Characidae

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.
These fish vary in length, though many are less than . One of the smallest species, Hyphessobrycon roseus, grows to a maximum length of 1.9 cm.
These fish inhabit a wide range and a variety of habitats. They originate in the Americas, ranging from southwestern Texas and Mexico through Central and South America. Many of these fish come from rivers, but, for example, the blind cave tetra even inhabits caves.
Systematics
This family has undergone a large amount of systematic and taxonomic change. More recent revision has moved many former members of the family into their own related but distinct families – the pencilfishes of the genus Nannostomus are a typical example, having now been moved into the Lebiasinidae, the assorted predatory species belonging to Hoplias and Hoplerythrinus have now been moved into the Erythrinidae, and the sabre-toothed fishes of the genus Hydrolycus have been moved into the Cynodontidae. The former subfamily Alestiinae was promoted to family level (Alestiidae) and the subfamilies Crenuchinae and Characidiinae were moved to the family Crenuchidae.
Other fish families that were formerly classified as members of the Characidae, but which were moved into separate families of their own during recent taxonomic revisions (after 1994) include Acestrorhynchidae, Anostomidae, Chilodontidae, Citharinidae, Ctenoluciidae, Curimatidae, Distichodontidae, Gasteropelecidae, Hemiodontidae, Hepsetidae, Parodontidae, Prochilodontidae, Serrasalmidae, and Triportheidae.
The larger piranhas were originally classified as belonging to the Characidae, but various revisions place them in their own related family, the Serrasalmidae. This reassignment has yet to enjoy universal acceptance, but is gaining in popularity among taxonomists working with these fishes. Given the current state of flux of the Characidae, a number of other changes will doubtless take place, reassigning once-familiar species to other families. Indeed, the entire phylogeny of the Ostariophysi – fishes possessing a Weberian apparatus – has yet to be settled conclusively. Until that phylogeny is settled, the opportunity for yet more upheavals within the taxonomy of the characoid fishes is considerable.
Classification
Phylogeny
Taxonomy
The subfamilies and tribes currently recognized by most if not all authors, and their respective genera, are:
Subfamily Spintherobolus clade
Amazonspinther
Spintherobolus
Subfamily Stethaprioninae
Tribe Rhoadsiini [Astyanax clade]
Astyanacinus
Astyanax
Carlana
Ctenobrycon
Inpaichthys
Nematobrycon
Oligosarcus
Parastremma
Psellogrammus
Rhoadsia
Tribe Stygichthyini [Jupiaba clade]
Coptobrycon
Deuterodon
Erythrocharax
Jupiaba
Macropsobrycon
Myxiops
Parecbasis
Probolodus
Stygichthys
Tribe Pristellini [Hemigrammus clade; Aphyoditini]
Aphyodite
Atopomesus
Axelrodia
Brittanichthys
Bryconella
Hasemania
Hemigrammus
Hyphessobrycon
Moenkhausia
Nematocharax
Paracheirodon
Parapristella
Petitella
Phycocharax
Pristella
Thayeria
Tribe Stethaprionini
Brachychalcinus
Gymnocorymbus
Orthospinus
Poptella
Stethaprion
Stichonodon
Tribe Gymnocharacini
Bario
Dectobrycon
Ectrepopterus
Grundulus
Gymnocharacinus
Hollandichthys
Moenkhausia
Pseudochalceus
Rachoviscus
Schultzites
Tribe Scissorini
Genycharax
Leptobrycon
Microschemobrycon
Mixobrycon
Oligobrycon
Oxybrycon
Scissor
Serrabrycon
Thrissobrycon
Tucanoichthys
Tyttobrycon
Subfamily Stevardiinae
Tribe Eretmobryconini
Eretmobrycon
Markiana
Tribe Xenurobryconini
Iotabrycon
Ptychocharax
Scopaeocharax
Tyttocharax
Xenurobrycon
Tribe Argopleura clade
Argopleura
Tribe Glandulocaudini
Glandulocauda
Lophiobrycon
Mimagoniates
Tribe Stevardiini
Chrysobrycon
Corynopoma
Gephyrocharax
Hysteronotus
Pseudocorynopoma
Pterobrycon
Tribe Hemibryconini
Acrobrycon
Boehlkea
Hemibrycon
Tribe Creagrutini
Carlastyanax
Creagrutus
Tribe Landonini
Landonia
Tribe Phenacobryconini
Phenacobrycon
Tribe Trochilocharacini
Trochilocharax
Tribe Diapomini
Attonitus
Aulixidens
Bryconacidnus
Bryconamericus
Caiapobrycon
Ceratobranchia
Cyanogaster
Diapoma
Hypobrycon
Knodus
Lepidocharax
Microgenys
Monotocheirodon
Othonocheirodus
Phallobrycon
Piabarchus
Piabina
Planaltina
Rhinobrycon
Rhinopetitia
Subfamily Characinae
Tribe Protocheirodontini
Protocheirodon
Tribe Pseudocheirodontini
Nanocheirodon
Pseudocheirodon
Tribe Aphyocharacini
Aphyocharacidium
Aphyocharax
Leptagoniates
Inpaichthys
Paragoniates
Phenagoniates
Prionobrama
Xenagoniates
Tribe Cheirodontini
Cheirodon
Heterocheirodon
Prodontocharax
Saccoderma
Tribe Compsurini
Acinocheirodon
Aphyocheirodon
Cheirodontops
Compsura
Ctenocheirodon
Kolpotocheirodon
Odontostilbe
Serrapinnus
Tribe Exodontini
Bryconexodon
Exodon
Roeboexodon
Tribe Tetragonopterini
Tetragonopterus
Tribe Characini
Acanthocharax
Acestrocephalus
Charax
Cynopotamus
Galeocharax
Phenacogaster
Priocharax
Roeboides
Former members
The Chalceidae, Iguanodectidae, Bryconidae and Heterocharacinae are the most recent clades to be removed in order to maintain a monophyletic Characidae.
Subfamily Iguanodectinae moved to Iguanodectidae
Bryconops
Iguanodectes
Piabucus
Subfamily Heterocharacinae moved to Acestrorhynchidae
Gnathocharax
Heterocharax
Hoplocharax
Lonchogenys
Subfamily Bryconinae moved to Bryconidae
Brycon
Chilobrycon
Henochilus
Subfamily Salmininae moved to Bryconidae
Salminus
Genera incertae sedis
Chalceus moved to Chalceidae
Genera incertae sedis
A large number of taxa in this family are incertae sedis. The relationships of many fish in this family – in particular species traditionally placed in the Tetragonopterinae, which had become something of a "wastebin taxon" – are poorly known, a comprehensive phylogenetic study for the entire family is needed. The genera Hyphessobrycon, Astyanax, Hemigrammus, Moenkhausia, and Bryconamericus include the largest number of currently recognized species
among characid fishes that are in need of revision; Astyanax and Hyphessobrycon in the usual delimitation are among the largest genera in this family. These genera were originally proposed between 1854 and 1908 and are still more or less defined as by Carl H. Eigenmann in 1917, though diverse species have been added to each genus since that time. The anatomical diversity within each genus, the fact that each of these generic groups at the present time cannot be well-defined, and the high number of species involved are the major reasons for the lack of phylogenetic analyses dealing with the relationships of the species within these generic "groups".
References
de Lucena, Carlos Alberto Santos (2003): New characid fish, Hyphessobrycon scutulatus, from the rio Teles Pires drainage, upper rio Tapajós system (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Characidae). Neotropical Ichthyology 1(2): 93-96. PDF fulltext
Géry, Jacques (1977): Characoids of the World.
Nelson, Joseph S. (2006): Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Extant Miocene first appearances
Ray-finned fish families