Red-Finned Pearl Killifish (Hypsolebias antenori)

Overview

Red-Finned Pearl Killifish is the aquarium-trade name used here for the Petra-listed Cynolebias heloplites. Current taxonomic sources place that name as a synonym of Hypsolebias antenori, so the main scientific name on this listing is Hypsolebias antenori while the supplier name stays visible for label matching.

This is a seasonal South American annual killifish for a planned species setup, not a general community fish. It is supplied at 3-4 cm and can reach about 7 cm total length as a mature male. The appeal is the pearly body, red-orange fin colour and unusual life cycle: adults live in temporary pools, spawn into the bottom substrate, and the eggs rest in damp peat-like material until the next wet phase.

Quick Facts

• Current scientific name: Hypsolebias antenori
• Supplier/older name: Cynolebias heloplites
• Other synonym context: Cynolebias antenori, Simpsonichthys antenori
• Family: Rivulidae, Cynolebiinae
• Supplied size: 3-4 cm
• Adult planning size: up to about 7 cm total length for males
• Temperature: 24-27 C preferred; experienced breeders may work cooler for breeding cycles
• pH and hardness: near neutral, soft water; keep stable and clean
• Best setup: covered species aquarium with peat, coco coir or another suitable spawning medium
• Diet: small live and frozen carnivore foods, with prepared foods only as a supplement if accepted

Identity and Source Notes

FishBase lists Hypsolebias antenori as a freshwater, benthopelagic rivuline from the Jaguaribe and Mossoro River basins plus adjacent coastal plains in Brazil. It gives a maximum length of 7 cm total length and notes a bottom-spawning life cycle with around four months of egg incubation.

Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes records Cynolebias heloplites from a lagoon near the Fortaleza-Russas route in Ceara, Brazil, and gives the current status as a synonym of Hypsolebias antenori. GBIF/Catalogue of Life also treats Hypsolebias antenori as accepted and lists Cynolebias heloplites among its synonyms. This matters for buyers because the supplier label, old hobby articles and current taxonomy may not all use the same name.

Exact Source Photo

The exact Petra source photo for SKU 3078 shows a deep-bodied male with a pale steel-blue to lavender body, pearl-like light spotting, a darker greenish dorsal area and warm red-orange colour through the lower fins. The photo is small and supplier-watermarked, but it is still valuable because it anchors the listing to the actual supplier fish rather than only to generic aquarium art.

The supporting images are being kept as additional scene views, but the source photo is the primary factual image for identity.

Natural Habitat and Care Logic

Hypsolebias antenori belongs to the annual killifish fauna of semi-arid northeastern Brazil. These fish use temporary pools and shallow seasonal waters that fill during rains and dry later in the year. Adults grow quickly, display, spawn into the bottom and then naturally disappear as the habitat dries. The next generation waits as eggs in damp substrate.

That life history should shape the aquarium. Think quiet, covered, warm, clean and species-focused. This fish should not be dropped into a busy mixed display where faster fish take the food and males have nowhere to retreat. It does much better when the tank is designed around annual-killifish behaviour from the start.

Aquarium Setup

A dedicated 30-40 litre aquarium is a sensible starting point for a pair or trio. The American Killifish Association notes that a pair or trio can be kept in very small specialist tanks, but for a retail home setup a little extra water volume gives better stability and more space for female cover. If keeping more than one male, use a larger aquarium with strong visual breaks.

Use a tight lid, gentle filtration and subdued lighting. Add Java moss, floating plants, fine-leaved cover and a removable container of peat, coco coir or similar soft spawning medium. The spawning container should be deep enough for diving or bottom-spawning behaviour, but easy to remove for egg checks. Keep the aquarium simple enough that uneaten food and waste can be controlled.

Water Parameters

• Temperature: 24-27 C is the practical preferred range; 25-30 C appears in FishBase, while hobby reports note the fish can also be maintained or bred cooler by experienced keepers
• pH: around neutral, roughly 6.8-7.2
• Hardness: soft water, around 1-5 dGH where possible
• Ammonia and nitrite: 0 ppm at all times
• Nitrate: keep low with small, regular water changes

The previous 20-24 C wording was too cool as a general recommendation for this fish. The safer customer-facing advice is to keep it warm, stable and clean, then adjust only if deliberately managing a breeding cycle.

Feeding

This species is a carnivorous annual killifish. Offer small live and frozen foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, mosquito larvae, grindal worm, white worm in moderation and small bloodworm. Some adults may take flake or micro-pellets, but live and frozen foods are the reliable foundation for condition, colour and breeding.

Feed small portions and watch the fish eat. Do not let food sink and rot in a small annual-killifish tank. Clean feeding is especially important because peat or coco-coir breeding media can trap debris if the tank is overfed.

Temperament and Tank Mates

This fish is best kept species-only. The supplier and older copy described it as peaceful, but specialist sources add a more useful detail: males may fight, both sexes can form dominance hierarchies and females need places to hide. That does not make it a rough community fish; it means it needs a thoughtful layout and the right group management.

Avoid fin nippers, cichlids, fast-feeding tetras, barbs, larger fish, hard-water species and anything that will crowd the food. If you try companions at all, choose only tiny, calm fish that share warm, soft, clean water and do not compete strongly. Most keepers will get better colour, feeding and breeding behaviour from a dedicated setup.

Breeding Notes

Hypsolebias antenori is a bottom-spawning annual killifish. FishBase notes bottom spawning and around four months incubation; the American Killifish Association describes it as a substrate-diving species that can be spawned over peat moss or walnut shells, with dry-peat incubation often taking at least five months and sometimes longer.

Condition adults with live and frozen foods, give females cover, provide a removable spawning medium and store eggs damp rather than wet. Fry usually need very small first foods, then newly hatched brine shrimp as soon as they can take it. This is one of the most rewarding parts of the species, but it needs planning and record keeping.

Buying, Delivery and Guarantee

We pack live fish for specialist live-animal courier delivery, using oxygen, insulation and temperature support according to the weather. Dispatch timing is chosen around fish welfare, not around forcing a parcel out in poor conditions. Your order is covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee when the delivery and acclimation steps are followed.

Choose Red-Finned Pearl Killifish if you want a rare annual killifish for a proper species aquarium and you are ready to manage warm, clean water, live or frozen foods and substrate-spawning behaviour. It is small, colourful and fascinating, but it deserves a keeper who enjoys the specialist side of the hobby.

Care References Used

• FishBase: current Hypsolebias antenori facts, distribution, size, temperature range and bottom-spawning note.
• Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Cynolebias heloplites original record and synonym status.
• GBIF/Catalogue of Life: accepted name and synonym list including Cynolebias heloplites.
• American Killifish Association: practical keeper notes on temperature, feeding, aggression, spawning medium and incubation.