Updated 21 March 2024
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Freshwater Barracudas
Subfamily ACESTRORHYNCHINAE Eigenmann 1912
Acestrorhynchus Eigenmann & Kennedy 1903 akéstra (Gr. ἀκέστρα), darning needle; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout (i.e., jaw), referring to sharp canine teeth on both jaws
Acestrorhynchus abbreviatus (Cope 1878) Latin for shortened, probably referring to its “relatively short muzzle”
Acestrorhynchus altus Menezes 1969 altus (L.), high or deep, probably referring to its “very deep” body
Acestrorhynchus britskii Menezes 1969 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Heraldo A. Britski, Universidade de São Paulo, who collected holotype
Acestrorhynchus falcatus (Bloch 1794) Latin for sickle-shaped, referring to its falcate anal fin (“in pinna ani falcata”)
Acestrorhynchus falcirostris (Cuvier 1819) falci-, from falcatus (L.), sickle-shaped; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout (i.e., jaw), referring to its concave upper jaw
Acestrorhynchus grandoculis Menezes & Géry 1983 grandis (L.), large; oculis, from oculus (L.), eye, referring to “enormous” eye which, in proportion to head length, is larger than that of all congeners
Acestrorhynchus heterolepis (Cope 1878) héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), 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 during which holotype was collected
Acestrorhynchus lacustris (Lütken 1875) Latin for of or belonging to a lake (lacustrine), referring to Lagoa Santa, Brazil, type locality
Acestrorhynchus maculipinna Menezes & Géry 1983 macula (L.), spot; pinna (L.), fin, referring to conspicuous large black spot on dorsal fin
Acestrorhynchus microlepis (Jardine 1841) micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to its “very minute” scales, 108–122 along lateral line
Acestrorhynchus minimus Menezes 1969 Latin for least, probably referring to “small” (36–84 mm SL) and “low” body
Acestrorhynchus nasutus Eigenmann 1912 Latin for 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
Biting Tetras
Subfamily ROESTINAE Lucena & Menezes 1998
Gilbertolus Eigenmann 1907 -olus (L.), diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of American ichthyologist Charles Henry Gilbert (1859–1928) [replacement name for Gilbertella Eigenmann 1903, preoccupied by Gilbertella Waite 1902 in Serranidae]
Gilbertolus alatus Steindachner 1878 Latin for winged, referring to long pectoral fins, reaching beyond anal-fin origin
Gilbertolus atratoensis Schultz 1943 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Atrato River basin, Colombia, where it is endemic
Gilbertolus maracaiboensis Schultz 1943 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Maracaibo basin, Venezuela and Colombia, where it is endemic
Roestes Günther 1864 etymology not explained, perhaps from rodo (L.), to gnaw or bite, and -estes, Neo-Latin noun combining form derived from edestḗs (Gr. ἐδεστής), eater, referring to well-developed canine teeth of R. molossus
Roestes itupiranga Menezes & Lucena 1998 named for Itupiranga, a town and municipality in Pará, Brazil, where type locality (Rio Tocantins) is situated
Roestes molossus (Kner 1858) etymology not explained, probably alluding to Molossus, an extinct ancient breed of dog (ancestor to the Mastiff, used by shepherds and 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 holotype
Small Biting Tetras
Subfamily HETEROCHARACINAE Géry 1966
Gnathocharax Fowler 1913 gnáthos (Gr. γνάθος), jaw, referring to oblique, elongate maxillary; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, a common root-name formation in the order
Gnathocharax steindachneri Fowler 1913 in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834–1919)
Heterocharax Eigenmann 1912 héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to different dentition and/or squamation compared with Acanthocharax (Characidae: Characine), proposed by Eigenmann in the same publication and presumed to be closely related to this genus; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, a common root-name formation in the order
Heterocharax leptogrammus Toledo-Piza 2000 leptós (Gr. λεπτός), fine or thin; grammus, scientific Neo-Latin from grammḗ (Gr. γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to thin stripe above anal-fin base
Heterocharax macrolepis Eigenmann 1912 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to its large, “regularly imbricate” scales
Heterocharax virgulatus Toledo-Piza 2000 Latin for 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-, from hóplon (Gr. ὅπλον), shield or armor (but here meaning armed), referring to strong and pointed pectoral fin spine and three opercular spines; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, a common root-name formation in the order
Hoplocharax goethei Géry 1966 in honor of the late Charles M. Goethe (1875–1966), American philanthropist, conservationist, eugenicist, and founding father of 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 lónchos (Gr. λόγχος), lance; or spear; génys (Gr. γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology) referring to strong acute point on angle of interopercle
Lonchogenys ilisha Myers 1927 “A replica in miniature” of the clupeiform (Pristigasteridae) genus Ilisha
Priocharax Weitzman & Vari 1987 príō (Gr. πρίω), to saw, referring to numerous small jaw teeth; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, a common root-name formation in the order [placed in Acestrorhynchidae: Heterocharacinae by some workers]
Priocharax ariel Weitzman & Vari 1987 from aériios (Gr. ἀέριος), aerial, applied by Shakespeare (The Tempest) for the name of an airy spirit (its meaning here), referring to this fish’s tiny size (up to 15.1 mm SL) and translucent coloration in life
Priocharax britzi Mattox, de Souza, Toledo-Piza & Oliveira 2021 in honor of Ralf Britz, Natural History Museum (London), “noteworthy ichthyologist and a dear friend” who “mastered the world of small fishes and has described more than 20 miniature species, including two species of Priocharax”
Priocharax marupiara Mattox, Britz, Souza, Casas, Lima & Oliveira 2023 both a noun and an adjective in the native common language (Nheengatu) meaning luck/lucky in fishing, and in life in general, alluding to the abundance of this species in the type locality and the fact that it was discovered while searching for P. toledopizae
Priocharax nanus Toledo-Piza, Mattox & Britz 2014 Latin for dwarf (noun), referring to its tiny size, referring to tiny size of adults (up to 15.4 mm SL)
Priocharax pygmaeus Weitzman & Vari 1987 Latin for dwarfish, referring to its tiny size (up to 16.4 mm SL)
Priocharax toledopizae Mattox, Britz, Souza, Casas, Lima & Oliveira 2023 in honor of Mônica Toledo-Piza, “dear friend” and ichthyologist; as former advisor of the first and fourth authors, “she has played an important role in our scientific training and shaping our critical thinking,” and has contributed to characiform taxonomy and systematics for more than 25 years, including that of Priocharax
Priocharax varii Mattox, Souza, Toledo-Piza, Britz & Oliveira 2020 in honor of the late Richard P. Vari (1949–2016), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C., USA), “our dear friend and mentor, and one of the most influential researchers in Neotropical ichthyology of the past 40 years”; in addition to being co-author of the genus Priocharax, he “continuously encouraged the first author to study this taxon further and in more detail”