Characidae, the characids or characins is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a by and large monophyletic group at family rank. To arrive there, this family has undergone much systematic and taxonomic change. Among those fishes that remain in the Characidae for the time being 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 and also include popular aquarium fish species.
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is any large species of bonytongue in the genus Arapaima native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America. Arapaima is the type genus of the subfamily Arapaiminae within the family Osteoglossidae. They are among the world's largest freshwater fish, reaching as much as 3 m (9.8 ft) in length. They are an important food fish. They have declined in the native range due to overfishing and habitat loss. In contrast, arapaima have been introduced to several tropical regions outside the native range, where they are sometimes considered invasive species. In Kerala, India, arapaima escaped from aquaculture ponds after floods in 2018. Its Portuguese name, pirarucu, derives from the Tupi language words pira and urucum, meaning "red fish".
Nannostomus,, is a genus of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. All of the species in this genus are known as pencil fish, a popular name that was first only applied to two species in the 1920s, Nannostomus unifasciatus and Nannostomus eques. By the late 1950s, the term would come to be applied to all members of the genus. Several species have become popular aquarium fish due to their attractive coloration, unique shape, and interesting demeanor.
Microglanis is a genus of fish in the family Pseudopimelodidae native to South America. This genus has the widest distribution within its family, with species ranging from the Guianas to Venezuela; western slope of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru to the Río de La Plata basin in Argentina. They occur eastward to the Orinoco and Amazon basins. It is also present in the eastern coastal rivers of Brazil.
Nannostomus trifasciatus,, commonly known as the three-lined or three-stripe pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. They are popular in the aquarium trade due to their small size, beautiful color pattern, and relative hardiness.
Nannostomus harrisoni,, is a species of pencil fish. Native to The Guianas, the species displays a single horizontal stripe of intense black, and blood red adornments on its fins. N. harrisoni is often confused with Nannostomus unifasciatus, another long, slender, single-striped species with similar profile and coloration, but N. harrisoni swims in a horizontal posture, as opposed to the snout-up oblique posture of N.unifasciatus, and the bright red adornments on the ventral fins of N. harrisoni are absent in N. unifasciatus. Though the recently described species N. grandis has been dubbed the largest member of the genus, adults of N. harrisoni commonly grow to a length of 70 mm, making it in fact the largest species of pencil fish described to date. It is commonly known as Harrison's pencilfish.
The Curuá River is a tributary of the Iriri River in Pará state in north-central Brazil. It is a tributary of the Iriri River.
Lebiasina is a genus of fishes found in tropical South America, where they inhabit well-oxygenated upland streams that originate in the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the Guianan Highlands in Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela, and Serra do Cachimbo in Brazil. The individual species tend to have relatively small ranges and the three species of Serra do Cachimbo, all restricted to the Curuá River basin, are considered threatened by Brazil's Ministry of the Environment.
Nannostomus anduzei is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the genus Nannostomus in the characin family Lebiasinidae. It is native to Venezuela and northern Brazil, particularly the upper Orinoco and Rio Ererê, a tributary of the Rio Negro. The adults grow to a maximum length of only 16 mm, making them one of the smallest pencilfish. Other common names include miniature pencilfish, miniature nannostomus, and Anduzi's nannostomus.
Nannostomus beckfordi,, commonly known as the golden pencil fish or Beckford's pencil fish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. It occurs widely and commonly in swamps and slow-moving waters in Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname.
Nannostomus bifasciatus,, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. It is commonly known as the two-lined pencilfish. It can be found in slow-moving swamps and rivers in French Guiana and Suriname.
Nannostomus britskii, ,commonly known as the spotstripe pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the family Lebiasinidae of characins. They were first described in 1978 by Stanley H. Weitzman along with two other new species, from a collection of specimens preserved in the São Paulo museum. They have been recorded from only two localities, both in Brazil. No live specimens had been seen, collected, or exported for the aquarium trade until very recently.
Nannostomus digrammus,, commonly known as the twostripe pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. They were first described in 1913 by Henry Weed Fowler and are fairly typical of members of this genus being small, elongated fish with prominent horizontal stripes, in this case limited to two dominant stripes, usually maroon in color. They are recorded as native to Brazil and Guyana, where they occur fairly widely, but are seen only occasionally in the aquarium trade.
Nannostomus eques,, commonly known as the diptail pencilfish or brown pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. It was first described in 1876 by Franz Steindachner making it one of the first members of the genus to be discovered and described. It is fairly typical of members of this genus being a small, elongated fish with prominent horizontal stripes. It occurs quite widely in South America, having been recorded in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Guyana. It is also quite commonly met with in the aquarium trade where its habit of swimming and posturing at a 'snout-up' angle—one of two Nannostomus species to do so, the other being Nannostomus unifasciatus—makes it a popular choice.
Nannostomus espei,, commonly known as Espe's pencilfish or barred pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. It was first described in 1956 by Herman Meinken from the Mazaruni River system in Guyana and to date this is its only known location. It is notable amongst the genus in that the dominant body pattern consists of five broad, comma-like patches instead of the more normal horizontal stripes seen in the rest of the genus. This pattern of patches is assumed by other species at night, but only N. espei displays the pattern permanently and in daylight.
Nannostomus marginatus,, commonly known as the dwarf pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the genus Nannostomus in the characin family Lebiasinidae. They were first described in 1909 by C. H. Eigenmann and are typical of members of this genus being small, elongated fish with prominent horizontal stripes. The most notable feature of N. marginatus is its size, it being one of the smallest members of the genus, only reaching a maximum size of 35 mm. They occur widely on the South American continent having been recorded in Brazil, Guyana, Colombia, Suriname, and Peru, and have been a popular aquarium species since their introduction to aquarists in the early twentieth century.
Nannostomus marilynae,, commonly known as Marilyn's or greenstripe pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. They have been recorded from the Rio Negro and Rio Orinoco regions of Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia.
Nannostomus minimus,, commonly known as the least pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. It is restricted to Guyana, where it has been reported from the Potaro and Mazaruni Rivers.
Nannostomus mortenthaleri, commonly known as the coral red pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. It is one of the most colourful of the genus, being suffused with a bright coral red colouration over its entire body and fins, in striking contrast to its horizontal jet black stripes. It was originally described as a subspecies of Nannostomus marginatus, but it is now recognised as a species in its own right. Mature males have a thickened anal fin. Maximum length is 29mm.
Nannostomus unifasciatus,, commonly known as the one-lined pencilfish, is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the genus Nannostomus in the characin family Lebiasinidae. They are popular in the aquarium trade due to their small size, beautiful color pattern, unique swimming posture and relative hardiness. With its long, pencil-shaped profile, its single jet black stripe reminiscent of the graphite core of a pencil, and its eraser-colored caudal fin, this is the species for which the popular name, 'pencilfish', was first coined in the 1920s, later to be applied to all the species of the genus Nannostomus.
