| Characidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Red phantom tetras (Hyphessobrycon sweglesi) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Suborder: | Characoidei |
| Family: | Characidae Latreille, 1825 |
| Subfamilies[1] | |
Aphyocharacinae | |
Characidae, thecharacids orcharacins, is afamily offreshwatersubtropical andtropicalfish belonging to theorderCharaciformes. The name "characins" is a historical one,[2] but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a, by and large,monophyletic group (at family rank). To arrive there, this family has undergone much systematic and taxonomic change. Among those fishes remaining in the Characidae currently are thetetras, comprising the very similar generaHemigrammus andHyphessobrycon, as well as a few related forms, such as thecave andneon tetras. Fish of this family are important as food in several regions, and also constitute a large percentage of captive freshwateraquarium fish species.[3]
These fish vary in length; many are less than 3 cm (1.2 in). One of the smallest species,Hyphessobrycon roseus, grows to a maximum length of 1.9 cm.[4]
These fish inhabit a wide range and variety of habitats. New World fishes, they originate in theAmericas, ranging from southwesternTexas andMéxico through most ofCentral andSouth America, including such major waterways as theAmazon andOrinoco Rivers.[3] Many of these fish come from rivers and tributaries, while theblind cave tetra, for example, inhabits floodedcaves.
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| Phylogeny of Characidae from Melo et al. 2015[5] with clade names from van der Laan 2017.[6] |
This family has undergone a large amount of systematic andtaxonomic change. More recent revision has moved many former members of the family into their own related but distinct families – thepencilfishes of the genusNannostomus are a typical example, having now been moved into theLebiasinidae, the assorted predatory species belonging toHoplias andHoplerythrinus have now been moved into theErythrinidae, and the sabre-toothed fishes of the genusHydrolycus have been moved into theCynodontidae. The former subfamily Alestiinae was promoted to family level (Alestiidae) and the subfamilies Crenuchinae and Characidiinae were moved to the familyCrenuchidae.[3]
Other fish families that were formerly classified as members of the Characidae, but which were moved into separate families of their own during recent taxonomic revisions (after 1994) includeAcestrorhynchidae,Anostomidae,Chilodontidae,Citharinidae,Ctenoluciidae,Curimatidae,Distichodontidae,Gasteropelecidae,Hemiodontidae,Hepsetidae,Parodontidae,Prochilodontidae,[7]Serrasalmidae, andTriportheidae.[8]
The largerpiranhas were originally classified as belonging to the Characidae, but various revisions place them in their own related family, theSerrasalmidae. This reassignment has yet to enjoy universal acceptance, but is gaining in popularity among taxonomists working with these fishes. Given the current state of flux of the Characidae, a number of other changes will doubtless take place, reassigning once-familiar species to other families. Indeed, the entirephylogeny of theOstariophysi – fishes possessing aWeberian apparatus – has yet to be settled conclusively. Until that phylogeny is settled, the opportunity for yet more upheavals within the taxonomy of the characoid fishes is considerable.
The subfamilies and tribes currently recognized by most if not all authors, and their respective genera, are:[6]
SubfamilySpintherobolus clade
SubfamilyStethaprioninae
SubfamilyStevardiinae
SubfamilyCharacinae
SubfamilyPristellinae[14]
TheChalceidae,Iguanodectidae,Bryconidae andHeterocharacinae are the most recent clades to be removed in order to maintain a monophyletic Characidae.[8]
SubfamilyIguanodectinae moved toIguanodectidae
SubfamilyHeterocharacinae moved toAcestrorhynchidae
SubfamilyBryconinae moved toBryconidae
SubfamilySalmininae moved toBryconidae
Genera incertae sedis
A large number oftaxa in this family areincertae sedis. The relationships of many fish in this family – in particular species traditionally placed in theTetragonopterinae, which had become something of a "wastebin taxon" – are poorly known,[3] a comprehensive phylogenetic study for the entire family is needed.[1] The generaHyphessobrycon,Astyanax,Hemigrammus,Moenkhausia, andBryconamericus include the largest number of currently recognized speciesamong characid fishes that are in need of revision;[15]Astyanax andHyphessobrycon in the usual delimitation are among the largestgenera in this family.[3] These genera were originally proposed between 1854 and 1908 and are still more or less defined as byCarl H. Eigenmann in 1917, though diverse species have been added to each genus since that time. The anatomical diversity within each genus, the fact that each of these generic groups at the present time cannot be well-defined, and the high number of species involved are the major reasons for the lack of phylogenetic analyses dealing with the relationships of the species within these generic "groups".[15]
