Derhamia hoffmannorum Géry & Zarske, 2002
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Derhamia is a monospecific genus of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lebiasinidae, the pencifishes, splashing tetras and related fishes. The only species in the genus is Derhamia hoffmannorum, a species which is endemic to Guyana, where it is found in the Mazaruni River. It is found in fresh water at pelagic depths in a tropical climate. The average length of an unsexed male is about 6.1 cm (2.4 in). It has an elongated body with large eyes. It is a timid species compared to other similar species such as the various pencilfish. They live near the surface of water and are known to hide whenever possible, usually under floating objects. This species only eats what can be found at the surface, as well. D. hoffmannorum will not seek food that sinks to the bottom. The generic name honours Patrick de Rham, Swiss ichthyologist and aquarist (1936–2022), who collected the holotype specimens in the wild.
Wikipedia contributors, Derhamia; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:30:11.526321+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Derhamia hoffmannorum Géry & Zarske, 2002
- Name authority
- Géry & Zarske, 2002
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Characiformes
- Family
- Lebiasinidae
- Genus
- Derhamia
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCharaciformes
- suborderCharacoidei
- familyLebiasinidae Gill, 1889
- subfamilyLebiasininae Gill, 1889
- genusDerhamia Géry & Zarske, 2002
- speciesDerhamia hoffmannorum Géry & Zarske, 2002
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Géry, J., & Zarske, A. (2002). Derhamia hoffmannorum gen. et sp. n. - a new pencil fish (Teleostei, Characiformes, Lebiasinidae), endemic from the Mazaruni River in Guyana. Zoologische Abhandlungen; Staatliches Museum Für Tierkunde in Dresden, 52: 35–47. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:34WH2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.