi (cardinal tetra).
Size: 4 cm.
Native Range: Tropical America. Upper Amazon basin of Peru, Colombia and Brazil.
Nonindigenous Occurrences: The fish was taken in Colorado from geothermal waters (hot springs), San Luis Valley, Rio Grande basin, during the period 1980 to 1984 (Zuckerman and Behnke 1986).
Means of Introduction: The record is most likely the result of fish escapes from local fish farms that use the hot springs for culturing aquarium fish.
Status: Reported from Colorado.
Impact of Introduction: Unknown.
Remarks: The hot springs area is at an altitude of 8,000 ft and has very cold winters, but Zuckerman (personal communication) suggested that some of the introduced species might spread downstream during warmer months and reach other thermal refugia. Specimen(s) were reportedly deposited with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fort Collins, Colorado; however, we have been unable to locate the material.
Géry, J. 1977. Characoids of the world. Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications, Inc., Neptune City, NJ.
Weitzman, S. H., and W. L. Fink. 1987. Neon tetra relationships and phylogenetic systematics. Tropical Fish Hobbyist 1987(October):72-77.
Weitzman, S. H., and W. L. Fink. 1983. Relationships of the neon tetras, a group of South American freshwater fishes (Teleostei, Characidae) with comments on the phylogeny of New World characiforms. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 150(6):339-395.
Zuckerman, L. - Aquatic Ecologist, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt, KS.
Zuckerman, L. D., and R. J. Behnke. 1986. Introduced fishes in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. Pages 435-452 in R. H. Stroud, editor. Fish culture in fisheries management. Proceedings of a symposium on the role of fish culture in fisheries management at Lake Ozark, MO, March 31-April 3, 1985. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.
Other Resources:
FishBase Fact Sheet
Author: Leo Nico
Revision Date: 11/13/2003 Citation for this information:
Leo Nico. 2009. Paracheirodon innesi. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=426> Revision Date: 11/13/2003
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