African tetras (
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Alestidae, formerly spelled Alestiidae) are a group of
characiform
Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationshi ...
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
exclusively found in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. This family contains about 18 genera and 119 species. Among the best known members are the
Congo tetra
The Congo tetra (''Phenacogrammus interruptus'') is a species of fish in the African tetra family, found in the central Congo River Basin in Africa. It is commonly kept in aquaria.
Description
The Congo tetra has a typical full-bodied tetra s ...
, and
African tigerfish
''Hydrocynus'' is a genus of large characin fish in the family Alestidae commonly called "tigerfish," native to the African continent. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ ("water"Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-Eng ...
.
Taxonomy
Taxonomy based on Van der Laan 2017 and Nelson, Grande & Wilson 2016.
* Family Alestiidae
Cockerell 1910
** Genus †''
Alestoides''
Monod & Gaudant 1998
** Genus †''
Arabocharax''
Micklich & Roscher 1990
** Genus †''
Bunocharax''
Van Neer 1994
** Genus †''
Eurocharax''
Gaudant 1980
** Genus †''
Mahengecharax''
Murray 2003
** Genus †''
Sindacharax''
Greenwood & Howes 1975
** Genus ''
Brycinus
''Brycinus'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Alestiidae. Like other "African characids", they were formerly included in the Characidae but are actually somewhat more distantly related Characiformes.
Like some other Alestiidae, they a ...
''
Valenciennes 1850 'Brycinus macrolepidotus'' species-group** Subfamily Bryconaethiopinae
Hoedeman 1951
*** Genus ''
Bryconaethiops''
Günther 1873
*** Genus ''
Brachyalestes''
Günther 1864 'Brycinus nurse'' species-group** Subfamily Petersiinae
Poll 1967
*** Genus ''
Alestopetersius
''Alestopetersius'' is a genus of characins, fish found mostly in Congo River Basin in Middle Africa with one species (''A. smykalai'') from the lower Niger River in Nigeria. There are currently 10 described species in this genus.
Species
* '' ...
''
Hoedeman 1951 'Duboisialestes''_
Poll_1967.html" ;"title="Duboisialestes.html" ;"title="'
'Duboisialestes''_
Poll_1967">Duboisialestes.html"_;"title="'Duboisialestes">'Duboisialestes''_
Poll_1967***_Genus_''Bathyaethiops.html" ;"title="Duboisialestes">'Duboisialestes''
Poll 1967">Duboisialestes.html" ;"title="'Duboisialestes">'Duboisialestes''
Poll 1967*** Genus ''Bathyaethiops">Duboisialestes">'Duboisialestes''
Poll 1967">Duboisialestes.html" ;"title="'Duboisialestes">'Duboisialestes''
Poll 1967*** Genus ''Bathyaethiops''
Fowler 1949
*** Genus ''Brachypetersius''
(Fowler 1956)
*** Genus ''Clupeocharax''
Pellégrin 1926
*** Genus ''Nannopetersius''
( Hoedeman 1956)
*** Genus ''
Petersius
''Petersius conserialis'' is a species of fish in the family Alestidae, and the sole member of the genus ''Petersius''. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitat is river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwa ...
''
Hilgendorf 1894
*** Genus ''
Phenacogrammus''
Eigenmann 1907
*** Genus ''
Tricuspidalestes''
Poll 1967
** Subfamily Alestinae
Roberts 1969
*** Genus ''
Alestes
''Alestes'' is a genus in the family Alestidae, known as the "African Characidae" as they are found exclusively on that continent. As suggested by that name, they Alestidae was formerly included in Characidae. ''Myletes'' is a synonym of ''Aleste ...
''
Müller & Troschel 1844
*** Genus ''
Bryconalestes''
Hoedeman 1951 'Brycinus longipinnis'' species-group*** Genus ''
Hemigrammopetersius''
Pellégrin 1926
*** Genus ''
Hydrocynus
''Hydrocynus'' is a genus of large characin fish in the family Alestidae commonly called "tigerfish," native to the African continent. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ ("water"Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-Eng ...
''
(Cuvier 1816)
*** Genus ''
Ladigesia
''Ladigesia roloffi'', the Sierra Leone dwarf characin, is a species of African tetra that is found in Sierra Leone and Liberia. It is the only member of its genus.
The fish was named in honor of German aquarist Erhard Roloff Erhard is a male Ger ...
''
Géry 1968
*** Genus ''
Micralestes
''Micralestes'' is a genus of African tetras. There are currently 17 species in this genus.
Species
* '' Micralestes acutidens'' ( W. K. H. Peters, 1852) (Sharptooth tetra)
* '' Micralestes ambiguus'' Géry, 1995
* '' Micralestes argyrotaen ...
''
Boulenger 1899
*** Genus ''
Rhabdalestes''
( Hoedeman 1951)
References
*
Ray-finned fish families
{{Characiformes-stub