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.
Tetra is the common name of many small freshwater characiform fishes. Tetras come from Africa, Central America, and South America, belonging to the biological family Characidae and to its former subfamilies Alestidae and Lebiasinidae. The Characidae are distinguished from other fish by the presence of a small adipose fin between the dorsal and caudal fins. Many of these, such as the neon tetra, are brightly colored and easy to keep in captivity. Consequently, they are extremely popular for home aquaria.
The bronze corydoras, also known as the green corydoras, bronze catfish, lightspot corydoras or wavy catfish, is a species of freshwater fish in the armored catfish family, Callichthyidae, often kept as an aquarium fish. It is widely distributed in South America on the eastern side of the Andes, from Colombia and Trinidad to the Río de la Plata basin; however, as presently defined it is a species complex and a taxonomic review is necessary. It was originally described as Hoplosoma aeneum by Theodore Gill in 1858 and has historically also been referred to as Callichthys aeneus.
Traumatic insemination, also known as hypodermic insemination, is the mating practice in some species of invertebrates in which the male pierces the female's abdomen with his aedeagus and injects his sperm through the wound into her abdominal cavity (hemocoel). The sperm diffuses through the female's hemolymph, reaching the ovaries and resulting in fertilization.
Mimagoniates microlepis, also known as the blue tetra, the croaking tetra, the small-scaled tetra, is a species of tetra in the genus Mimagoniates. First identified by Franz Steindachner in 1876 and named Coelurichthys microlepis, it has also been identified as Coelurichthys iporangae, Coelurichthys lateralis, and Mimagoniates iporangae besides its current taxonomic classification. There is evidence of a variety called M. microlepis 'Joinville' which might be synonymous with Paragoniates microlepis.
Mimagoniates is a genus of characid fish from rivers and streams in southeastern, southern and central-western Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay. The individual species generally have relatively small ranges and two, M. lateralis and M. sylvicola, are considered threatened by Brazil's Ministry of the Environment.
The Yaqui topminnow is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. Its scientific name is Poeciliopsis sonoriensis; it is also sometimes considered a subspecies of Poeciliopsis occidentalis as P. o. sonoriensis. This fish is native to Mexico and the United States, with a few native and introduced populations persisting in Arizona in the United States, and a number of populations still extant in northern Sonora, Mexico.
Corynopoma riisei, also known as the sword-tail characin, is a species of characin found in Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. It is also kept as an aquarium fish. This species is the only member of the genus Corynopoma.
Glandulocauda is a genus of small characin freshwater fish that are endemic to Brazil, where restricted to the upper Paraná basin and coastal river basins in São Paulo state. The genus it is closely related to Lophiobrycon and Mimagoniates, and they form the tribe Glandulocaudini.
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.
Monotocheirodon is a genus of characins native to tropical South America. The currently recognized species in this genus are:
Planaltina is a genus of characins endemic to Brazil.
Tyttocharax is a genus of characins found in tropical South America.
Ectrepopterus uruguayensis is a small species of characin originally recorded only from streams in Uruguay, with occasional sightings in Brazil and Argentina. It is the only known member of the genus Ectrepopterus, which was formerly a subgenus of Megalamphodus. Given its restricted range, it is considered a rare fish, and is of note for conservation researchers interested in preserving the biodiversity of the region.
Sebastes elongatus, the greenstriped rockfish, striped rockfish, strawberry rockfish, poinsettas, reina or serena, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Carlastyanax aurocaudatus is a small species of freshwater fish in the family Characidae native to the Río Cauca in Colombia. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Carlastyanax, which was named in 1972 specifically for the species by Jacques Géry. Upon description, it was named Astyanax aurocaudatus by Carl H. Eigenmann. There has been debate concerning whether or not the genus should be recognized, but C. aurocaudatus is currently considered a valid species.
Iguanodectinae is a subfamily of small freshwater fish in the family Iguanodectidae. They are most prominently found in the Amazon river basin and its major tributaries, but they are also known from the Tocantins, Orinoco, and Paraguay rivers. It has two genera, Piabucus and Iguanodectes. Some species in the subfamily are taken from the wild for aquariums, like the red- and green-line lizard tetras. There is minor, but ongoing, debate regarding its taxonomy.
Bryconops alburnoides is a small freshwater fish, approximately 6 inches long at its largest, that lives in the rivers of South America. It has a slender body, with a yellowish dorsal fin and yellow-tinged back scales that fade into silver on its belly. It is largely an insectivore that picks land-dwelling insects from the riverbanks, though it eats much more whenever rain washes prey into the water.
Deuterodon heterostomus is a small species of characin endemic to a large river system in southeast Brazil. It was originally the only member of the genus Probolodus, but Probolodus is now considered obsolete, synonymized with Deuterodon. Much like other members of Deuterodon, and like some fish in related genera, D. heterostomus is a small, silvery fish with fins in some combination of red and clear. It has a defined humeral spot that can be used for identification.
