''Brycon'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 ...

in the

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 ...

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 st ...

found in freshwater habitats in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, ranging from southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Despite not being closely related to true

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

, they are sometimes called South American trout. Members of the genus may be referred to by a number of other different

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s in various languages. They reach a maximum length of depending on the species involved. Some species perform seasonal breeding migrations.Araujo-Lima, C.A.R.M.; and M.L. Ruffino (2003). Migratory Fishes of the Brazilian Amazon. Pp. 233—302 in: Carolsfeld, J.; B. Harvey; C. Ross; and A. Baer (editors). Migratory Fishes of South America. They feed heavily on fruits and seeds, but also take other plant material, invertebrates and small fish. Their food is typically taken from the water, but they are able to jump out of the water to "pluck" low-hanging seeds and fruits directly from trees. Some seeds are crushed when eaten, but may also pass undamaged through the fish, making them

seed disperser In Spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, ...

s. ''Brycon'' support important fisheries and based on a review by

IBAMA Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources ( pt, Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis, IBAMA) is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment's administrative arm. IBAMA supports anti- ...

, they are the fifth most caught fish by weight in the

Brazilian Amazon Brazilian commonly refers to: * Something of, from or relating to Brazil * Brazilian Portuguese, the dialect of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil * Brazilians, the people (citizens) of Brazil, or of Brazilian descent Brazilian may also ...

Species

There are currently 46 recognized species in this genus: * '' Brycon alburnus'' ( Günther, 1860) * '' Brycon amazonicus'' (

Spix Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix (9 February 1781 – 13 March 1826) was a German biologist. From his expedition to Brazil, he brought to Germany a large variety of specimens of plants, insects, mammals, birds, amphibians and fish. They constitute ...

& Agassiz, 1829) * '' Brycon argenteus''

Meek Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience. Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...

Hildebrand Hildebrand is a character from Germanic heroic legend. ''Hildebrand'' is the modern German form of the name: in Old High German it is ''Hiltibrant'' and in Old Norse ''Hildibrandr''. The word ''hild'' means "battle" and ''brand'' means "sword". ...

, 1913 * '' Brycon atrocaudatus'' ( Kner, 1863) * '' Brycon behreae''

, 1938 * '' Brycon bicolor'' Pellegrin, 1909 * '' Brycon cephalus'' ( Günther, 1869) * '' Brycon chagrensis'' ( Kner, 1863) * '' Brycon coquenani'' Steindachner, 1915 * '' Brycon costaricensis'' Angulo & Gracian-Negrete, 2013Angulo, A. & Gracian-Negrete, J.M. (2013)
A new species of ''Brycon'' (Characiformes: Characidae) from Nicaragua and Costa Rica, with a key to the lower Mesoamerican species of the genus.
''Zootaxa, 3731 (2): 255–266.'' * '' Brycon coxeyi'' Fowler, 1943 * '' Brycon dentex'' Günther, 1860 * '' Brycon devillei'' ( Castelnau, 1855) * '' Brycon dulcis'' F. C. T. Lima & F. Vieira, 2017Lima, F.C.T. (2017): A revision of the cis-andean species of the genus ''Brycon'' Müller & Troschel (Characiformes: Characidae). ''Zootaxa, 4222 (1): 1–189.'' * '' Brycon falcatus'' J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1844 * '' Brycon ferox'' Steindachner, 1877 * '' Brycon fowleri'' Dahl, 1955 * '' Brycon gouldingi'' F. C. T. Lima, 2004 * '' Brycon guatemalensis''

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...

, 1908 * '' Brycon henni'' C. H. Eigenmann, 1913 * '' Brycon hilarii'' (

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

, 1850) * '' Brycon howesi'' F. C. T. Lima, 2017 * '' Brycon insignis'' Steindachner, 1877 * '' Brycon labiatus'' Steindachner, 1879 * '' Brycon medemi'' Dahl, 1960 * '' Brycon meeki'' C. H. Eigenmann &

, 1918 * '' Brycon melanopterus'' (

Cope The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colours, litu ...

, 1872) * '' Brycon moorei'' Steindachner, 1878 * '' Brycon nattereri'' Günther, 1864 * '' Brycon obscurus''

, 1938 * '' Brycon oligolepis''

, 1913 * '' Brycon opalinus'' (

G. Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1819) * '' Brycon orbignyanus'' (

, 1850) * '' Brycon orthotaenia'' Günther, 1864 * '' Brycon pesu'' J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1845 * '' Brycon petrosus''

, 1913 * '' Brycon polylepis'' Moscó Morales, 1988 * '' Brycon posadae'' Fowler, 1945 * '' Brycon rubricauda'' Steindachner, 1879 * '' Brycon sinuensis'' Dahl, 1955 * '' Brycon stolzmanni'' Steindachner, 1879 * '' Brycon striatulus'' ( Kner, 1863) * '' Brycon unicolor'' Moscó Morales, 1988 * '' Brycon vermelha'' F. C. T. Lima & R. M. C. Castro, 2000 * '' Brycon vonoi'' F. C. T. Lima, 2017 * '' Brycon whitei'' G. S. Myers & S. H. Weitzman, 1960

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q135065 Characidae Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Johannes Peter Müller Taxa named by Franz Hermann Troschel Taxonomy articles created by Polbot