''Metynnis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

serrasalmid The Serrasalmidae (serrasalmids) are a family of characiform fishes, recently elevated to family status. It includes more than 90 species. The name means "serrated salmon family", which refers to the serrated keel running along the belly of these ...

fish from tropical and subtropical South America. They are

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

, and inhabit a wide range of freshwater habitats, ranging from rivers and streams (both fast- and slow-flowing), to

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

s, flooded forests, lakes, pools and reservoirs. They generally reach in standard length, although a few species may reach up to . The genus contains many of the species known as silver dollars in the aquarium trade.

Species

There are currently 15 recognized species in this genus: * '' Metynnis altidorsalis'' C. G. E. Ahl, 1923 * ''

Metynnis argenteus ''Metynnis argenteus'' is a species of serrasalmid fish endemic to the Tapajós River Basin in Brazil. It is one of the species known in the aquarium trade as the " silver dollar". ''M. argenteus'' is generally considered the archetypal silver ...

'' C. G. E. Ahl, 1923 (silver dollar) * '' Metynnis cuiaba'' Pavanelli, Ota &

Petry Petry, or Pétry, is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Ann Petry (1908–1997), American author * August Arthur Petry (1858–1932), German botanist and entomologist * Cássio Petry (born 1978), Brazilian canoeist * Christian ...

, 2009 * '' Metynnis fasciatus'' C. G. E. Ahl, 1931 * '' Metynnis guaporensis'' C. H. Eigenmann, 1915 * ''

Metynnis hypsauchen ''Metynnis hypsauchen'' is a species of serrasalmid found in Amazon and Paraguay river basins, as well as rivers of the Guiana Shield. It is one of the fish known as the " silver dollar" in the aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' ...

'' ( J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1844) (silver dollar) * '' Metynnis lippincottianus'' (

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 colour. A c ...

, 1870) (spotted silver dollar) * '' Metynnis longipinnis'' Zarske &

Géry Géry () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meuse department The following is a list of the 499 communes of the Meuse department of France. The communes cooperate in the fo ...

, 2008 (silver dollar) * '' Metynnis luna''

, 1878 * '' Metynnis maculatus'' ( Kner, 1858) (spotted metynnis) * '' Metynnis melanogrammus'' Ota, Rapp Py-Daniel & Jégu, 2016Ota, R.P., Rapp Py-Daniel, L.H. & Jégu, M. (2016)
A new Silver Dollar species of ''Metynnis'' Cope, 1878 (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) from Northwestern Brazil and Southern Venezuela.
''Neotropical Ichthyology, 14 (4): e160023.'' * '' Metynnis mola'' C. H. Eigenmann & C. H. Kennedy, 1903 * '' Metynnis orinocensis'' ( Steindachner, 1908) * '' Metynnis otuquensis'' C. G. E. Ahl, 1923 * '' Metynnis polystictus'' Zarske &

, 2008 (silver dollar)

References

Fish of South America Ray-finned fish genera Serrasalmidae Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope {{Characiformes-stub