Ctenolucius hujeta

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Ctenolucius hujeta
Freshwater Barracuda - Ctenolucius hujeta.png
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Ctenoluciidae
Genus: Ctenolucius
Species:
C. hujeta
Binomial name
Ctenolucius hujeta
(Valenciennes, 1850)
Synonyms [2]
  • Xiphostoma hujeta Valenciennes, 1850
  • Luciocharax insculptus Steindachner, 1878

Ctenolucius hujeta, the silver gar, rocket gar, hujeta gar and freshwater barracuda, [3] is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ctenoluciidae, the pike-characins. This fish is found in Panama and northern South America.

Contents

Taxonomy

Ctenolucius hujeta was first formally described as Xiphostoma hujeta by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes in Volume 22 of Histoire naturelle des poissons , coauthored with Georges Cuvier, which was published in 1850. The type locality was given as the rivers of the Lake Maracaibo basin in Venezuela. [2] The genus name Xiphostoma was proposed in 1829 by Louis Agassiz but this name was preoccuppied by Xiphostoma Kirby & Spence, 1828 in the insect order Hemiptera, however, in 1861 Theodore Gill proposed the new monospecific genus Ctenolucius for this species, making this species the type species of that genus by monotypy. [4] Ctenolucius is one of two genera within the pike-characin family, Ctenoluciidae, which is in the suborder Characoidei of the order Characiformes. [5]

Etymology

Ctenolucius hujeta is one of two species in the genus Ctenolucius, this name Ctenolucius, and combines cteno, from the Greek ktenós meaning "comb", and the Latin lucius, which means a pike. The specific name, hujeta, is a local vernacular name forthis species among Venezuelan fishermen. [6]

Description

Ctenolucius hujeta has both its dorsal and anal fins supported by 10 or 11 soft rays. It has an elongated body with a maximum standard length of 26 cm (10 in). This species differs from its congener, C. beani by having no horizontal lines on the body, or if they are preset they are very indistinct. However, some larger specimens may show more distinct lines than the smaller ones. There are also skeletal and scale count differences. [7]

Distribution and habitat

Ctenolucius hujeta is found in northern South America where it occurs in the Magdalena, Cauca, and Sinu River basins in Colombiaand in the Lake Maracaibo drainage system in Venezuela. It can be found in rivers, streams, floodplains, lakes, and wetlands. [1]


References

  1. 1 2 Lyons, T.J. (2023). "Ctenolucius hujeta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2023: e.T49830565A149252587. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T49830565A149252587.en . Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ctenolucius". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Ctenolucius hujeta – Gar 'Characin' (Xiphostoma hujeta, Luciocharax insculptus) — Seriously Fish". seriouslyfish. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  4. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Ctenoluciidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  5. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard. "Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification". California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  6. ↑ Christopher Scharpf (4 October 2023). "Family CTENOLUCIIDAE Schultz 1944 (Pike Characids)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  7. ↑ Vari, R.P. (1995). "The Neotropical fish family Ctenoluciidae (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Characiformes): supra and intrafamilial phylogenetic relationships, with a revisionary study". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 564. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.564.

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