Bryconops
Bryconops is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Iguanodectidae from South America. Various species of tetra are amongst its ranks, and are sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Description. Members of "Bryconops" are fairly small, reaching just under half a foot at a maximum. "B. durbinae", the smallest, reaches 3.1 cm SL (standard length, without the tail fin included), and "B. giacopinii", the largest, reaches 18 cm TL (total length, with the tail fin included). They usually have scales that are reflective and/or brightly colored, some with visually interesting fins; one example is "B. caudomaculatus", which is  colloquially known as the tailspot tetra thanks to a conspicuous mark on its caudal fin. Classification. In the past, "Bryconops" belonged to the family Characidae, and is still listed there by some sources, like ITIS. Both phylogenetic and morphological evidence has prompted a move to the family Iguanodectidae, alongside the genera "Iguanodectes" and "Piabucus"; this was also done to keep Characidae monophyletic. However, while "Iguanodectes" and "Piabucus" are considered to make up the subfamily Iguanodectinae, "Bryconops" makes up a monotypic clade. There are 21 recognized species in the genus "Bryconops". This makes it the largest genus in the family Iguanodectidae ; "Iguanodectes" has 8, and "Piabucus" has 3. It continues to grow into the 21st century, with new species having been described as recently as 2011 ("Bryconops piracolina"), 2015 ("Bryconops munduruku"), and 2016 ("Bryconops tocantinensis"). In alphabetical order, the species are: History. Upon describing "Bryconops alburnoides" in 1858, Austrian ichthyologist Rudolf Kner established "Bryconops" as a new genus. Kner also offered a description of new congener "B. lucidum", which has since been synonymized with "B. alburnoides." In 1910, German-American ichthyologist Carl H. Eigenmann designated "Bryconops alburnoides" the type species of the genus. Technically, the earliest member of the genus to  be described is "Bryconops melanurus", which was originally classified as "Salmo melanurus" by German naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch in the year 1764. Etymology. The genus name "Bryconops" originates from the genus "Brycon" and the Greek suffix "-ops", which means "appearance" or "resemblance". This is because Kner noted visual similarities between members of the two genera upon description. In turn, the genus name "Brycon" originates from the Greek "bryko", which means "to bite" or "to devour". Fish of the genus "Brycon" are equipped with a full set of teeth on their maxillaries, making for an apt name. In Aquaria. Data is  limited, but "Bryconops colanegra" and "Bryconops colaroja" are known to be taken from the wild for the ornamental fish trade, though neither of them is at risk of going extinct because of it.