| Hydrolycus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hydrolycus scomberoides | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Cynodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Cynodontinae |
| Genus: | Hydrolycus (J. P. Müller &Troschel, 1844) |
Hydrolycus is agenus of largedogtooth characins fromtropical South America, where found in theAmazon andOrinoco basins, as well as rivers of theGuianas.[1] The genus includes the largest dogtooth characins, reaching up to 1.17 m (3.8 ft) in length.[1] They have long, pointed teeth (shorter and less extreme inH. wallacei) used for spearing their prey, generally smaller fish.[2] In a study of the stomachs of 45 individuals, most were empty, but among the remaining the prey fish were 15–50% of the lengthHydrolycus itself.[3]
In 1999 two new species weredescribed, the first in this genus in 158 years.[1][2]
There are currently four describedspecies.[1]
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