''Leporinus'' 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 ...
of
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 ...
Anostomidae
The Anostomidae are a family of ray-finned fishes that belong to the order Characiformes. Closely related to the Chilodontidae and formerly included with them, the Anostomidae contain about 150 described species. Commonly known as anostomids, t ...
native to
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 ...
. The
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
''Leporinus scalabrinii'', known from the late
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
of
Entre Ríos in
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 ...
, has only recently been added to this genus after being misidentified as a species of
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
under the name ''Arrhinolemur scalabrinii'' for over 100 years.
[Bogan, S., Sidlauskas, B., Vari, R.P. & Agnolin, F. (2012)]
''Arrhinolemur scalabrinii'' Ameghino, 1898, of the late Miocene - a taxonomic journey from the Mammalia to the Anostomidae (Ostariophysi: Characiformes).
'' Neotropical Ichthyology, 10 (3): 555–560.''
Species
There are currently 78 recognized species in this genus:
† = extinct
Synonyms
The following species were formerly placed in ''Leporinus'' but have since been moved to other genera:
* ''
Hypomasticus copelandii'' was described as ''Leporinus copelandii''
* ''
Hypomasticus steindachneri'' was described as Leporinus steindachneri
C. H. Eigenmann, 1907
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2716527
Anostomidae
Fish of South America
Freshwater fish genera
Taxa named by Louis Agassiz