Petitella bleheri

Petitella bleheri is a species of characin found in Amazon Basin in Brazil and Peru. It is one of three species commonly referred to as the rummy-nose tetra, and is also known as the firehead tetra.

Taxonomy and systematics
The specific name, bleheri, honors the species’ discoverer, Heiko Bleher.

The mitochondrial genome of Petitella bleheri was fully sequenced in 2015 using standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, and found to be 17,021 base pairs long.

Distribution and habitat
This species is found in the Rio Negro and Rio Meta basins.

Diet
Omnivorous and will accept just about anything offered. Species does have a small mouth so correspondingly sized foods are best. Feed a mixture of dried flakes and granules and small live and frozen foods. A varied diet such as this is essential for the best colour development.

In the aquarium
This species is common in the aquarium trade. Between the years of 2006 to 2015, 7,178,906 specimens of Petitella bleheri were exported from the Amazonas state of Brazil, accounting for 5.04% of all fish exported from Amazonas for the ornamental fish trade during that time.