Characidae, the characids or characins, is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is an historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a, by and large, monophyletic group. To arrive there, this family has undergone much systematic and taxonomic change. Among those fishes remaining in the Characidae currently are the tetras, comprising the very similar genera Hemigrammus and Hyphessobrycon, as well as a few related forms, such as the cave and neon tetras. Fish of this family are important as food in several regions, and also constitute a large percentage of captive freshwater aquarium fish species.
The black neon tetra is a freshwater fish of the characin family (Characidae) of the order Characiformes. It is native to the Paraguay basin of southern Brazil. They are often found in the aquarium trade.
The payara, Hydrolycus scomberoides, is a species of dogtooth tetra. This predatory fish is found in the Amazon Basin in tropical South America. It was the first of four species to be described in the genus Hydrolycus.
The Ctenoluciidae, also known as pike-characins, are a small family of freshwater fishes from Panama and South America.
Herbert Richard Axelrod was an American tropical fish expert, a publisher of pet books, and an entrepreneur. In 2005 he was sentenced in U.S. court to 18 months in prison for tax fraud.
Hepsetus odoe, the African pike characin, is a predatory freshwater characin belonging to the family Hepsetidae. It was formerly considered that there was a single species of Hepsetus pike characin but recent studies have led to the species being split and Hepsetus odoesensu stricto is the west African representative of the group.
Glandulocaudinae are a subfamily of tropical freshwater characin fish from Central and South America. In all species of this subfamily, a gland on their caudal fin is found almost exclusively in the males, which allows the release and pumping of pheromones; also, members of this subfamily have complex courtship behaviors which lead to insemination. The ecology and life history of these fish is complex yet little studied. Glandulocaudines are important as food fish for larger fish important for commercial and subsistence reasons.
Iguanodectes is a genus of freshwater fish found in tropical South America, with eight currently described species. They are all small tetras, none longer than 5 inches, and often have attractive silvery or striped scales, which makes them a target for the ornamental fish industry. Alongside the genus Piabucus, it is in the subfamily Iguanodectinae, which in turn is in the family Iguanodectidae. The genus Bryconops, which is also in Iguanodectidae, makes up a sister clade to Iguanodectinae.
Knodus is a genus of characins, small freshwater fish from South America.
Oligosarcus is a genus of characins from freshwater habitats in northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, eastern Bolivia, and southern and central Brazil. They reach up to 31 cm (12 in) in length and are predators that mainly feed on smaller fish.
Petitella georgiae, the false rummy-nose tetra, is a species of characin found in Amazon Basin in Brazil and Peru. It is a very popular aquarium fish. It resembles two species from its genus, Petitella bleheri and Petitella rhodostoma. It is distributed in the upper Amazon basin in Peru, Rio Purus, Rio Negro, and Rio Madeira basins. Some specimens have a black stripe in the caudal peduncle extending forwards into the body, surmounted above by a thin iridescent gold line; however, whether this feature is a reliable determinant of species identity has yet to be fully ascertained.
Pyrrhulina is a genus of freshwater fishes found in tropical South America. Several of these species are popular aquarium fish.
Hydrolycus armatus is a species of dogtooth characin found in freshwater of tropical South America. It is sometimes known as harm, or payara, a name it shares with the related H. scomberoides.
Hydrolycus tatauaia is a species of dogtooth characin found in the Amazon, Orinoco and Essequibo basins in tropical South America. Adults mainly occur in deep and/or fast-flowing rivers. It is migratory, moving upstream to breed in November–April.
Acestrorhynchus grandoculis is a species of fish in the family Acestrorhynchidae. It was described by Naércio Aquino de Menezes and Jacques Géry in 1983. It inhabits the Amazon, Negro and Orinoco Rivers. It reaches a maximum standard length of 10.8 cm (4.3 in).
Acestrorhynchus isalineae is a species of fish in the family Acestrorhynchidae. It was described by Naércio Aquino de Menezes and Jacques Géry in 1983. It is known from the Madeira River in Brazil. It reaches a maximum standard length of 10.1 cm (4.0 in).
Acestrorhynchus maculipinna is a species of fish in the family Acestrorhynchidae. It was described by Naércio Aquino de Menezes and Jacques Géry in 1983. It inhabits the Amazon River. It reaches a maximum standard length of 7.9 cm (3.1 in).
Acestrorhynchus pantaneiro, known commonly as the pike characin, is a species of fish in the family Acestrorhynchidae. It was described by Naércio Aquino de Menezes in 1992. It inhabits the La Plata, Paraná, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Mamoré Rivers. It reaches a maximum total length of 35.2 cm (13.9 in), and a maximum weight of 396 g (14.0 oz).
The pike characin is a species of fish in the family Acestrorhynchidae. It was described by Sir William Jardine, 7th Baronet in 1841, originally under the genus Hydrocyon. It inhabits the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers in the regions of Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana, at a pH range of 5.5-6.5. It reaches a maximum total length of 37 cm (15 in), and a maximum weight of 230 g (8.1 oz).
The tucan fish, also called the yellowfin chalceus, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Chalceidae. It is one of five species in the genus Chalceus, and was the second species to be described therein.
