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Spawning and Production of the
Serpae Tetra,
Hyphessobrycon serpae
Brian Cole and Michael Haring
Sea Grant Extension Service
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
April 1999
Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Publication Number 138
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to extend a sincere thank you to all who contributed to the completion of this
manual. The production of this fact sheet is the combined effort of three institutions:
1. The United States Department of Agriculture Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture
(CTSA) through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service (USDA grants # 96-38500-2743 and #97-38500-4042).
2. The University of Hawaii Sea Grant Extension Service (SGES) through the National Oceanic and
Atomospheric Administration (NOAA), project # A/AS-1. Which is sponsored by the University
of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program, School of Ocean Earth Science and Technology (SOEST),
under Institutional Grant No.NA86RG0041 from NOAA Office of Sea Grant, Department of
Commerce, UNIHI-SEAGRANT- TR-99-01.
3. The Aquaculture Development Program, Department of Agriculture State of Hawaii, as part of the
Aquaculture Extension Project with the University of Hawaii Sea Grant Extension Contract #
44576 .
The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of
the funding agencies or their sub-agencies.
CENTER
FOR
TROPICAL
AND
SUBTROPICAL
AQUACULTURE
Introduction
The Tetras are one of the more popular groups of fishes that are kept in modern aquaria. They
are generally colorful and small and most only grow to an inch or two and can be kept in small tanks
more suitable for the beginning hobbyist. Many of them are schooling fish that do better in groups
of five or more individuals. When small schools are kept in a larger tank they add an eye catching
splash of movement and color to any type of aquaria.
All varieties of tetra are highly marketable and constantly in demand. The Neon Tetra,
Paracheirodon innesi
, is the second highest fish imported into the U.S in both numbers of individu-
als and total value, second only to the Guppy,
Poecillia reticulata
. The Serpae Tetra is imported in
volumes in excess of 60,000 pieces per month even though it is widely bred in the United States
(Chapman, 1995).
The historical estimated farm gate prices producers could expect for a group of various one
inch
Hyphessobrycon sp.
is summarized in Figure 1.
Estim a te d Fa rm Ga te P rice s
0.2
0.18
0.16
0.14
0.12
Se r pae
Flam e
Lem on
Black Ne o n
0.1
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
0
1980
1985
1990
1995
Ye ar
Figure 1. Estimated average farm gate prices for selected one inch
Hyphessobrycon sp
.
1
 Taxonomy
Like many of the fish in the aquarium industry the Serpae Tetra has gone through several
taxonomic revisions over the years. Much of the general literature reflects this confusion and many
authors view this fish as one of many subspecies grouped under the genus and species name of
Hyphessobrycon callistus
. In the past it has been referred to as
Hyphessobrycon callistus serpae
,
H.
callistus minor
,
H. callistus serpae
and in some cases
H. callistus rosaceus
(Axelrod et.al.1977). As
late as 1995 it has been suggested that each is a species in the Genus
Hyphessobrycon.
Many of the
above species names are systematically assigned to fish that are considered distinct subspecies at this
point in time. In reality however, it can be very difficult to distinguish between these different
species just by looking at the fish and would require examination by an expert (Tavares 1977). The
subtle distinctions in markings and shape that the closely related species exhibit are presented in
Figure 2. In addition, most of the fish available on the market at the wholesale-retail level are
certainly hybrids with pure wild strains being very rare.
The current taxonomic classification is; Family:
Characidae
, Subfamily:
Tetragonopterinae
,
Genus:
Hyphessobrycon
, Species:
serpae
.
Figure 2. Various Hyphessobrycon species similar to Hyphessobrycon serpae.
(Modified from W. Van der Jeught and D. Rupel-Vaartland, 1995)
2
Distribution
The Serpae Tetra is indigenous to the southern Amazon basin and the Paraguay basin (Baensch
1991). It is bred widely in Europe, Asia and North America and may have established wild popula-
tions in areas with suitable environments.
Morphology
Hyphessobrycon serpae
usually grow to between 4 - 6 centimeters in total length. The body
color, as shown in Figure 3., can be anything from a light reddish brown to a dark red depending on
the condition of the fish, and may reflect some of the hybridization and genetic background of the
fish. The body is deep and compressed, juvenile specimens have no distinguishing sexual character-
istics but mature females are broader and plumper in the pelvic region. The pelvic and anal fins are
dark red with white on the outermost edge while the caudal fin is solid red. The dorsal fin is red and
black and may have some white on the outer edge. Classically there is a black bar behind the gill
covers but this may not be present in many specimens available to the hobbyist.
Figure 3. Photograph of
Hyphessobrycon serpae
male (top) and femaile (bottom).
3
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