Species learning profile

Marbled hatchetfish

Carnegiella strigata

Marbled hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata) is a freshwater fish associated with river habitat in South America. Enlarged chest muscles power leaps away from surface predators.

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RioGasteropelecidae

At a glance

Água
Água doce
Habitat
Rio
Comprimento máximo
4 cm
Distribuição
América do Sul
Família
Gasteropelecidae
Ordem
Characiformes

Observe

How to identify Marbled hatchetfish

  • Enlarged chest muscles power leaps away from surface predators.
  • Guide context: river habitat in South America.
  • Reported maximum length: 4 cm — about hand-length or smaller. Maximum is not the same as typical adult size.

Field note: color, size, and markings can change with age, sex, season, depth, and lighting. Use several traits together.

Place and pattern

Where it lives—and how it behaves

Habitat and range

This species is associated with river habitat across South America. Flow, seasonal floods, connected side channels, and access to spawning reaches all shape its river habitat.

Behavior

Schools immediately beneath the surface

Food-web connections

What it eats and why it matters

Diet

Insects and tiny crustaceans.

Ecological role

Transfers fallen terrestrial insects into aquatic food webs.

Remember

One fact worth keeping

Marbled hatchetfish pode chegar a cerca de 4 cm e costuma viver perto de Rio.

Think like a conservationist

A conservation lens

River fish depend on connected water. Dams, blocked migrations, pollution, and altered flow can matter even when the channel still looks wet.

This habitat lens is not a current population-status assessment. Status can differ among regions and change as new assessments are published; follow the reference links and local fisheries or wildlife agencies for current decisions.

Recall

Quick knowledge check

Which habitat is most closely associated with Marbled hatchetfish in this guide?

Keep exploring

References and further reading

Fishdle summarizes stable identification and ecology concepts in plain language. Taxonomy and population knowledge continue to change, so use primary assessments and regional authorities for conservation or management decisions.

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