Megalamphodus

Megalamphodus
Red phantom tetra (M. sweglesi)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Family:	Acestrorhamphidae
Subfamily:	Megalamphodinae
Genus:	Megalamphodus C. H. Eigenmann, 1915 [1]
Type species
Megalamphodus megalopterus C. H. Eigenmann, 1915
Species
See text

Megalamphodus is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American tetras. The fishes in this genus are found in the Neotropics. Many prominent ornamental tetras belong to this genus.

Although recognized as a distinct genus early on, it was later synonymized with Hyphessobrycon . More recent studies have resurrected this genus, and have found that it belongs to a different subfamily of the Acestrorhamphidae than Hyphessobrycon. ^[2]

Taxonomy

Megalamphodus contains the following valid species: ^[3]

• Megalamphodus bentosi (Durbin, 1908) (Ornate tetra)
• Megalamphodus copelandi (Durbin, 1908) (Black heart tetra)
• Megalamphodus epicharis (S. H. Weitzman & L. F. Palmer, 1997) (Crystalline rosy tetra)
• Megalamphodus eques (Steindachner, 1882) (Jewel tetra)
• Megalamphodus erythrostigma (Fowler, 1943) (Bleeding-heart tetra)
• Megalamphodus haraldschultzi (Travassos, 1960) (Crystal red tetra)
• Megalamphodus khardinae (Zarske, 2008)
• Megalamphodus megalopterus C. H. Eigenmann, 1915 (Black-phantom tetra)
• Megalamphodus micropterus C. H. Eigenmann, 1915
• Megalamphodus rosaceus (Durbin, 1909) (Rosy tetra)
• Megalamphodus socolofi (S. H. Weitzman, 1977) (Spot-fin tetra)
• Megalamphodus sweglesi Géry, 1961 (Red-phantom tetra)

References

1. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Megalamphodinae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 11 October 2025.
2. Melo, Bruno F; Ota, Rafaela P; Benine, Ricardo C; Carvalho, Fernando R; Lima, Flavio C T; Mattox, George M T; Souza, Camila S; Faria, Tiago C; Reia, Lais; Roxo, Fabio F; Valdez-Moreno, Martha; Near, Thomas J; Oliveira, Claudio (2024-09-01). "Phylogenomics of Characidae, a hyper-diverse Neotropical freshwater fish lineage, with a phylogenetic classification including four families (Teleostei: Characiformes)" . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 202 (1) zlae101. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae101. ISSN   0024-4082.
3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Megalamphodus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 11 October 2025.