Gymnocorymbus ternetzi (Boulenger, 1895)
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
The black tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi), also known as the petticoat tetra, high-fin black skirt tetra, black skirt tetra, black widow tetra and blackamoor, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American characins. It is native to the Paraguay River basin of south-central Brazil (mainly Pantanal region), Paraguay and northeast Argentina, but there are also populations in the upper Paraná and Paraíba do Sul Rivers that likely were introduced. It was formerly reported from the Guapore River, but this population is part of G. flaviolimai, which is found throughout the Madeira River basin and was described in 2015. The black tetra is often kept in aquariums. The black tetra can grow up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) in length. It has a roughly tetragonal body shape and is greyish in colour, fading from near black at the tail to light at the nose. Two prominent, black, vertical bars appear just posterior to the gills.
Wikipedia contributors, Black tetra; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:40:45.108461+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gymnocorymbus ternetzi (Boulenger, 1895)
- Name authority
- (Boulenger, 1895)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Characiformes
- Family
- Acestrorhamphidae
- Genus
- Gymnocorymbus
- 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
- familyAcestrorhamphidae Eigenmann, 1907
- subfamilyStethaprioninae Eigenmann, 1907
- genusGymnocorymbus Eigenmann, 1908
- speciesGymnocorymbus ternetzi (Boulenger, 1895)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gymnocorymbus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Gymnocorymbus flaviolimai Benine, Melo, Castro & Oliveira, 2015 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnocorymbus bondi (Fowler, 1911) | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnocorymbus thayeri Eigenmann, 1908 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Gymnocothymbus ternetzii (Boulenger, 1895) (Boulenger, 1895) | synonym |
| Tetragonopterus ternetzi Boulenger, 1895 Boulenger, 1895 | synonym |
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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=862543 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:3HR9J. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.