The ETYFish Project© Chr istopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara
comments: v. 20.0 - 14 Aug. 2020 Order CHARACIFORMES (part 3 of 8)
Family CURIMATIDAE Toothless Characiforms 8 genera · 117 species
Curimata Bosc 1817 Portuguese or local Brazilian name for curimatid-like fishes, apparently introduced in scientific literature by Marcgrave (1648) for Prochilodus argenteus (Prochilodontidae); name appears analogous to other Portuguese words, queriman and curema, used for the superficially similar mullets (Mugilidae)
Curimata acutirostris Vari & Reis 1995 acutus, sharp; rostris, snout, referring to distinctly pointed snout
Curimata aspera Günther 1868 asper, rough, referring to “conspicuously serrated” scales
Curimata cerasina Vari 1984 cherry colored, referring to red coloration of ventral surface in life
Curimata cisandina (Allen 1942) cis-, on the same side as; andinus, belonging to the Andes, i.e., Cisandean, referring to distribution in western South America
Curimata cyprinoides (Linnaeus 1766) -oides, having the form of: presumably referring to its cyprinid-like appearance (“facie Cyprini Rutili”), specifically the Roach, Rutilus rutilus
Curimata incompta Vari 1984 unadorned, referring to absence of any marked pigmentation pattern
Curimata inornata Vari 1989 unadorned, referring to plain body, head and fin pigmentation
Curimata knerii Steindachner 1876 patronym not identified but clearly in honor of ichthyologist Rudolf Kner (1810-1869), who was Steindachner’s teacher and friend (and who studied curimatid fishes)
Curimata macrops Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889 macro-, large; ops, eye, referring to large eye, longer than snout
Curimata mivartii Steindachner 1878 patronym not identified but probably in honor of English zoologist St. George Jackson Mivart (1827-1900)
Curimata ocellata Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889 having little eyes, presumably referring to “oval blackish spot near the fortieth scale of the lateral line”
Curimata roseni Vari 1989 in honor of ichthyologist Donn E. Rosen (1929-1986), American Museum of Natural History, “teacher, friend, colleague,” who introduced Vari to systematic research and the study of characiform fishes
Curimata vittata (Kner 1858) banded, referring to 8-10 vertical or nearly vertical dark bars on dorsal portion of body
Curimatella Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889 -ella, a diminutive, proposed as a subgenus of Curimatus with scaled caudal fins
Curimatella alburna (Müller & Troschel 1844) Latin for whitefish, from albus, white, presumably referring to silvery coloration
Curimatella dorsalis (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) of the back, presumably referring to indistinct median keel anterior to dorsal fin
Curimatella immaculata (Fernández-Yépez 1948) im-, not; maculata, spotted, presumably referring to lack of dark or black pigmentation
Curimatella lepidura (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) lepid, scale; oura, tailed, referring to thickly scaled caudal-fin lobes
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Curimatella meyeri (Steindachner 1882) in honor of zoologist-anthropologist Adolf Bernhard Meyer (1840-1911), for the transfer of specimens from the Vienna Museum
Curimatopsis Steindachner 1876 opsis, appearance, proposed as a subgenus of Curimatus, i.e., Curimatus-like
Curimatopsis crypticus Vari 1982 hidden or secret, i.e., “hidden from science” as a result of its long-term misidentification as C. microlepis
Curimatopsis evelynae Géry 1964 in honor of Evelyn Axelrod, wife of pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927-2017), whose Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine published this description and several others by Géry
Curimatopsis guaporensis Melo & Oliveira 2017-ensis, suffix denoting place: Rio Guaporé, a tributary of the Rio Madeira, Mato Grosso, Brazil, type locality
Curimatopsis jaci Melo & Oliveira 2017from the Tupí Yacy, referring to the lunar goddess Jaci, “one of the most adored divinities of nature for indigenous people” in Amazonia, honoring Melo’s mother, Maria Jaci Petrini de Melo, who always encouraged him to study fishes
Curimatopsis macrolepis (Steindachner 1876) macro-, large; lepis, scale, referring to large scales, ~31 in a longitudinal series between head and tail
Curimatopsis maculosa Melo, Vari & Oliveira 2016spotted, referring to prominent small posteriorly placed dark spot on middle of caudal peduncle, a unique pigmentation pattern in the genus
Curimatopsis melanura Dutra, Melo & Netto-Ferreira 2018melanos, black; oura, tailed, referring to distinct concentration of dark pigmentation on entire lower lobe of caudal fin
Curimatopsis microlepis Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889 micro-, small; lepis, scale, referring to scales “all small, entire”
Curimatopsis myersi Vari 1982in honor of Stanford University ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905-1985), for his contributions to the knowledge of neotropical characiforms
Curimatopsis pallida Melo & Oliveira 2017pale, referring to complete absence of a dark blotch of pigmentation over caudal peduncle (all congeners possess a variably conspicuous dark blotch on caudal peduncle or, at least, a faint dark blotch below its midline)
Curimatopsis sabana Melo 2020named for the Gran Sabana, a major ecoregion in the western Guiana Shield of southeastern Venezuela, which en-compasses the río Caroni basin, where this species occurs
Curimatella alburna. From: Müller, J. and F. H. Troschel. 1844. Synopsis generum et specierum familiae Characinorum. (Prodromus descriptionis novorum generum et specierum.) Archiv für Naturgeschichte
v. 10 (pt 1): 81-99 + foldout.
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Cyphocharax Fowler 1906cypho-, bent or hunchbacked, referring to “well elevated” back, “hunched, anteriorly”; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from Greek word meaning “palisade of pointed sticks,” referring to densely-packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Cyphocharax abramoides (Kner 1858)-oides, having the form of: the cyprinid Abramis brama, referring to very deep, laterally flattened body
Cyphocharax albula (Lütken 1874) whitish, allusion not explained, possibly referring to bright silver sides of belly (“laterum ventrisque argyreo-splendens”)
Cyphocharax aninha Wosiacki & da Silva Miranda 2014 nickname of Ana Prudente, wife of senior author, for her contributions toward the understanding of the neotropical fauna, specifically the systematics of snakes
Cyphocharax aspilos Vari 1992 unspotted or spotless, referring to absence of any pronounced pigmentation on head and body
Cyphocharax biocellatus Vari, Sidlauskas & Le Bail 2012 bi-, two; ocellatus, having little eyes, referring to two small dark spots, one under dorsal fin and other on middle of caudal peduncle
Cyphocharax boiadeiro Melo 2017named for the rio Boiadeiro, one of the paratype localities near Alto Araguaia, Mato Grosso, Brazil; name also hon-ors the boiadeiros (cowboys) of central Brazil, who preserve their classic traditions and influenced regional lifestyles, food and music
Cyphocharax cramptoni Bortolo & Lima 2020in honor of William Crampton (b. 1969), University of Central Florida, for his “important” contributions to the knowledge of fishes from the Amazon basin
Cyphocharax derhami Vari & Chang 2006 in honor of Swiss ichthyologist and aquarist Patrick de Rham (b. 1936), who helped junior author collect paratype series and other fishes in Peru
Cyphocharax festivus Vari 1992 Latin for pleasing, referring to its “pleasing aspect” (which aspect Vari found pleasing is not indicated)
Cyphocharax gangamon Vari 1992 Greek for net, referring to reticulate pattern on dorsal and lateral surfaces of body
Cyphocharax gilbert (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) in memory of M. (Monsieur?) Gilbert, naval surgeon who died of yellow fever in the Antilles [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Cyphocharax gillii (Eigenmann & Kennedy 1903) in honor of Smithsonian zoologist Theodore Gill (1837-1914), for his “valuable contributions” to the knowledge of characiform fishes
Cyphocharax gouldingi Vari 1992 in honor of conservation ecologist Michael Goulding (b. 1950), who collected type and large series of other valuable specimens, and who has “contributed greatly to our knowledge of the life history of many Amazonian species”
Cyphocharax helleri (Steindachner 1910) patronym not identified but probably in honor of Austrian botanist Karl Bartholomaeus Heller (1824-1880)
Cyphocharax jagunco Dutra, Penido, Mello & Pessali 2016jagunço, Portuguese equivalent to “roughneck,” in honor of the 1956 modernist Brazilian novel Grande Sertão: Veredas by João Guimarães Rosa, which is narrated by a jagunço, and which takes place in the northern portion of Minas Gerais, Brazil, a region that includes type locality
Cyphocharax laticlavius Vari & Blackledge 1996latus, wide; clavius, bar, i.e., broad-striped, referring to dark midlateral stripe on body
Cyphocharax leucostictus (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) leukos, white; stictus, spotted, referring to white spot at base of each caudal lobe
Cyphocharax magdalenae (Steindachner 1878) of the Río Magdalena, northwestern Colombia, type locality
Cyphocharax meniscaprorus Vari 1992 meniskos, crescent; prora, prow, referring to rounded anterior portion of head
Cyphocharax mestomyllon Vari 1992 mestos, full; myllon, lip, referring to fleshy upper lip
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Cyphocharax microcephalus (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) micro-, small; cephalus, head, not mentioned in description, nor does head appear to be conspicuously smaller compared to congeners, perhaps referring to “slightly depressed [profile] at occiput”
Cyphocharax modestus (Fernández-Yépez 1948) unassuming, allusion not explained; name (coined by Amaral Campos) dates to a 1906 museum label, possibly referring to yellowish-brown coloration
Cyphocharax multilineatus (Myers 1927) multi-, many; lineatus, lined, referring to narrow, longitudinal, wavy and dark stripes across dorsal and lateral surfaces
Cyphocharax muyrakytan Bortolo, Lima & Melo 2018muyrakytã, Tupí word (muiraquitã in Portuguese) for an amulet worn by Indians of the Amazon valley, especially those belonging to the extinct Tapajó culture (who lived in the lower Rio Tapajós basin, Pará, Brazil, type locality), typically carved as a sitting frog from a green jade stone
Cyphocharax naegelii (Steindachner 1881) patronym not identified, possibly in honor of Swiss botanist Carl Wilhelm von Nägeli (1817-1891) [often but incorrectly spelled nagelii]
Cyphocharax nigripinnis Vari 1992 nigra, black; pinna, fin, referring to black pigmentation on distal portion of adipose fin
Cyphocharax notatus (Steindachner 1908)marked, perhaps, per Steindachner’s description, referring to dense covering of dark dots on scales on upper half of body when viewed under microscope
Cyphocharax oenas Vari 1992 Greek for wild pigeon or dove, referring to name of type locality, Paloma (a caño in Venezuela), which is Castilian for pigeon or dove
Cyphocharax pantostictos Vari & Barriga S. 1990panto-, all; stictos, spotted, i.e., spotted all over, referring to prominent dark spots on lateral and dorsal surfaces
Cyphocharax pinnilepis Vari, Zanata & Camelier 2010 pinnis, fin; lepis, scale, referring to patch of scales over basal portions of caudal-fin lobes
Cyphocharax platanus (Günther 1880) -anus, belonging to: Río de la Plata, Argentina, type locality (also occurs in Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay)
Cyphocharax plumbeus (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) lead-colored, referring body coloration with silver and blue reflections
Cyphocharax punctatus (Vari & Nijssen 1986) spotted, referring to 3-6 spots on body
Cyphocharax saladensis (Meinken 1933)-ensis, suffix denoting place: Río Salado, Argentina, type locality (also occurs in Brazil and Paraguay)
Cyphocharax sanctigabrielis Melo & Vari 2014latinization of São Gabriel, referring to São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas State, Brazil, near type locality
Cyphocharax santacatarinae (Fernández-Yépez 1948) of Santa Catarina, Brazil, type locality
Cyphocharax signatus Vari 1992 marked or stamped, referring to distinct spot on midlateral surface of caudal peduncle
Cyphocharax spilotus (Vari 1987) spotted or stained, referring to midlateral spot on caudal peduncle
Cyphocharax spiluropsis (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889)opsis, likeness, referring to similarity to C. spilurus
Cyphocharax spilurus (Günther 1864) spilos, spot; ouros, tail, referring to black spot at caudal peduncle
Cyphocharax stilbolepis Vari 1992stilbo, shining; lepis, scale, referring to bright silvery coloration
Cyphocharax vanderi (Britski 1980)in honor of Vander M. Britski, the author’s brother, who helped collect type
Cyphocharax vexillapinnus Vari 1992 vexillum, flag; pinnus, fin, referring to prominent black spot on dorsal fin
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Cyphocharax voga (Hensel 1870)local Brazilian name for this species
Potamorhina Cope 1878etymology not explained, perhaps potamos, river, referring to distribution in the Amazon River; rhine, rasp, referring to “acute recurved spiniform scales” on keel of P. pristigaster
Potamorhina altamazonica (Cope 1878) -ica, belonging to: alta-, upper, referring to distribution in upper Amazon River basin of Peru (also occurs in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela)
Potamorhina laticeps (Valenciennes 1850) latus, wide; -ceps, head, referring to large, wide head compared to other curimatids known to Valenciennes
Potamorhina latior (Spix & Agassiz 1829) broader, referring to thick, wide head
Potamorhina pristigaster (Steindachner 1876) pristis, saw; gaster, belly, referring to highly serrate postpelvic median keel
Potamorhina squamoralevis (Braga & Azpelicueta 1983) squama, scale; ora, edge; levis, smooth, referring to smooth-edged postventral scales on keel
Psectrogaster Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889psectro-, saw-like; gaster, belly, referring to trenchant scales on ventral ridge
Psectrogaster amazonica Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889 -ica, belonging to: Amazon River basin, where it is widely distributed [originally spelled amozonica, presumably a typographical error, one of many in the description]
Psectrogaster ciliata (Müller & Troschel 1844) ciliate, referring to comb-like ctenii on margin of ctenoid scales
Psectrogaster curviventris Eigenmann & Kennedy 1903 curvis, curved; ventris, belly, referring to “regularly arched” ventral outline
Psectrogaster essequibensis (Günther 1864) -ensis, suffix denoting place: Essequibo River, Guyana, type locality (also occurs in Amazon basin)
Psectrogaster falcata (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) falcatus, sickle-shaped, referring to long, falcate anal fin
Psectrogaster rhomboides Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889 -oides, having the appearance of: a rhomboid, referring to compressed, rhomboidal body shape
Psectrogaster rutiloides (Kner 1858) -oides, having the form of: presumably referring to superficial resemblance to the European cyprinid Rutilus rutilus
Psectrogaster saguiru (Fowler 1941) Saguirú, local name for this species in Brazil
Pseudocurimata Fernández-Yépez 1948 pseudo-, false, i.e., although this genus may superficially resemble Curimata, such an appearance is false
Pseudocurimata boehlkei Vari 1989 in honor of the late James E. Böhlke (1930-1982), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, who first recognized this species as undescribed, and who made many contributions to the knowledge of South American freshwater fishes
Pseudocurimata boulengeri (Eigenmann 1907) in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858-1937), who described this species in 1898 but used a preoccupied name
Pseudocurimata lineopunctata (Boulenger 1911)lineo-, line; punctata, spotted, referring to round black spots on lateral scales, which form a “regular longitudinal series”
Pseudocurimata patiae (Eigenmann 1914) of the Patia River basin, Colombia, where it is endemic
Pseudocurimata peruana (Eigenmann 1922) -ana, belonging to: Peru, where it is endemic
Pseudocurimata troschelii (Günther 1860) in honor of zoologist Franz Hermann Troschel (1810-1882), who, with Johann Müller, published an important early study of characiform fishes in 1844
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Steindachnerina Fowler 1906 -ina, belonging to: Franz Steindachner (1834-1919), Royal Academy of Natural Sciences of Vienna, for his “thoroughly excellent” contributions to ichthyology
Steindachnerina amazonica (Steindachner 1911) -ica, belonging to: Amazonas (state), Brazil, where it is endemic
Steindachnerina argentea (Gill 1858)silvery, referring to “uniform silvery” coloration
Steindachnerina atratoensis (Eigenmann 1912) -ensis, suffix denoting place: Atrato River basin, Colombia, where it is endemic
Steindachnerina bimaculata (Steindachner 1876) bi-, two; maculata, spotted, referring to black spots at base of middle caudal- and dorsal-fin rays
Steindachnerina binotata (Pearson 1924) bi-, two; notata, marked, referring to dark spot along dorsal midline immediately anterior of dorsal fin, and elongate spot along dorsal midline immediately posterior of tip of supraoccipital spine
Steindachnerina biornata (Braga & Azpelicueta 1987) bis, twice; ornata, adorned, referring to double pigmentation pattern, i.e., spots on lateral-line scales and on dorsum and sides of body
Steindachnerina brevipinna (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) brevis, short; pinna, fin, allusion not explained; described as a subspecies of Cyphocharax gilbert, so perhaps authors were referring to marginally smaller number of dorsal- and anal-fin rays in the new taxon and/or to the “low” fins of the putative nominate form
Steindachnerina conspersa (Holmberg 1891) speckled, referring to black dots scattered on body and fins, covering edges of each scale
Steindachnerina corumbae Pavanelli & Britski 1999 of Rio Corumbá, upper Rio Paraná basin, Goiás, Brazil, type locality
Steindachnerina dobula (Günther 1868) latinization of Döbel, German name for Squalius cephalus (Cyprinidae), which this species apparently resembles
Steindachnerina elegans (Steindachner 1875) elegant, fine or select, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to coloration in life: bright silver head and body, yellowish fins, black spot at base of dorsal fin, and yellow band on sides
Steindachnerina fasciata (Vari & Géry 1985) striped, referring to longitudinal body stripes
Steindachnerina gracilis Vari & Williams Vari 1989 slender, referring to relatively elongate body
Steindachnerina guentheri (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) in honor of ichthyologist and herpetologist Albert Günther (1830-1914) of the British Museum
Steindachnerina hypostoma (Boulenger 1887) hypo-, below; stoma, mouth, referring to inferior mouth
Steindachnerina insculpta (Fernández-Yépez 1948) engraved, referring to sculptural (“escultórica”) or very corrugated (“muy corrugadas”) form (i.e., texture) of the scales
Steindachnerina leucisca (Günther 1868)leukiskos, Greek word for chub, apparently referring to resemblance to European cyprinid Leuciscus leuciscus
Steindachnerina nigrotaenia (Boulenger 1902)nigro-, black; taenia, band, referring to black band along lateral line, extending on to middle rays of caudal fin
Steindachnerina notograptos Lucinda & Vari 2009notos, back; graptos, marked, referring to dark brown spots on dorsolateral portion of body
Steindachnerina notonota (Miranda Ribeiro 1937)noto, mark; notus, back, referring to black eyespot at the middle of dorsal fin base
Steindachnerina planiventris Vari & Williams Vari 1989 planum, flat; venter, belly, referring to flattened ventral surface
Steindachnerina pupula Vari 1991pupil of the eye, referring to dark, pupil-like spot at base of dorsal fin
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Steindachnerina quasimodoi Vari & Williams Vari 1989 of Quasimodo, hunchbacked bellringer in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, Notre-Dame de Paris, referring to pronounced dorsal profile of larger specimens
Steindachnerina seriata Netto-Ferreira & Vari 2011 arranged in a series, referring to multiple series of narrow dark stripes along scale-row margins on lateral and dorso-lateral surfaces of body
Steindachnerina varii Géry, Planquette & Le Bail 1991 in honor of Richard P. Vari (1949-2016), Smithsonian Institution, who revised most of the curimatids as well as many other groups of characiform fishes
Family PROCHILODONTIDAE Bocachicos 3 genera · 21 species
Ichthyoelephas Posada 1909 ichthos, fish; elephas, elephant, referring to its “trompa carnosa” (fleshy proboscis) or “trompa” (trunk)
Ichthyoelephas humeralis (Günther 1860) pertaining to shoulder, referring to black spot behind shoulder on fourth, fifth and sixth scales of lateral line
Ichthyoelephas longirostris (Steindachner 1879) longus, long; rostris, snout, referring to “remarkably” long snout (translation)
Prochilodus Agassiz 1829 pro-, in front of; cheilos, lip; odus, teeth, i.e., teeth projecting from lips, referring to tiny teeth that cover lips
Prochilodus argenteus Spix & Agassiz 1829 silvery, referring to its “glistening” (translation) silvery sides
Prochilodus brevis Steindachner 1875 short, allusion not explained nor evident; perhaps (according to text) referring to shorter body height compared to P. vimboides and/or (based on accompanying illustrations) shorter, squatter body compared to P. harttii
Prochilodus britskii Castro 1993 in honor of Heraldo A. Britski (Universidade de São Paulo), who made specimens available to Castro, and for his “great” contributions to Brazilian ichthyology
Prochilodus costatus Valenciennes 1850 ribbed, allusion not explained nor evident, perhaps referring to pattern of dark versus lighter bars on side of body (R. P. Vari, pers. comm.)
Prochilodus harttii Steindachner 1875 in honor of Charles Frederick Hartt (1840-1878), geologist, paleontologist and naturalist, who helped collect type during the Thayer Expedition (1865-1866) to Brazil [misspelled hartii, but since Steindachner stated that the name honors Hartt within the description, correction is obligatory per ICZN Art. 32.5.1]
Prochilodus lacustris Steindachner 1907 lacustrine, referring to type localities in two Brazilian lakes, Lago de Parnaguá and Lagoa da Missão
Prochilodus lineatus (Valenciennes 1837) lined, presumably referring to multiple dark, wavy, longitudinal stripes along lateral surface of body
Prochilodus magdalenae Steindachner 1879 of the Magdalena River, Colombia, type locality
Prochilodus mariae Eigenmann 1922 in honor of Hermano Apolinar Maria (1867-1949), Director, Museum at the Instituto de La Salle, Bogotá, who provided Eigenmann with “valuable collections” of fishes from the Meta River basin of Colombia, including this one
Prochilodus nigricans Spix & Agassiz 1829 blackish, referring to blackish-green coloration on sides and/or blackish dots on dorsal and anal fins
Prochilodus reticulatus Valenciennes 1850 netted, referring to net-like appearance of scales lined with green
Prochilodus rubrotaeniatus Jardine 1841 rubro-, red; taeniatus, banded, bands of “pale rose-colour” on body
Prochilodus vimboides Kner 1859 -oides, having the form of: presumably referring to superficial resemblance to the European cyprinid Vimba vimba
Semaprochilodus Fowler 1941 sema, banner, being a Prochilodus with a black-banded, falcate dorsal fin and/or a banded, flag-like caudal fin
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Semaprochilodus brama (Valenciennes 1850) brama, derived from abramis, Greek for bream or mullet, referring to Abramis brama-like appearance of high dorsal profile
Semaprochilodus insignis (Jardine 1841) conspicuous, referring to its “gaudily coloured” appearance
Semaprochilodus kneri (Pellegrin 1909) in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Rudolf Kner (1810-1869), who suspected this was a distinct species in 1859
Semaprochilodus laticeps (Steindachner 1879) latus, wide; -ceps, head, referring to “broad, strongly arched” head (translation)
Semaprochilodus taeniurus (Valenciennes 1821) taenio-, band; ouros, tail, referring to seven longitudinal bands on caudal fin
Semaprochilodus varii Castro 1988 in honor of Richard P. Vari (1949-2016), Smithsonian Institution, who demonstrated the monophyly of this family (1983) and advanced a hypothesis of its phylogenetic position
Family LEBIASINIDAE Pencilfishes 6 genera · 75 species/subspecies
Subfamily Lebiasininae Lebiasina Valenciennes 1847diminutive of Lebias, a Greek name for a kind of small fish, usually applied to killifishes (Cyprinodontiformes), referring to compressed, tricuspid teeth, “similar to those of Cyprinodons” (translation)
Lebiasina ardilai Netto-Ferreira, Lopez-Fernandez, Taphorn & Liverpool 2013 in honor of Carlos Ardila Rodríguez, Universidad Metropolitana (Barranquilla, Colombia), for numerous contributions to the systematics of pencilfishes Lebiasina astrigata (Regan 1903) a-, without; strigata, striped, referring to uniform coloration, absent of stripes Lebiasina aureoguttata (Fowler 1911) aureus, golden; guttata, spotted, referring to “gilt or golden blotch at inner basal region” of scales Lebiasina bimaculata Valenciennes 1847 bi-, two; maculata, spotted, referring to black spots at beginning of lateral line and middle of caudal-fin insertion Lebiasina boruca (Bussing 1967) named for tribe of indigenous people that formerly inhabited southeastern Costa Rica, where it is endemic
Semaprochilodus insignis. From: Schomburgk, R. H. 1841. The Natural history of fishes of Guiana. Part I. In: W. Jardine (ed.) The Naturalists’ Library. Vol. 3. W. H. Lizars, Edinburgh. [Schomburgk wrote the
introduction; Jardine wrote the descriptions, from Schomburgk’s notes and drawings.]
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Lebiasina chocoensis Ardila Rodríguez 2010 -ensis, suffix denoting place: Chacó, Colombia, type locality Lebiasina chucuriensis Ardila Rodríguez 2001 -ensis, suffix denoting place: San Vicente de Chucurí, Departamento de Santander, Colombia, type locality Lebiasina colombia Ardila Rodríguez 2008 named in honor of the author’s native country, Colombia (also where fish is endemic) Lebiasina elongata (Boulenger 1887) elongate, height of body “considerably less” than length of head, and 1/5 of SL Lebiasina erythrinoides (Valenciennes 1850) -oides, having the form of: referring to similarity to Erythrinus erythrinus (Erythrinidae) Lebiasina festae (Boulenger 1899) in honor of Italian naturalist Enrico Festa (1868-1939), who collected type Lebiasina floridablancaensis Ardila Rodríguez 1994 -ensis, suffix denoting place: Municipio de Floridablanca, Departamento de Santander, Colombia, type locality Lebiasina intermedia Meinken 1936 intermediate in body measurements and color between L. bimaculata and L. multimaculata Lebiasina marilynae Netto-Ferreira 2012 in honor of Marilyn Weitzman (b. 1926), Smithsonian Institution, who devoted her career to the study of fishes of the families Lebiasinidae and Characidae Lebiasina melanoguttata Netto-Ferreira 2012 melano-, black; guttata, dotted, referring to longitudinal series of dark blotches along flanks Lebiasina minuta Netto-Ferreira 2012 small, referring to its size, no larger than 68.4 mm SL Lebiasina multimaculata Boulenger 1911 multi-, many; maculata, spotted, referring to 9-11 roundish black spots on sides Lebiasina narinensis Ardila Rodríguez 2002 -ensis, suffix denoting place: Departamento d Nariño, Colombia, type locality, and for the hospitality of its people Lebiasina ortegai Ardila Rodríguez 2008 in honor of ichthyologist Armando Ortega Lara, for his contributions to scientific knowledge of Colombian fishes Lebiasina panamensis (Gill 1877) -ensis, suffix denoting place: Isthmus of Panama, type locality (also occurs in Colombia) Lebiasina pleurotaenia (Regan 1903) pleuro-, side; taenia, band, referring to dark longitudinal stripe along middle of side Lebiasina provenzanoi Ardila Rodríguez 1999 in honor of Francisco Provenzano R., Instituto de Zoología Tropical de la Universidad Central de Venezuela, for his contributions to the ichthyology of Venezuela and Colombia
Lebiasina taphorni Ardila Rodríguez 2004 in honor of Donald C. Taphorn (b. 1951), Universidad Nacional Experimental de los Llanos Orientales “Ezequiel Zamora” (Guanare, Venezuela), for his valuable contributions to Venezuelan ichthyology Lebiasina unitaeniata (Günther 1864) uni-, one; taeniata, banded, referring to indistinct dark band from end of operculum to lower half of caudal-fin base Lebiasina uruyensis Fernández-Yépez 1967 -ensis, suffix denoting place: Río Uruyén, Estado Bolívar, Venezuela, type locality Lebiasina yepezi Netto-Ferreira, Oyakawa, Zuanon & Nolasco 2011 in honor of Venezuelan ichthyologist Agustín Fernández-Yépez (1916-1977), who first collected this species in 1951 Lebiasina yuruaniensis Ardila Rodríguez 2000 -ensis, suffix denoting place: Río Yuruaní drainage, Gran Sabana, Estado Bolívar, Venezuela, type locality
Subfamily Pyrrhulininae Copeina Fowler 1906 -ina, belonging to: the late Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897), zoologist and paleontologist, “who studied most of the fishes included” in Fowler’s paper on heterognathus fishes
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Copeina guttata (Steindachner 1876) spotted or speckled, referring to reddish spots on sides Copeina osgoodi Eigenmann 1922 in honor of zoologist William Hudson Osgood (1875-1947), Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago, USA), who collected type
Copella Myers 1956 -ella, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897), zoologist and paleontologist
Copella arnoldi (Regan 1912) in honor of German aquarist Johann Paul Arnold (1869-1952), who collected type Copella callolepis (Regan 1912) callo-, beautiful; lepis, scale, presumably referring to pale spot on each scale (except below dusky band on lower body) Copella compta (Myers 1927) elegant, representing the “acme of gracefulness reached by characins of the Pyrrhulininae” Copella eigenmanni (Regan 1912) in honor of ichthyologist Carl H. Eigenmann (1863-1927), who collected type Copella nattereri (Steindachner 1876) in honor of Johann Natterer (1787-1843), who explored South America and collected specimens for 18 years, including type of this species Copella vilmae Géry 1963 matronym not identified but according to a 1965 Sports Illustrated article on pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927-2017), name was coined by ethnographer and fish collector Harald Schultz (1909-1966), who collected type and said he had found a fish beautiful enough (with bright-red belly and two metallic blue spots) to be named after his wife Vilma
Nannostomus Günther 1872 nanus, dwarf; stomus, mouth, referring to “narrow” mouth of N. beckfordi
Nannostomus anduzei Fernandez & Weitzman 1987 in honor of Pablo J. Anduze (1902-1989), Venezuelan explorer, ethnologist, medical entomologist, and former governor of Amazonas State, Venezuela, who provided much help to the senior author in her work on the fishes of Venezuela’s Amazon region Nannostomus beckfordi Günther 1872 in honor of beekeeper and naturalist F. J. B. Beckford (1842-1920), who presented type to the British Museum
Nannostomus bifasciatus Hoedeman 1954 bi-, two; fasciatus, banded, referring to black lateral band and, presumably, to narrow golden-red streak just above it on males or narrow black band just below dorsum (description does not mention this latter character) Nannostomus britskii Weitzman 1978 in honor of Heraldo Britski, Curator of Fishes, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil), who collected type Nannostomus digrammus (Fowler 1913) di-, two; grammus, line, referring to two lengthwise blackish bands or streaks on sides Nannostomus eques Steindachner 1876 horseman or rider, allusion not explained, probably referring to nocturnal oblique band (saddle-like marking on sides that is weak or absent in daylight, very dark at night, and usually present in preserved specimens) [note: Steindachner used this name for two other characiforms with saddle-like markings, Abramites eques and Hyphessobrycon eques] Nannostomus erythrurus (Eigenmann 1909)erythros, red; ouros, tail, referring to two red spots at base of caudal fin Nannostomus espei (Meinken 1956) in honor or ornamental fish importer-exporter Heinrich Espe, who supplied specimens (mixed in with a shipment of N. trifasciatus) to Meinken for identification Nannostomus grandis Zarske 2011 large, at 46 mm SL, the largest known Nannostomus Nannostomus harrisoni (Eigenmann 1909) in honor of John Burchmore Harrison (1856-1928), Government Geologist, Georgetown, British Guiana, for his assistance during Eigenmann’s 1908 expedition Nannostomus limatus Weitzman 1978 elegant, refined or polished, allusion not explained, presumably referring to elongate, compressed body and/or attractive
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appearance or color pattern Nannostomus marginatus marginatus Eigenmann 1909 margined, referring to broad dark band on sides, finely edged above and below with red
Nannostomus marginatus picturatus Hoedeman 1954 painted, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to red blotch between primary and secondary stripes on caudal peduncle
Nannostomus marilynae Weitzman & Cobb 1975 in honor of the senior author’s wife, Marilyn Weitzman (b. 1926), an ichthyologist herself, “who has long shared his appreciation for the delicate beauty of members of the genus Nannostomus” Nannostomus minimus Eigenmann 1909 least, referring to small size, described at 20-21 mm
Nannostomus mortenthaleri Paepke & Arendt 2001 in honor of aquarium-fish exporter Martin Mortenthaler (1961-2018), owner of Aquarium Rio Momon SRL, Iquitos, Peru, who collected type Nannostomus nigrotaeniatus Zarske 2013 nigro-, black; taeniatus, banded, referring to primary horizontal stripe, wider than band on both the closely related N. erythrurus and N. trifasciatus Nannostomus nitidus Weitzman 1978 neat, elegant or shining, allusion not explained, presumably referring to elongate, compressed body and/or attractive appearance or color pattern (although colors in life were not described) Nannostomus rubrocaudatus Zarske 2009 rubro-, red; caudatus, tailed, referring to “exceedingly attractive” (translation) coloration of males in life
Nannostomus trifasciatus Steindachner 1876 tri-, three; fasciatus, banded, referring to three longitudinal bands on sides (upper and lower bands much thinner than middle band) Nannostomus unifasciatus Steindachner 1876 uni-, one; fasciatus, banded, referring to prominent black band running from snout into lower lobe of caudal fin
Pyrrhulina Valenciennes 1846 pyrrhos, flame-colored fire; -ina, a diminutive, presumably referring to “uniformly red coloration” (translation) and small size (6.35 cm) of P. filamentosa
Pyrrhulina australis Eigenmann & Kennedy 1903 southern, presumably referring to distribution (described from Paraguay) south of “evidently closely related” P. semifasciata (Amazon River basin) Pyrrhulina beni Pearson 1924 referring to lower Río Beni basin, Bolivia, type locality (also occurs in Brazil and Peru)
Nannostomus nigrotaeniatus. From: Zarske, A. 2013. Nannostomus nigrotaeniatus spec. nov. – ein neuer Ziersalmler aus Venezuela (Teleostei: Characiformes: Lebiasinidae). Vertebrate Zoology v. 63 (no. 2): 125-137.
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Pyrrhulina brevis Steindachner 1876 short, allusion not explained, probably referring to shorter longitudinal stripe (lower jaw to posterior edge of head) compared to P. semifasciata (lower jaw to middle of abdomen)
Pyrrhulina capim Vieira & Netto-Ferreira 2019 named for rio Capim, a tributary of rio Guamá, Pará, Brazil, where the junior author first collected the species (from the Tupí-Guaraní, Caá=leaf; Pií=thin or slender) Pyrrhulina eleanorae Fowler 1940 in honor of Eleanor Morrow, wife of William P. Morrow, who led Peruvian expedition that collected type Pyrrhulina elongata Zarske & Géry 2001 referring to elongated body shape (depth at beginning of dorsal fin 4.8-5.1 times in SL) Pyrrhulina filamentosa Valenciennes 1847 referring to filamentous dorsal- and caudal-fin rays Pyrrhulina laeta (Cope 1872)pleasant, probably referring to pleasant coloration (e.g., orange-red fins, scales orange at base with broad blackish margins forming rows of spots) Pyrrhulina lugubris Eigenmann 1922 funereal, probably referring to purple body color, a traditional mourning color in some cultures Pyrrhulina marilynae Netto-Ferreira & Marinho 2013 in honor of Marilyn Weitzman (b. 1926), Smithsonian Institution, for her assistance to both authors since they began studying the family Lebiasinidae Pyrrhulina maxima Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889 greatest or longest, presumably referring to larger size compared to the “closely related” P. brevis and P. (=Copella) nattereri Pyrrhulina melanostoma (Cope 1870) melanos, black; stomus, mouth, referring to black band through operculum and orbit around edge of premaxillary, and second black band around edge of mandible
Pyrrhulina obermulleri Myers 1926 in honor of the late August Obermüller, who first introduced Myers to South American characins at his “aquarium establishment” in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
Pyrrhulina semifasciata Steindachner 1876semi-, half or partial; fasciata, banded, referring to blackish longitudinal stripe from front edge of lower jaw to middle of abdomen
Pyrrhulina spilota Weitzman 1960 spotted, referring to three spots on sides and one at base of caudal fin
Pyrrhulina stoli Boeseman 1953 in honor of Dutch naturalist and aquarium-store owner E. C. Stol (d. 1975), who collected type
Pyrrhulina vittata Regan 1912 banded, probably referring to three blackish bars on body
Pyrrhulina zigzag Zarske & Géry 1997referring to zigzag shape of longitudinal band on sides
Incertae sedis
Derhamia Géry & Zarske 2002 -ia, belonging to: Patrick de Rham (b. 1936), Swiss ichthyologist and aquarist, who discovered type species and collected first specimens while evaluating the ecological and sociological impacts of a large hydroelectric dam at type locality in 1975
Derhamia hoffmannorum Géry & Zarske 2002 -orum, commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of Peter Hoffman and Martin Hoffman (Salzgitter and Hanover, Germany, respectively), who collected holotype specimens and acclimated other specimens to captivity, giving authors “precious” information about its biology
Family CTENOLUCIIDAE Pike-Characids2 genera · 7 species
Boulengerella Eigenmann 1903 -ella, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858-1937), British Museum (Natural History)
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Boulengerella cuvieri (Spix & Agassiz 1829) in honor of the “immortal” (translation) Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), French naturalist and zoologist, described as the first to accurately diagnose the family Salmones (which at the time included all characiform fishes)
Boulengerella lateristriga (Boulenger 1895) lateris; side; striga, streak, presumably referring to dark gray lateral band
Boulengerella lucius (Cuvier 1816) pike, referring to elongate, pike-like shape
Boulengerella maculata (Valenciennes 1850) spotted, referring to blackish spots on unpaired fins (although spots are also on body)
Boulengerella xyrekes Vari 1995 Greek for dagger or sharp as a razor, referring to overall shape of head and body
Ctenolucius Gill 1861 cteno-, referring to strongly ctenoid scales; lucius, pike, referring to elongate, pike-like body
Ctenolucius beani (Fowler 1907) in honor of Barton A. Bean (1860-1947), Assistant Curator of Fishes, United States National Museum (not to be confused with his better-known brother, Tarleton H. Bean, also an ichthyologist)
Ctenolucius hujeta (Valenciennes 1850) local name among fishermen for this species in Venezuela
Family ACESTRORHYNCHIDAE7 genera · 26 species
Subfamily Acestrorhynchinae Freshwater Barracudas
Acestrorhynchus Eigenmann & Kennedy 1903 akestra, ancient Greek for darning needle; rynchus, snout, allusion not explained, probably referring to sharp canine teeth
Acestrorhynchus abbreviatus (Cope 1878) shortened, probably referring to “relatively short muzzle”
Acestrorhynchus altus Menezes 1969 altus, high or deep, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “very deep” body
Acestrorhynchus britskii Menezes 1969 in honor of ichthyologist Heraldo A. Britski (Departamento de Zoologia, Secretaria de Agricultura, São Paulo), who collected type
Acestrorhynchus falcatus (Bloch 1794) sickle-shaped, referring to falcate anal fin (“pinna ani falcate”)
Acestrorhynchus falcirostris (Cuvier 1819) falci-, sickle-shaped; rostris, snout, referring to concave upper jaw
Ctenolucius beani. From: Fowler, H. W. 1907. Further knowledge of some heterognathous fishes. Part II. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia v. 58: 431-483.
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Acestrorhynchus grandoculis Menezes & Géry 1983 grandis, large; oculis, eye, referring to “enormous” eye which, in proportion to head length, is larger than that of all congeners
Acestrorhynchus heterolepis (Cope 1878) heteros, different; lepis, scale, referring to lateral-line scales larger than other scales on body
Acestrorhynchus isalineae Menezes & Géry 1983 in honor of the late Isaline Drecq, wife of Guy van den Bossche, participant in expedition that collected type
Acestrorhynchus lacustris (Lütken 1875) lacustrine (belonging to a lake), referring to Lagoa Santa, a small tropical lake in Brazil, type locality
Acestrorhynchus maculipinna Menezes & Géry 1983 macula, spot; pinna, fin, referring to conspicuous large black spot on dorsal fin
Acestrorhynchus microlepis (Jardine 1841) micro-, small; lepis, scale, referring to “very minute” scales, 108-122 along lateral line
Acestrorhynchus minimus Menezes 1969 least, probably referring to “small (S.L. 36-84 mm) and low” body
Acestrorhynchus nasutus Eigenmann 1912 long-nosed, referring to long, soft-tipped snout
Acestrorhynchus pantaneiro Menezes 1992 inhabitant of the Pantanal region, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, where it is abundant
Subfamily Heterocharacinae Biting TetrasTaxonomic note: treated as a subfamily of Characidae by some workers.
Gnathocharax Fowler 1913 gnathos, jaw, referring to oblique, elongate maxillary; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from Greek word meaning “palisade of pointed sticks,” referring to densely packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Gnathocharax steindachneri Fowler 1913 in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834-1919)
Heterocharax Eigenmann 1912 heteros, different, allusion not explained nor evident; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from Greek word meaning “palisade of pointed sticks,” referring to densely packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Heterocharax leptogrammus Toledo-Piza 2000 leptos, thin; gramme, line, referring to thin stripe above anal-fin base Heterocharax macrolepis Eigenmann 1912 macro-, large; lepis, scale, referring to large, “regularly imbricate” scales Heterocharax virgulatus Toledo-Piza 2000 striped, referring to two distinctive stripes, one extending longitudinally along middle of body, the other on lower portion of body from dorsal-fin origin to anal-fin base
Hoplocharax Géry 1966 hoplo-, armed, referring to strong and pointed pectoral fin spine and three opercular spines; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from Greek word meaning “palisade of pointed sticks,” referring to densely packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Acestrorhynchus falcirostris. From: Cuvier, G. 1819. Sur les poissons du sous-genre Hydrocyon, sur deux nouvelles espèces de Chalceus, sur trois nouvelles espèces du Serrasalmes, et sur l’Argentina glossodonta de Forskahl, qui est l’Albula gonorhynchus de Bloch. Mémoires du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle,
Paris (N. S.) (Série A) Zoologie v. 5: 351-379, Pls. 26-28.
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Hoplocharax goethei Géry 1966 in honor of the late Charles M. Goethe (1875-1966), founder, Sacramento State College (now California State University, Sacramento) for his support of scientists and students in the fields of biology, conservation and education
Lonchogenys Myers 1927 lonchos, lance; genys, cheek, referring to strong acute point on angle of interopercle
Lonchogenys ilisha Myers 1927 “A replica in miniature” of the clupeiform (Pristigasteridae) genus Ilisha
Subfamily RoestinaeTaxonomic note: placed in Characidae by some workers.
Gilbertolus Eigenmann 1907 -olus, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Stanford University ichthyologist Charles Henry Gilbert (1859-1928) [replacement name for Gilbertella Eigenmann 1903, preoccupied by Gilbertella Waite 1902 in fishes (Serranidae)]
Gilbertolus alatus Steindachner 1878 winged, referring to long pectoral fins, reaching beyond anal-fin origin Gilbertolus atratoensis Schultz 1943 -ensis, suffix denoting place: Atrato River basin, Colombia, where it is endemic Gilbertolus maracaiboensis Schultz 1943 -ensis, suffix denoting place: Lake Maracaibo basin, Venezuela, where it is endemic
Roestes Günther 1864 etymology not explained, perhaps from rodo, to gnaw and edestes, one who eats, referring to well-developed canine teeth
Roestes itupiranga Menezes & Lucena 1998 referring to Itupiranga, a town and municipality in Pará, Brazil, type locality
Roestes molossus (Kner 1858) etymology not explained, perhaps alluding to Molossus, an extinct ancient breed of dog (ancestor to the Mastiff) known for its wide, short muzzle, solid build and pugnacious appearance, attributes, along with dog-like teeth, that easily apply to this fish (an interpretation supported by its original placement in Cynopotamus, meaning “river dog”) Roestes ogilviei (Fowler 1914) in honor of Scottish adventurer John Ogilvie, who collected type