Updated 25 Nov. 2024
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Family name from Stevardia Gill 1858, a synonym of Corynopoma Gill 1858. Named for D. Jackson Steward (Latinized with “v” instead of “w”) of New York City, through whose “kindness and liberality” Gill was able to collect “molluscous animals and shells, and incidentally the members of the various other classes known to the zoologist” in the West Indies.
Caudal Sac Characins
Subfamily LANDONINAE Weitzman & Menezes 1998
Eretmobrycon Fink 1976 eretmón (Gr. ἐρετμόν), oar or paddle, referring to paddle-like lower caudal-fin lobe of E. bayano; brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae
Eretmobrycon bayano Fink 1976 named for the upper Río Bayano basin, Panama, where it is endemic
Eretmobrycon brevirostris (Günther 1860) brevis (L.), short; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), referring to “short and obtuse” snout
Eretmobrycon dahli (Román-Valencia 2000) in honor of Swedish ichthyologist George Dahl (1905–1979), for “important” contributions to the study and conservation of marine and freshwater fishes from Colombia [possibly a junior synonym of E. guaytarae]
Eretmobrycon emperador (Eigenmann & Ogle 1907) Spanish for empire, referring to Empire Station, Panama, type locality
Eretmobrycon festae (Boulenger 1898) in honor of Italian naturalist Enrico Festa (1868–1939), who collected holotype
Eretmobrycon gonzalezoi (Román-Valencia 2002) in honor of Pana Rigoberto Gonzalez, curator of fishes, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama), who helped Román-Valancia during his stay there [addition of “o” before genitive “i” is apparently a Spanish diminutive used to connote endearment; misspelled gonzalezi by some workers]
Eretmobrycon guaytarae (Eigenmann & Henn 1914) of Río Guáytara (specifically, its mouth), Colombia, type locality
Eretmobrycon ichoensis (Román-Valencia 2000) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ichó River system, Atrato River basin, Colombia, type locality
Eretmobrycon miraensis (Fowler 1945) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Río Mira basin, Colombia, where it is endemic
Eretmobrycon peruanus (Müller & Troschel 1845) –anus (L.), belonging to: Peru, where it is endemic to Pacific slope rivers
Eretmobrycon scleroparius (Regan 1908) etymology not explained, perhaps sklērós (Gr. σκληρός), tough or hard, allusion not evident; parius, an unknown word with no reasonable meaning in either Greek or Latin, especially not in connection with “hard”
Eretmobrycon simus (Boulenger 1898) Latin for snub- or flat-nosed, referring to shorter snout compared with Astyanax petenensis (Acestrorhamphidae: Acestrorhamphinae), its presumed congener at the time
Eretmobrycon terrabensis (Meek 1914) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Río Grande de Térraba, Costa Rica, type locality
Landonia Eigenmann & Henn 1914 –ia (L. suffix), belonging to: American businessman and philanthropist Hugh McKennan Landon (1867–1947), who helped finance expedition that collected holotype
Landonia latidens Eigenmann & Henn 1914 latus (L.), broad or wide; dens (L.), tooth, presumably referring to two “very broad straight edged” teeth on maxillary
Markiana Eigenmann 1903 –iana (L.), belonging to: Eigenmann’s friend and teacher, Edward Lawrens Mark (1847–1946), head of Harvard University’s zoology department, where Eigenmann studied
Markiana geayi (Pellegrin 1909) in honor of French pharmacist and natural history collector Martin François Geay (1859–1910), who collected holotype
Markiana nigripinnis (Perugia 1891) nigri, from niger (L.), dark or black; pinnis, scientific Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, described as having blackish fins (which are actually reddish in life)
Phenacobrycon Eigenmann 1922 phénakos (Gr. φένακος), genitive of phénax (φέναξ), cheat or imposter; brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae but here presumably referring to similarity to Bryconamericus (Diapominae)
Phenacobrycon henni (Eigenmann 1914) in honor of Eigenmann’s student (and successor) Arthur Wilbur Henn (1890–1959), American zoologist, who collected holotype
Xenurobryconins
Subfamily XENUROBRYCONINAE Myers & Böhlke 1956
Iotabrycon Roberts 1973 iota (ι), smallest letter of Greek alphabet, i.e., anything very small, presumably referring to small size of I. praecox (up to 19.9 mm); brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae
Iotabrycon praecox Roberts 1973 Latin for premature, presumably referring to its small size at maturity (up to 19.9 mm)
Ptychocharax Weitzman, Fink, Machado-Allison & Royero L. 1994 ptychós (Gr. πτυχός), genitive of ptýx (πτύξ), layer or fold, referring to ventral fold of pouch scale that separates anterior and posterior openings of caudal pouch; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Ptychocharax rhyacophila Weitzman, Fink, Machado-Allison & Royero L. 1994 rhyaco, from rhýax (Gr. ῥύαξ), rushing stream or mountain torrent; phila, from phílos (Gr. φίλος), fond of, referring to its presence in fast-flowing waters
Scopaeocharax Weitzman & Fink 1985 skopaios (Gr. σκωπαῖος), dwarf, referring to small size of both species (Stanley H. Weitzman, pers. comm.), e.g., up to 32.1 mm SL in S. rhinodus); Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Scopaeocharax atopodus (Böhlke 1958) átopos (Gr. ἄτοπος), odd or strange; podus, from podós (Gr. ποδός, genitive of πούς), foot (homologous to the pelvic fin), probably referring to “greatly enlarged” pelvic fin of males
Scopaeocharax rhinodus (Böhlke 1958) rhinós (Gr. ῥινός), genitive of rhís (ῥίς), nose, referring to “distinctly overhanging” snout; odus, etymology not explained, perhaps –odus, Neo-Latin combining form of odoús (Gr. ὀδούς), tooth, referring to “strictly conical” teeth with “recurved, sharp tips”
Tyttocharax Fowler 1913 tytthós (Gr. τυτθός), tiny, referring to small size (18 mm) of T. madeirae; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Tyttocharax cochui (Ladiges 1949) in honor of German-born tropical-fish importer Ferdinand (Fred) Cochu, Paramount Aquarium (New York City, USA), who brought the first specimens (packed as forage for predatory leaffish) to Europe in 1949
Tyttocharax madeirae Fowler 1913 of the rio Madeira basin, Brazil, type locality
Tyttocharax metae Román-Valencia, García-Alzate, Ruiz-C. & Taphorn 2012 of Meta State, La Macarena Mountains, Orinoco basin, eastern Colombia, type locality
Tyttocharax tambopatensis Weitzman & Ortega 1995 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Río Tambopata basin, Peru, where it is abundant in blackwater tributaries
Xenurobrycon Myers & Miranda Ribeiro 1945 xénos (Gr. ξένος), strange or foreign (i.e., different), and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to caudal-fin glands of males that release pheromones during courtship; brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae
Xenurobrycon coracoralinae Moreira 2005 in honor of Brazilian poet Cora Coralina, pen name of Ana Lins do Guimarães Peixoto (1889–1985); she was born and lived part of her life by the rio Vermelho, where this species occurs, and often wrote about the river and other nature topics
Xenurobrycon heterodon Weitzman & Fink 1985 héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to mixture of tricuspid, bicuspid and conical teeth
Xenurobrycon macropus Myers & Miranda Ribeiro 1945 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; poús (Gr. πούς), foot (homologous to the pelvic fin), referring to elongate pelvic fin of males
Xenurobrycon polyancistrus Weitzman 1987 polý (Gr. πολύ), many; ancistrus, from ánkistron (Gr. ἄγκιστρον), fish hook, referring to numerous hooks on pelvic fin of males
Xenurobrycon pteropus Weitzman & Fink 1985 ptero-, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν), wing; poús (Gr. πούς), foot (homologous to the pelvic fin), referring to large wing-shaped pelvic fin
Xenurobrycon varii Mendonça, Peixoto, Dutra & Netto-Ferreira 2016 in honor of Richard P. Vari (1949–2016), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C., USA), “an esteemed person and ichthyologist, for his contributions to the systematics of fishes and his continuous support and aid to the authors”
Chirping Tetras
Subfamily GLANDULOCAUDINAE Eigenmann 1914
Glandulocauda Eigenmann 1911 glandulo, diminutive for glandis (L.), acorn (but here meaning a small gland); cauda (L.), tail, referring to gland at base of tail in males (later discovered to release pheromones during courtship)
Glandulocauda caerulea Menezes & Weitzman 2009 Latin for dark blue, referring to its dark steely blue coloration in life [replacement name for G. melanopleura Eigenmann 1922, secondarily preoccupied in Glandulocauda by Hyphessobrycon melanopleurus Ellis 1911]
Glandulocauda melanopleura (Ellis 1911) mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; pleurá (Gr. πλευρά), side, referring to a broad blackish stripe from eye to end of middle caudal-fin rays [Ellis is married name of Durbin, who described many small tetras]
Lophiobrycon Castro, Ribeiro, Benine & Melo 2003 lophio, from lóphos (Gr. λόφος), mane, crest or tuft, referring to uniquely elongate and crest-shaped adipose fin of mature males; brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae
Lophiobrycon weitzmani Castro, Ribeiro, Benine & Melo 2003 in honor of American ichthyologist Stanley H. Weitzman (1927–2017), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), for his “seminal” work on the systematics of Neotropical characiformes, particularly the subfamily Glandulocaudinae
Mimagoniates Regan 1907 etymology not explained, presumably mī́mos (Gr. μῖμος), imitator or mimic, described as intermediate between Cheirodon (Characidae: Cheirodontinae) and Leptagoniates (Characidae: Aphyocharacinae), so perhaps referring to resemblance to latter genus
Mimagoniates barberi Regan 1907 in honor of Paraguayan botanist and philanthropist Andrés Barbero (1877–1951), who collected holotype
Mimagoniates inequalis (Eigenmann 1911) Latin for unlike, allusion not explained nor evident, perhaps referring to how it differs from the otherwise “very similar” to Glandulocauda melanogenys (=caerulea)
Mimagoniates lateralis (Nichols 1913) Latin for of the side, presumably referring to “broad dusky lengthwise band on the lower part of the side”
Mimagoniates microlepis (Steindachner 1877) micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, presumably referring to small scales, 44 along lateral line and 13–14 rows along the sides
Mimagoniates pulcher Menezes & Weitzman 2009 Latin for beautiful, referring to blue color of living specimens
Mimagoniates rheocharis Menezes & Weitzman 1990 rhéos (Gr. ῥέος), stream; cháris (Gr. χάρις), loveliness, grace or charming, referring to the “streams in which this fish has been taken and to the beauty of the fish itself”
Mimagoniates sylvicola Menezes & Weitzman 1990 sylva (L.), forest; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to the forested nature of the streams where it occurs
Andean Tetras
Subfamily ARGOPLEURINAE Melo & Oliveira 2024
Argopleura Eigenmann 1913 argós (Gr. ἀργός), shining or white; pleurá (Gr. πλευρά), side, presumably referring to “brilliant” lateral band of A. magdalenensis
Argopleura chocoensis (Eigenmann 1913) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chocó, Colombia, where type locality (Istmina, a municipality) is situated
Argopleura conventa (Eigenmann 1913) Latin for convened, assembled or thronged, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to Eigenmann’s observation that members of the genus are “found in great abundance” [often spelled conventus, but name is a participle used and declined like an adjective and therefore should agree with feminine gender of genus]
Argopleura diquensis (Eigenmann 1913) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Dique Canal, Cartegena, Colombia, type locality
Argopleura magdalenensis (Eigenmann 1913) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Magdalena River basin, Colombia, where it is endemic
Hemibryconins
Subfamily HEMIBRYCONINAE Géry 1966
Acrobrycon Eigenmann & Pearson 1924 akros, at the end or tip, possibly referring to large caudal pouch in which “scales are continued along the middle of the caudal much farther than above or below”; brycon, closely allied to Hemibrycon
Acrobrycon ipanquianus (Cope 1877) –anus (L.), belonging to: in memory of the Inca Ypanqui, “who in the city of Cuzco of the [Río] Urubamba [type locality in Peru], the first of his line, devoted himself to monotheism”
Acrobrycon ortii Arcila, Vari & Menezes 2014 in honor of Argentine evolutionary biologist Guillermo Ortí, George Washington University (Washington D.C.), for his “extensive” contributions to our knowledge of the evolution of Neotropical freshwater fishes
Acrobrycon starnesi Arcila, Vari & Menezes 2014 in honor of American ichthyologist Wayne C. Starnes, North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, who collected type and numerous other fish specimens that have proved very useful in other studies
Acrobrycon tarijae Fowler 1940 of the Department of Tarija, Bolivia (now Argentina), where type locality (Río Lipeo) is situated
Hemibrycon Günther 1864 hemi-, from hḗmisys (Gr. ἥμισυς), half, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to mouth cleft H. polyodon, described as “of moderate width” compared with “rather wide” cleft of Brycon (now in Bryconidae); brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae
Hemibrycon andresoi (Román-Valencia 2003) in honor of Colombian biologist Andrés Córdoba B., who collected holotype and provided ecological data and observations [addition of “o” before genitive “i” is apparently a Spanish diminutive used to connote endearment]
Hemibrycon antioquiae Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., Taphorn, Mancera-Rodriguez & García-Alzate 2013 of Antioquia state, Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon arilepis (Román-Valencia, Vanegas-Ríos & Ruiz-C. 2008) arí– (Gr. ἀρί), intensive prefix meaning very or much (but here meaning many); lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to higher number of lateral-line scales of any congener then placed in Bryconamericus except for B. (now Eretmobrycon) terrabensis
Hemibrycon beni Pearson 1924 named for the Río Beni drainage, Bolivia, where it is endemic
Hemibrycon boquiae (Eigenmann 1913) of Boquia, at western base of Mount Tolima, Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon brevispini Román-Valencia & Arcila-Mesa 2009 brevis (L.), short; spini, from spinus (L.), thorn (authors say hook), referring to tiny hooks on all fins
Hemibrycon cairoensis Román-Valencia & Arcila-Mesa 2009 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: El Cairo, Risaralda, Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon cardalensis Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., Taphorn, Mancera-Rodriguez & García-Alzate 2013 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: El Cardal creek, tributary of the Guatapé River, middle Magdalena River Basin, Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon carrilloi Dahl 1960 in honor of Jorge Carrillo, director, Fisheries Department, Colombia Ministry of Agriculture, for his “enthusiastic work in defence of the Colombian fauna”
Hemibrycon caucanus (Eigenmann 1913) –anus (L.), belonging to: upper Cauca River system, Colombia, where it is (or was) abundant
Hemibrycon chaparensis Ruiz-C, Román-Valencia, Bastidas & Taphorn 2023 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Chaparé region of Bolivia, where type locality (Río San Rafael-Muyurina) is situated
Hemibrycon clausen Ardila Rodríguez 2020 in honor of Christian Peter Clausen, Danish immigrant who founded (1888) the Clausen Brewery in Floridablanca, Colombia, establishing the modern Colombian beer industry; type locality is “La Clausen” sector of Río Riofrio in Floridablanca [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]
Hemibrycon colombianus Eigenmann 1914 –anus (L.), belonging to: Colombia, where it is endemic to the San Gil River drainage
Hemibrycon convencionensis Ruiz-C, Román-Valencia, Bastidas & Taphorn 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: La Convención Province, Cusco, Peru, type locality
Hemibrycon cristiani (Román-Valencia 1999) in honor of one of Román-Valencia’s twin sons, Cristian, for his early knowledge and enthusiasm for ichthyology
Hemibrycon dariensis Meek & Hildebrand 1916 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Darién Province, Panama, where type locality (mouth of Río Yape) is situated
Hemibrycon decurrens (Eigenmann 1913) Latin for curved downward, referring to “interpolated rows of scales beginning over the middle of the ventrals, the rows of scales distinctly decurvent to the anal”
Hemibrycon dentatus (Eigenmann 1913) Latin for toothed, presumably referring to 3–9 maxillary teeth, “usually extending over less than half the free margin”
Hemibrycon divisorensis Bertaco, Malabarba, Hidalgo & Ortega 2007 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Zona Reservada Sierra del Divisor, a conservation area in Loreto, Peru, type locality
Hemibrycon fasciatus Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., Taphorn, Mancera-Rodriguez & García-Alzate 2013 Latin for banded, referring to its dark lateral stripe or band
Hemibrycon foncensis (Román-Valencia, Vanegas-Ríos & Ruiz-C. 2009) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: río Fonce, Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon galvisi (Román-Valencia 2000) in honor of biologist Germán Galvis (Universidad Nacional, Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia), who provided funding and comparative material for Román-Valencia’s study
Hemibrycon guejarensis Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C. & Taphorn 2018 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Güejar River basin (Meta Department, Colombia), type locality
Hemibrycon gutierrezi Ardila Rodríguez 2020 in honor of the philanthropic Gútierrez Gómez family, “declared the most distinguished [citizens] of the 20th century” (translation) in Floridablanca, Santander Department, Colombia (type locality); they dedicated their lives to helping people through social welfare and the construction of educational centers, and the local authority created an award for exemplary citizens in their name [preferably spelled gutierrezorum since name honors more than one person, but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]
Hemibrycon helleri Eigenmann 1927 in honor of American zoologist Edmund Heller (1875–1939), who collected holotype
Hemibrycon huambonicus (Steindachner 1882) –icus (L.), belonging to: Huambo, Peru, type locality
Hemibrycon inambari Bertaco & Malabarba 2010 named for the Río Inambari basin, Cusco, Peru, type locality
Hemibrycon iqueima García-Melo, Albornoz-Garzón, García-Melo, Villa-Navarro & Maldonado-Ocampo 2018 named for Cacique (tribal chieftan) Iqueima, of the indigenous Los Panches and Tolimas tribes who inhabited type locality region (Magdalena River basin, Suarez municipality, Tolima Department, Colombia)
Hemibrycon jabonero Schultz 1944 local name for this species is in the upper Río Chama Valley, Venezuela
Hemibrycon jelskii (Steindachner 1876) in honor of Belarusian-Polish ornithologist Konstanty Jelski (1837–1896), who collected holotype
Hemibrycon loisae (Géry 1964) in honor of Loise Socolof, whose husband, Ross Socolof (1925–2009), American aquarium-fish exporter, breeder and wholesaler, collected holotype
Hemibrycon lorethae Ruiz-C, Román-Valencia, Bastidas & Taphorn 2023 in honor of the late Constanza Loreth Fajardo Calderon, sister of the first author
Hemibrycon mamorensis Ruiz-C, Román-Valencia, Bastidas & Taphorn 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Río Mamoré River, Bolivia, type locality
Hemibrycon megantoniensis Ruiz-C, Román-Valencia, Bastidas & Taphorn 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Megantoni, La Convención, Cusco, Peru, type locality
Hemibrycon metae Myers 1930 of the upper Rio Meta basin, Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon microformaa Román-Valencia & Ruiz-C. 2007 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; forma (L.), shape or form, referring to its small size (<31 mm SL) [meaning of extra terminal a not explained]
Hemibrycon mikrostiktos Bertaco & Malabarba 2010 mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; stiktós (Gr. στικτός), pricked or spotted, referring to small humeral spot, 2–3 horizontal series of scales vs. 4–9 in congeners
Hemibrycon multiradiatus (Dahl 1960) multi– (L.), many; radiatus (L.), rayed, referring to large number (ii, 33) of anal-fin rays
Hemibrycon paez Román-Valencia & Arcila-Mesa 2010 named for the native Latin Americans known as the Paeces or Guambianos, who occupy type locality (Pierto Valencia, Inzá, Cauca, Colombia)
Hemibrycon palomae Román-Valencia, García-Alzate, Ruiz-C. & Taphorn 2010 of La Paloma Creek, Alto Cauca, Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon plutarcoi (Román-Valencia 2001) in honor of ichthyologist Plutarco Cala Cala (b. 1938), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, who collected holotype
Hemibrycon polyodon (Günther 1864) polý (Gr. πολύ), many; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, “the entire edge of the maxillary denticulated”
Hemibrycon quindos Román-Valencia & Arcila-Mesa 2010 named for the Quindos, indigenous people who once occupied type locality (Río Quindio basin, Upper Cauca River drainage, Salento, Quindio, Colombia)
Hemibrycon rafaelensis Román-Valencia & Arcila-Mesa 2008 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: San Rafael Creek, Apia River system, Risaralda, Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon raqueliae Román-Valencia & Arcila-Mesa 2010 in honor of Colombian biologist Raquel Ivveth Ruiz Calderón, for her “generous contribution of works for the preservation and study of Neotropical fishes”
Hemibrycon sanjuanensis Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., Taphorn & García-Alzate 2014 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: San Juan River basin, Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon santamartae Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., García-Alzate & Taphorn 2010 of the Santa Marta mountain range, northeastern Colombia, where it occurs
Hemibrycon sierraensis García-Alzate, Román-Valencia & Taphorn 2015 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta drainage, Caribbean coastal drainages of northern Colombia, type locality
Hemibrycon surinamensis Géry 1962 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Suriname, type locality
Hemibrycon taeniurus (Gill 1858) band-tailed, from tainía (Gr. ταινία), band or ribbon, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to broad black band, bordered by yellow, on middle rows of caudal fin
Hemibrycon tolimae (Eigenmann 1913) of Tolima Department, Colombia, where it is endemic to the Upper Magdalena River basin
Hemibrycon tridens Eigenmann 1922 tri– (L.), three; dens (L.), tooth, referring to tricuspid teeth extending along greater part of maxillary
Hemibrycon velox Dahl 1964 Latin for swift, referring to the “quick and colorful movement of the species in the water” (translation)
Hemibrycon virolinica Román-Valencia & Arcila-Mesa 2010 –ica (L.), belonging to: Virolín creek, Río Cañaverales basin, Santander, Colombia type locality
Hemibrycon yacopiae Román-Valencia & Arcila-Mesa 2010 of Yacopi, Cundinamarca, Colombia, type locality
Stevardiines
Subfamily STEVARDIINAE Gill 1858
Chrysobrycon Weitzman & Menezes 1998 chrysós (Gr. χρυσός), gold, referring to brilliant gold-green color of male C. hesperus; brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae
Chrysobrycon calamar Vanegas-Ríos, Urbano-Bonilla & Sánchez-Garcés 2024 named for Calamar municipality, Guaviare Department, Colombia, where type locality (Caño Toño, Río Unilla) is situated
Chrysobrycon eliasi Vanegas-Ríos, Azpelicueta & Ortega 2011 in honor of the late Elias Vanegas G., father of the senior author
Chrysobrycon guahibo Vanegas-Ríos, Urbano-Bonilla & Azpelicueta 2015 named for the Guahibo (or Sikuani) tribe, the most populous ethnic group inhabiting the Orinoco floodplains of Colombia, where this species occurs
Chrysobrycon hesperus (Böhlke 1958) Latin for western, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its distribution in Ecuador, far west of the Brazilian Hysteronotus megalostomus, its presumed congener at the time
Chrysobrycon mojicai Vanegas-Ríos & Urbano-Bonilla 2017 in honor of José Iván Mojica, Director, Museo de Ictiología del Instituto de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogotá), for contributions to the knowledge of Amazonian freshwater fishes in Colombia
Chrysobrycon myersi (Weitzman & Thomerson 1970) in honor of American ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905–1985), Stanford University, for his “long and continued interest in characid fishes, and his frequent and helpful council to students of this complicated and fascinating group”
Chrysobrycon yoliae Vanegas-Ríos, Azpelicueta & Ortega 2014 in honor and in gratitude of “Yoli” (Yolanda Ríos Nossa), mother of the senior author, who “patiently encouraged and supported his academic formation in all senses”
Corynopoma Gill 1858 korýnē (Gr. κορύνῃ), club; pṓma (Gr. πῶμα), lid or cover, i.e., opercle, referring to “claviform prolongation of the operculum”
Corynopoma riisei Gill 1858 in honor of Albert Heinrich Riise (1810–1882), Dutch zoologist of St. Thomas, West Indies, for his contributions to our knowledge of echinoderms and terrestrial molluscs
Gephyrocharax Eigenmann 1912 géphyra (Gr. γέφυρα), bridge, i.e., a bridge “allying” genera in different subfamilies, Paragoniates (Characidae: Aphyocharacinae) and Hysteronotus; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from a Greek word meaning “palisade of pointed sticks,” referring to densely packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Gephyrocharax atracaudatus (Meek & Hildebrand 1912) atra-, from ater (L.), black; caudatus (L.), tailed, referring to dark streaks on margins of tail
Gephyrocharax caucanus Eigenmann 1912 –anus (L.), belonging to: Upper Cauca River basin, Colombia, where it occurs
Gephyrocharax chocoensis Eigenmann 1912 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chocó Department, Colombia, where type locality (Istmina, a municipality) is situated
Gephyrocharax intermedius Meek & Hildebrand 1916 Latin for intermediate, described as intermediate in color and structure between G. atracaudatus and G. chocoensis
Gephyrocharax machadoi Ferreira, Faria, Ribeiro, Santana, Quagio-Grassioto & Menezes 2018 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Francisco de Arruda Machado (Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso), for his “great” contribution in the conservation of Neotropical freshwater fishes, especially in Mato Grosso, where this species occurs
Gephyrocharax major Myers 1929 Latin for great, larger than any congeners (known at the time)
Gephyrocharax martae Dahl 1943 in honor of Dahl’s wife Marta, who collected holotype “and many other interesting specimens”
Gephyrocharax melanocheir Eigenmann 1912 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; cheirós (Gr. χείρ, genitive χειρός), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to black tips on pectoral fins of males
Gephyrocharax sinuensis Dahl 1964 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: upper Sinú River basin, Colombia, where it is endemic
Gephyrocharax torresi Vanegas-Ríos, Azpelicueta, Mirande & Gonzales 2013 in honor of Mauricio Torres (Universidad Industrial de Santander, Departmento de Santandar, Colombia), who collected holotype
Gephyrocharax valencia Eigenmann 1920 named for Lake Valencia, Maracay, Venezuela, type locality
Gephyrocharax venezuelae Schultz 1944 of Venezuela, referring to Trujillo, Lake Maracaibo system, Venezuela, type locality
Hysteronotus Eigenmann 1911 hysteros (Gr. ὕστερος), after or posterior; notus, from nṓtos (Gr. νῶτος), back, referring to “extreme backward position” of dorsal fin
Hysteronotus megalostomus Eigenmann 1911 large-mouthed, from mégas (Gr. μέγας), big, and stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, “the premaxillary-maxillary border forming a continuous curve whose length is about half the length of the head
Pseudocorynopoma Perugia 1891 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false, i.e., although similar to Corynopoma searlesi (=riisei), such an appearance is false
Pseudocorynopoma doriae Perugia 1891 in honor of Italian zoologist Giacomo Doria (1840–1913), director of the Natural History Museum of Genoa, who always offered scholars the “most gracious hospitality” (translation) [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun than ends in “a”]
Pseudocorynopoma heterandria Eigenmann 1914 héteros(Gr. ἕτερος), different; –andria, Neo-Latin combining form of anḗr (Gr. ἀνήρ), male animal, allusion not explained, probably referring to gland at base of tail in males (later discovered to release pheromones during courtship); may also refer to diagnostic difference in male anal-fin structure between the two congeners
Pseudocorynopoma stanleyi Malabarba, Chuctaya, Hirschmann, Oliveira & Thomaz 2020 in honor of American ichthyologist Stanley H. Weitzman (1927–2017), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of stevardiine characids and other Neotropical freshwater fishes
Pterobrycon Eigenmann 1913 ptero-, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν), wing, referring to prolonged scale on shoulder of mature male P. landoni (later discovered to stimulate females), which Eigenmann apparently believed was wing-like; brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae, i.e., per Eigenmann a “winged Brycon”
Pterobrycon landoni Eigenmann 1913 in honor of American businessman and philanthropist Hugh McKennan Landon (1867–1947), who “in large measure” made possible the Chocó, Colombia, expedition during which holotype was collected
Pterobrycon myrnae Bussing 1974 in honor of Bussing’s wife Myrna, who made “innumerable sacrifices to facilitate” his studies of Central American fishes
Varicharax Vanegas-Ríos, Faustino-Fuster, Meza-Vargas & Ortega 2020 Vari, in honor of Richard P. Vari (1949–2016), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C., USA), “in memoriam of his inspiring career focused on studying Neotropical freshwater fishes and mentoring new generations of ichthyologists”; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Varicharax nigrolineatus Vanegas-Ríos, Faustino-Fuster, Meza-Vargas & Ortega 2020 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to dark mid-lateral stripe extending along body
Brazilian Shield Tetras
Subfamily PLANALTININAE Oliveira & Souza 2024
Lepidocharax Ferreira, Menezes & Quagio-Grassiotto 2011 lepido, from lepidōtós (Gr. λεπιδωτός), scaly, referring to scales covering ventral caudal-fin lobe; Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, now a common root-name formation in the order
Lepidocharax burnsi Ferreira, Menezes & Quagio-Grassiotto 2011 in honor of John R. Burns, George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), for his “outstanding” contribution to the knowledge of histology of small inseminating characids
Lepidocharax diamantina Ferreira, Menezes & Quagio-Grassiotto 2011 named for Chapada Diamantina, Bahia State, northeastern Brazil, region where this species occurs
Planaltina Böhlke 1954 named for Planaltina, Goiás, Brazil, type locality of P. myersi
Planaltina britskii Menezes, Weitzman & Burns 2003 in honor of Heraldo A. Britski (b. 1934), Universidade de São Paulo, for many contributions to the ichthyology of Brazil; also, he collected the first two known specimens of this species and recognized that they were undescribed
Planaltina glandipedis Menezes, Weitzman & Burns 2003 glandis (L.), acorn; pedis (L.), foot (homologous to the pelvic fin), referring to pelvic-fin gland of males
Planaltina kaingang Deprá, Graça, Pavanelli, Avelino & Oliveira 2018 named for the Kaingang, an ethnic group who has inhabited the southern portion of Brazil for centuries, including areas near the rio Ubazinho drainage (Paraná State), where this species was first recognized
Planaltina myersi Böhlke 1954 in honor of American ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905–1985), Stanford University, for the “ichthyological understanding [Böhlke has] gained working under him,” and for his interest in the group to which this species belongs
Creagrutins
Subfamily CREAGRUTINAE Miles 1943
Caiapobrycon Malabarba & Vari 2000 Caiapos, Amerindian people who inhabit area comprising the rio Tocantins drainage, Brazil, where C. tucurui occurs; brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae
Caiapobrycon tucurui Malabarba & Vari 2000 named for rio Tucuruí, rio Tocantins drainage, Brazil, type locality
Carlastyanax Géry 1972 Carl, in honor of Carl H. Eigenmann (1863–1927), who described C. aurocaudatus, “one of the most eminent ichthyologists of the first half of the 20th century” (translation); Astyanax, referring to previous placement in that genus
Carlastyanax aurocaudatus (Eigenmann 1913) aureus (L.), golden; caudatus (L.), tailed, referring to golden or orange-red caudal peduncle in life
Creagrutus Günther 1864 etymology not explained but almost certainly from kreágreutos (Gr. κρεάγρευτος), “tearing off the flesh,” perhaps referring to three pairs of “strong” front teeth on mandible of C. muelleri
Creagrutus affinis Steindachner 1880 Latin for related, very close if not identical to C. muelleri
Creagrutus amoenus Fowler 1943 Latin for pleasant, charming or delightful, presumably referring to its color, with “bright silvery white” axial band in life and six “more or less clearly defined dark blotches”
Creagrutus anary Fowler 1913 local name for this species in Brazil
Creagrutus andaki Albornoz-Garzón, Acosta-Santos, Bogatá-Gregory & Agudelo-Córdoba 2020 named for the native indigenous people Andakí or Andaquí, who occupied several sites of the Upper Río Caquetá basin of Colombia (where this species occurs) and fought bravely during the Spanish conquest
Creagrutus ardilai Ardila Rodríguez 2021 in honor of Ardila Rodríguez’ late brother, Rodolfo Ardila Rodríguez, who accompanied him on fish-collecting trips throughout the streams and rivers of Colombia and Venezuela, and who collected holotype in 2001
Creagrutus argos Ardila Rodríguez 2020 named for the Colombian construction materials company Argos, for its support for environmental education and conservation of biodiversity of the río Saldaña basin (Tolima, Colombia), where this species occurs
Creagrutus atratus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for dressed in black, referring to dark coloration of type series and many other available specimens
Creagrutus atrisignum Myers 1927 atri-, from ater (L.), black; signum (L.), mark, presumably referring to dark horizontal humeral bar within narrow silvery lateral band
Creagrutus barrigai Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Ramiro Barriga, Universidad Politecnica (Quito, Ecuador), for his many contributions to the knowledge of the freshwater fishes of Ecuador, and for his assistance to the authors with their monograph and other projects
Creagrutus beni Eigenmann 1911 named for Río Beni at Villa Bella, Amazon system, Bolivia, type locality
Creagrutus bolivari Schultz 1944 in honor of Venezuelan military and political leader Simón Bolívar (1783–1830), the “liberator of northern South America”
Creagrutus brevipinnis Eigenmann 1913 brevis (L.), short; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, presumably referring to smaller number of anal-fin rays compared to congeners in Colombia
Creagrutus britskii Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Heraldo A. Britski (b. 1934), Universidade de São Paulo, for his many contributions to our understanding of South American freshwater fishes, and for his assistance to the senior author over the years
Creagrutus cacique Flausino & Lima 2019 from the Taino word kasike, used in both Portuguese and Spanish to designate an Amerindian chief, in honor of the authors’ friend Nilso Estevão da Silva, nicknamed Cacique, a technician of the Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso at Cuiabá, who has participated on ichthyological expeditions from the middle 1980s to the present, and contributed to the collection of an enormous amount of fishes from across Mato Grosso, Brazil
Creagrutus calai Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Plutarco Cala Cala (b. 1938), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, for his contributions to our understanding of Colombian freshwater fishes, and for his assistance to the authors
Creagrutus caucanus Eigenmann 1913 –anus (L.), belonging to: Cauca River, Colombia, type locality (also endemic to the Upper Cauca River system)
Creagrutus cerritulus Netto-Ferreira & Vari 2017 Latin for somewhat mad (authors say “strange”), referring to its “intense” modifications (e.g., ventrally displaced jaws, compressed and spatulate dentition, reduced swim bladder) relative both to congeners and across the Stevardiinae and even the Characidae
Creagrutus changae Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of the late Fonchii Chang (1963–1999), Peruvian ichthyologist of Chinese and Japanese ancestry, Museo de Historia Natural (Lima, Peru), for her contributions to our understanding of Peruvian fishes and her assistance to the authors prior to her untimely death [she died, along with her motorista, in a boat accident near Lake Rimachi, Peru; she was wearing rubber boots, which filled with water and anchored her to the bottom, where she was shocked by an electric eel, knocked unconscious and drowned]
Creagrutus cimitarraensis Ardila Rodríguez 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: the “beautiful” (translation) town of Cimitarra, Departamento de Santander, Colombia, where type locality (La Quitiana, a creek) is situated
Creagrutus cochui Géry 1964 in honor of German-born tropical-fish importer Ferdinand (Fred) Cochu, Paramount Aquarium (New York City, USA), a close friend of pet-book publisher and aquarist Herbert R. Axelrod (1927–2017), who suggested that Cochu be honored with the name
Creagrutus convencionensis Ardila Rodríguez 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Municipio de Convención, Departamento de Norte de Santander, Colombia, where type locality (Quebrada Guamal, Río Catatumbo drainage) is situated
Creagrutus corredori Ardila Rodríguez 2023 in honor of Colombian medical biochemist Carlos Francisco Corredor Pereira (1936–2022), one of the founders and permanent advisors for several decades of the Asociación Colombiana de Ciencias Biológicas
Creagrutus cracentis Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for slender or graceful, referring to its slender body form
Creagrutus crenatus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for notched or bearing rounded projections, referring to the form of exposed posterior margins of many of its scales
Creagrutus dulima Albornoz-Garzón, Conde-Saldaña, García-Melo, Taphorn & Villa-Navarro 2018 dulima, indigenous word of the Pijao ethnic group, meaning “river of snow” or “river of clouds,” referring to the snow-covered Tolima mountain peak, which is a symbol of the department of Tolima (where type locality is situated), one of the most ecologically threatened areas in Colombia
Creagrutus embera Ardila Rodríguez 2023 named for the Embera (also known as Katío) indigenous people who live throughout the entire Sinú River basin, Departmento de Córdoba, Colombia, where this species occurs
Creagrutus ephippiatus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for saddled, referring to saddle-like humeral marks that meet along dorsal midline
Creagrutus figueiredoi Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of José Lima de Figueiredo (b. 1943), Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de São Paulo, for contributions to South American ichthyology and his assistance to the senior author over the years
Creagrutus flavescens Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for golden yellow, referring to its coloration in life
Creagrutus florianensis Ardila Rodríguez 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: the “beautiful” (translation) municipality of Florián, Departmento de Santander, Colombia, where type locality (Huaz, a creek) is situated
Creagrutus gephyrus Böhlke & Saul 1975 géphyra (Gr. γέφυρα), bridge, for uniting Creagrudite and Creagrutus, combining three-rowed premaxillary dentition with a long, sloping, fully-toothed maxillary, in which case recognition of Creagrudite is no longer warranted
Creagrutus gracilis Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its relatively shallow body compared with many congeners
Creagrutus guanes Torres-Mejia & Vari 2005 named for the Guanes, an indigenous group who occupied the Río Fonce basin, Colombia (type locality); the Guanes intensely resisted the Spaniard conquistadors, resulting in their near-complete extinction
Creagrutus gyrospilus Vari & Harold 2001 gȳ́ros (Gr. γῦρος), a circle; spilus, from spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to rounded (vs. vertically elongate) humeral spot
Creagrutus hildebrandi Schultz 1944 in honor of American ichthyologist Samuel F. Hildebrand (1883–1949), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for “extensive contributions on the fish fauna of Panama”
Creagrutus holmi Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Canadian ichthyologist Erling Holm (b. 1950), Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto), who collected some of the type series along with other species of Creagrutus, for his assistance to the authors in this and other studies
Creagrutus hysginus Harold, Vari, Machado-Allison & Provenzano 1994 from hýsginon (Gr. ὕσγινον), crimson or scarlet dye, referring to distinctive color of adipose fin
Creagrutus ignotus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for unknown, referring to previous absence of any records for Creagrutus from the upper Rio Tapajós basin (central Brazil)
Creagrutus jordanensis Ardila Rodríguez 2021 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: municipio de Jordán, Departamento de Santander, Colombia, where type locality (Río Chicamocha, cuenca del río Magdalena) is situated
Creagrutus kunturus Vari, Harold & Ortega 1995 Latinization of kuntur, Quecha word for Condor, referring to the Cordillera del Condor, Peru, type region
Creagrutus lassoi Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Venezuelan ichthyologist Carlos A. Lasso-Alcalá, Museo de Historia Natural La Salle (Caracas) and the Asociación Amigos de Doñana (Seville), for his contributions to the knowledge of Venezuelan fishes and assistance to the authors
Creagrutus lepidus Vari, Harold, Lasso & Machado-Allison 1993 Latin for pleasant, agreeable or elegant, referring to its distinctive pigmentation (e.g., a well-developed, dark midlateral stripe)
Creagrutus leuciscus Regan 1913 etymology not explained, possibly referring to its superficial resemblance to the Common Dace Leuciscus leuciscus
Creagrutus machadoi Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Antonio Machado-Allison (b. 1945), Universidad Central de Venezuela, for laboratory and field assistance to the authors, and his many contributions to the knowledge of Neotropical fishes
Creagrutus maculosus Román-Valencia, García-Alzate, Ruiz-C. & Taphorn 2010 Latin for dappled or spotted, referring to eight dark, rounded spots on sides of adults
Creagrutus magdalenae Eigenmann 1913 of the Magdalena River basin, Colombia, where it is endemic
Creagrutus magoi Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Francisco Mago Leccia (1931–2004), formerly of the Universidad Central de Venezuela, for his “major” contributions to our understanding of South American freshwater fishes, and for his assistance to the senior author through the years
Creagrutus manu Vari & Harold 2001 named for the Río Manu of southeastern Peru, type region, and to the Parque Nacional de Manu, where all examined specimens were collected
Creagrutus maracaiboensis (Schultz 1944) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Maracaibo basin, Venezuela, type locality
Creagrutus mariposa Ardila Rodríguez 2021 Spanish for butterfly, as a tribute to Ardila Rodríguez’ friend Alberto Núñez Pinto, who, with his father, founded Polvorería Mariposa, a town (presumably near type locality) in Floridablanca, Departamento de Santander, Colombia, at the beginning of the 20th century
Creagrutus martinezi Ardila Rodríguez 2021 in honor of the late Alfonso Martínez Martínez, for his contribution to the knowledge of sport, marine and freshwater fishing in Colombia
Creagrutus maxillaris (Myers 1927) Latin for of or belonging to the jaw, referring to a “lengthened” maxillary that “sweeps backward and downward in a great concave curve, its horizontal extent nearly twice the vertical”
Creagrutus melanzonus Eigenmann 1909 black-banded, from mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, and zonus, Neo-Latin adjective of zona (L.), band, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “silvery lateral band underlaid with a dotted stripe”
Creagrutus melasma Vari, Harold & Taphorn 1994 mélasma (Gr. μέλασμα), black spot, referring to distinctive pigmentation on dorsal fin
Creagrutus menezesi Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Naércio Aquino Menezes (b. 1937), for “myriad” contributions to the knowledge of South American fishes, and for his assistance to the senior author over the years
Creagrutus meridionalis Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for southern, referring to its distribution in the southern portions of the range of Creagrutus
Creagrutus metropolitana Ardila Rodríguez 2024 –ana (L.), belonging to: Metropolitan University of Barranquilla (Colombia), where Ardila Rodríguez worked, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary
Creagrutus molinus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for grinder, referring to large teeth in the upper and lower jaws
Creagrutus mucipu Vari & Harold 2001 acronym of Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia, PUCRS (Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul), whose staff collected holotype and assisted authors in this and other projects
Creagrutus muelleri (Günther 1859) patronym not identified but probably in honor of German biologist Johannes Müller (1801–1858), whose 1844 work on characiform fishes (authored with Troschel) is cited by Günther
Creagrutus narvaezi Ardila Rodríguez 2023 in honor of Juan Carlos Narvaez Barandica, Universidad del Magdalena Magdalena (Santa Marta, Colombia), for his contributions to Colombian ichthyology
Creagrutus nigrostigmatus Dahl 1960 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; stigmatus, Latin adjectival form of stígma (Gr. στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to very dark, nearly square humeral mark
Creagrutus nigrotaeniatus Dagosta & Pastana 2014 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to black lateral longitudinal stripe on body
Creagrutus occidaneus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for western, referring to its distribution along the western lowlands of the Amazon basin
Creagrutus ortegai Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Peruvian ichthyologist Hernán Ortega, colleague and co-author on other papers, who collected nearly all known specimens of this species, for his many contributions to our knowledge of Peruvian freshwater fishes
Creagrutus ouranonastes Vari & Harold 2001 ouranós (Gr. οὐρᾰνός), heaven or sky; nastes, from naétēs (Gr. νᾰέτης), dweller or inhabitant, referring to elevation (~1900 m) of its habitat, the highest elevation known for any member of the genus
Creagrutus paraguayensis Mahnert & Géry 1988 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Paraguay, where it is endemic to the Paraguay River basin
Creagrutus paralacus Harold & Vari 1994 pará (Gr. παρά), beside or near; lacus (L.), lake, referring to its distribution in rivers near Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela
Creagrutus pearsoni Mahnert & Géry 1988 in honor of American ichthyologist Nathan Everett Pearson (1895–1982), Indiana University, who described this species in 1924 but used a name (Piabina beni) that is now secondarily preoccupied by C. beni Eigenmann 1911
Creagrutus peruanus (Steindachner 1876) –anus (L.), belonging to: Peru, where it is endemic to the Apurimac and Urubamba River basins
Creagrutus petilus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its relatively elongate body form
Creagrutus phasma Myers 1927 Latin for an apparition or specter, a “veritable ghost of” the sympatric Creagrudite (=Creagrutus)
Creagrutus pila Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for javelin, referring to the vertically elongate, ventrally tapering humeral spot on its side
Creagrutus planquettei Géry & Renno 1989 in honor of friend and colleague Paul Planquette (1940–1996), French Guianan ichthyologist, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (Kourou), who initiated the ichthyological survey of Guyana
Creagrutus provenzanoi Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of Francisco Provenzano R., Instituto de Zoología Tropical de la Universidad Central de Venezuela, for his contributions to our understanding of Venezuelan fishes, and for his assistance to the authors over many years
Creagrutus runa Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for javelin or spear, referring to its elongate body form
Creagrutus saxatilis Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for a fish that frequents rocks, referring to the rocky substrate of its type locality
Creagrutus seductus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for remote or apart, referring to isolated location of type locality relative to other sites where Creagrutus species occur
Creagrutus taphorni Vari & Harold 2001 in honor of American ichthyologist Donald C. Taphorn (b. 1951), who collected much of the type material, for his contributions to the knowledge of fishes of the Llanos of the Orinoco basin, and his assistance to the authors in this and other projects
Creagrutus tuyuka Vari & Lima 2003 named for the Tuyuka tribe of the Colombia-Brazil border region, “who have long carefully managed the subsistence fishery of that region,” and assisted the second author during expedition that yielded holotype
Creagrutus ungulus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for ring, referring to narrow ring of infraorbitals bordering ventral and posterior margins of orbit
Creagrutus varii Ribeiro, Benine & Figueiredo 2004 in honor of Richard P. Vari (1949–2016), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C., USA), for his contributions to the knowledge of South American fishes, especially the systematics of Creagrutus
Creagrutus veruina Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for small javelin, referring to its overall elongate form
Creagrutus vexillapinnus Vari & Harold 2001 vexillum (L.), banner or flag (i.e., dorsal fin); pinnus (L.), fin, referring to prominent black spot on dorsal fin
Creagrutus yanatili Harold & Salcedo 2010 named for the Río Yanatili, Cuzco, Convención, Peru, paratype locality
Creagrutus yudja Netto-Ferreira & Moreira 2018 named for the Juruna indigenous people, self-named Yudjá (“keeper of the river”), who historically inhabited the area of the lower Rio Xingu basin (Pará, Brazil), where this species occurs; nowadays the Yudjá have a population of approximately 900 individuals and, like this species, are seriously threatened by the Belo Monte dam
Creagrutus xiphos Vari & Harold 2001 xíphos (Gr. ξίφος), sword or saber, referring to its elongate head and body
Creagrutus zephyrus Vari & Harold 2001 Latin for the west wind, referring to its distribution in the western portion of a range that includes the very similar C. melanzonus and C. xiphos
Microgenys Eigenmann 1913 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; génys (Gr. γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), probably referring to small mouth and “very blunt” snout of M. minuta
Microgenys lativirgata Pearson 1927 latus (L.), broad or wide; virgata (L.), striped or made of twigs, referring to its broad median lateral band
Microgenys minuta Eigenmann 1913 Latin for very small, presumably referring to small cheek and/or small body (45 mm)
Microgenys weyrauchi Fowler 1945 in honor of German malacologist Wolfgang Weyrauch (1907–1970), who sent a collection of Peruvian fishes to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, including holotype of this one
Subfamily DIAPOMINAE Eigenmann 1909
Attonitus Vari & Ortega 2000 Latin for thunderstruck or stunned, referring to gape-mouthed appearance when mouths are fully opened, a position often present in preserved specimens
Attonitus bounites Vari & Ortega 2000 bounítēs (Gr. βουνίτης), dweller of the hills, referring to its occurrence in the foothills of the Andean Cordillera of southeastern Peru
Attonitus ephimeros Vari & Ortega 2000 ephímeros (Gr. ἐφίμερος), delightful or agreeable, referring to its appearance
Attonitus irisae Vari & Ortega 2000 in honor of limnologist Iris Margot Samanez Valer, National University of San Marcos (Lima, Peru), for her “efforts to increase our knowledge of aquatic habitats in Peru, her many contributions to the sampling of Peruvian freshwater fishes, and her assistance to the authors over the years”
Aulixidens Böhlke 1952 aulix (L.), furrow; dens (L.), tooth, referring to teeth on both jaws furrowed in front between the cusps
Aulixidens eugeniae Böhlke 1952 in honor of Böhlke’s wife Eugenia (1929–2001), an ichthyologist herself
Boehlkea Géry 1966 -[i]a (L. suffix), belonging to: ichthyologist James E. Böhlke (1930–1982), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, who first recorded the uniqueness of B. fredcochui in his description of B. orcesi in 1958
Boehlkea fredcochui Géry 1966 in honor of German-born tropical-fish importer Ferdinand (Fred) Cochu, Paramount Aquarium (New York City, USA), who introduced this species to the hobby ca. 1956
Boehlkea orcesi (Böhlke 1958) in honor of zoologist Gustavo Orcés (1903–1999), Escuela Politecnica Nacional in Quito, “through whose efforts [Böhlke’s] fine collection of Ecuadorean fishes was amassed”
Boehlkea weitzmani Soares, Bertaco, Ito & Zuanon 2017 in honor of American ichthyologist Stanley H. Weitzman (1927–2017), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), for his “remarkable” contributions to the knowledge of characiform taxonomy
Bryconacidnus Myers 1929 brycon, referring to its similarity to Bryconamericus; acidnus, from akidnós (Gr. ἀκιδνός), weak, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to incomplete lateral line and/or “dwarf” size of B. ellisi
Bryconacidnus ellisi (Pearson 1924) in honor of Marion Durbin Ellis (1887–1972), Pearson’s colleague at Indiana University and fellow characin taxonomist [preferably spelled ellisae since name honors a woman, but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]
Bryconacidnus hemigrammus (Pearson 1924) hemi-, from hḗmisys (Gr. ἥμισυς), half; grammus, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (Gr. γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to incomplete lateral line, the final 5–10 scales without pores
Bryconacidnus paipayensis (Pearson 1929) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Paipay, in the Andes of northern Peru, type locality
Bryconacidnus pectinatus (Vari & Siebert 1990) Latin for raked or combed, referring to stiffened, subdivided, comb-like anterior anal-fin rays of males
Bryconamericus Eigenmann 1907 brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae; -icus (L.), belonging to: America, i.e., a “genus of American characins” per Eigenmann (1927)
Bryconamericus abalio Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C. & Taphorn 2023 fromabálios (Gr. ἀβάλιος), without spots, differing from all congeners by lacking a humeral spot, and from most congeners from the Pacific coast of Peru by lacking a spot on the caudal peduncle
Bryconamericus agna Azpelicueta & Almirón 2001 Latinization of añá, Tupí-Guaraní word for devil; besides alluding to the native community where it is found, the authors chose the name simply because they liked the sound of it (Adriana Almirón, pers. comm. with Erwin Schraml, Welt der Fische/World of Fishes)
Bryconamericus bolivianus Pearson 1924 –anus (L.), belonging to: Bolivia, where type locality (Río Colorado, lower Río Bop) is situated
Bryconamericus bucayensis Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., Taphorn & García-A. 2013 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rio Bucay, Guayas, Ecuador, type locality
Bryconamericus caldasi Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., Taphorn & García-Alzate 2014 in memory of Colombian lawyer, naturalist and geographer Francisco José de Caldas (1768–1816), “who devoted his life to the study of Neotropical nature, and whose intellectual merit lies in having embraced the incipient patriotic fervor in the struggle for Colombian independence in the first half of the nineteenth century” (he was executed for being a precursor of the independence of New Granada (Colombia) from the Spanish) [possibly a synonym of Hemibrycon caucanus, Hemibryconinae]
Bryconamericus carlosi Román-Valencia 2003 in honor of Román-Valencia’s son Carlos, for his patience and early assistance in the field
Bryconamericus charalae Román-Valencia 2005 of El Charal, a stream at Finca El Jaguar, Yaracuy State, Venezuela, type locality
Bryconamericus coeruleus Jerep & Shibatta 2017 alternate spelling of caeruleus (L.), dark blue (but here meaning sky-blue), referring to its bluish iridescence
Bryconamericus ecai da Silva 2004 eçai, Tupí-Guaraní for small eye, referring to its smaller eye diameter compared with congeners
Bryconamericus ecuadorensis Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., Taphorn, Jiménez-Prado & García-Alzate 2015 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ecuador, where it appears to be endemic
Bryconamericus eigenmanni (Evermann & Kendall 1906) in honor of German-born American ichthyologist Carl H. Eigenmann (1863–1927), for his “valuable” work on the characins
Bryconamericus exodon Eigenmann 1907 ex– (Gr. ἐξ) or éxō (ἔξω), outer or external; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to how symphysial tooth and lateral teeth “project far out beyond the rest” of the teeth on the premaxillary
Bryconamericus guizae Román-Valencia 2003 of the upper Río Guiza, Ricaurte, Department of Nariño, Colombia, type locality
Bryconamericus guyanensis Zarske, Le Bail & Géry 2010 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Guyana, specifically French Guyana, where it occurs in all river basins
Bryconamericus hyphesson Eigenmann 1909 hyphḗssōn (Gr. ὑφήσσων), smaller, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to small size (34–26 mm) compared with most congeners
Bryconamericus icelus Dahl 1964 from íkelos (Gr. ἴκελος), like or resembling, referring to its superficial resemblance to B. scopiferus (=Eretmobrycon emperador)
Bryconamericus iheringii (Boulenger 1887) in honor of German-Brazilian zoologist Hermann von Ihering (1850–1930), who collected holotype
Bryconamericus ikaa Casciotta, Almirón & Azpelicueta 2004 I-kaá, Guaraní word for river traveler, presumably referring to its occurrence in tributaries of the río Iguazú, Argentina
Bryconamericus indefessus (Mirande, Aguilera & Azpelicueta 2004) Latin for untiring, presumably referring to its ceaseless swimming activity in the high-velocity current in which it was collected
Bryconamericus lambari Malabarba & Kindel 1995 local name for small characins in southern Brazil, where this species occurs
Bryconamericus lambayequensis Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C. & Taphorn 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lambayeque Department of Peru, where type locality (mouth of Cañariaco River) is situated
Bryconamericus lassorum Román-Valencia 2002 –orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of brothers Carlos and Oscar Lasso-Acalá of Venezuela, both ichthyologists, for their contributions to the “study and preservation” of Neotropical fishes
Bryconamericus leptorhynchus (da Silva & Malabarba 1996) narrow-snouted, from leptós (Gr. λεπτός), narrow or delicate, and rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to narrow or elongate snout shape (in dorsal view) compared with conical snout (in dorsal view) of B. maromba
Bryconamericus lethostigmus (Gomes 1947) lḗthē (Gr. λήθη), forgetfulness; stigmus, from stígma (Gr. στίγμα), spot, referring to large but faintly colored spot at base of caudal fin, which contrasts sharply with intense black spot of sympatric Distoechus (=Deuterodon) stigmaturus (Acestrorhamphidae: Stygichthyinae)
Bryconamericus macrophthalmus Román-Valencia 2003 big-eyed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its “relatively big eye”
Bryconamericus maromba (Malabarba & Malabarba 1994) Portuguese word for flatboats, referring to Rio das Marombas, Santa Catarina, Brazil, type locality
Bryconamericus mennii Miquelarena, Protogino, Filiberto & López 2002 in honor of friend and colleague Roberto C. Menni, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, for significant contributions to the advancement of marine and freshwater ichthyology in Argentina
Bryconamericus microcephalus (Miranda Ribeiro 1908) small-headed, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to size of head, measuring 4.5 times in body length
Bryconamericus misei Pedroso, Deprá & Pavanelli 2024 in honor of Fábio Teruo Mise, Universidade Estadual de Maringá (Brazil), for his contributions to the ichthyological education of the first author and for collecting part of the type series
Bryconamericus motatanensis Schultz 1944 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Río Motatán system, Venezuela, type locality
Bryconamericus novae Eigenmann & Henn 1914 of the rio Novo, lower Amazon basin, Brazil, type locality
Bryconamericus orinocoensis Román-Valencia 2003 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Río Orinoco system of Venezuela, type locality
Bryconamericus ornaticeps Bizerril & Perez-Neto 1995 ornatus (L.), Latin for adorned or decorated; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to heavy pigmentation on anterior part of head
Bryconamericus oroensis Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., Taphorn & García-A. 2013 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: El Oro Province, Ecuador, type locality
Bryconamericus osgoodi Eigenmann & Allen 1942 in honor of American zoologist Wilfred Hudson Osgood (1875–1947), who collected holotype
Bryconamericus pachacuti Eigenmann 1927 named for Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui (1438–1471/72), the eighth ruler of Peru, the “greatest of all Incas”
Bryconamericus parapetiensis Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C. & Taphorn 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Parapeti River drainage, Amazon basin, Bolivia, type locality
Bryconamericus patriciae da Silva 2004 in honor of da Silva’s wife, Patrícia L. Gonçalves
Bryconamericus phoenicopterus (Cope 1872) vermilion-finned, from phoínikos (Gr. φοίνικος, genitive of φοῖνιξ), deep purple or crimson (noun), and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to vermilion anal and dorsal fins, and triangular vermilion spot on caudal fin
Bryconamericus pinnavittatus Dagosta & Netto-Ferreira 2015 pinna (L.), fin; vittatus (L.), banded or adorned with a ribbon, referring to pigmented vertical band at base of caudal-fin rays
Bryconamericus poi (Almirón, Casciotta, Azpelicueta & Cione 2001) Guaraní word for slender, presumably referring to lower body depth compared with B. leptorhynchus and B. maromba (all placed in Hypobrycon, now a synonym, at time of description)
Bryconamericus pyahu Azpelicueta, Casciotta & Almirón 2003 Guaraní word meaning new, presumably referring to its being a new species
Bryconamericus rubropictus (Berg 1901) rubro-, from ruber (L.), red; pictus (L.), painted or colored, presumably referring to red markings on dorsal and caudal fins (almost completely lost in preserved specimens)
Bryconamericus singularis Román-Valencia, Taphorn & Ruiz-C. 2008 Latin for singular, referring to its “singular and striking aspect”
Bryconamericus subtilisform Román-Valencia 2003 subtilis (L.), very fine or delicate; form (Middle English), from forma (L.), shape or form referring to its “delicate form” or aspect
Bryconamericus sylvicola Braga 1998 sylva (L.), wood or forest; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to jungle habitat of the Urugua-i River, Argentina, type locality
Bryconamericus tenuis Bizerril & Auraujo 1992 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its elongate body
Bryconamericus turiuba Langeani, Lucena, Pedrini & Tarelho-Pereira 2005 named for Turiúba, a municipality in São Paulo, Brazil, type locality
Bryconamericus uporas Casciotta, Azpelicueta & Almirón 2002 Guaraní word for an “animal-shaped ghost of the water who care[s for] streams, ponds, falls, and swamps,” presumably referring to its occurrence in small falls and pools with clear, rapid water
Bryconamericus yokiae Román-Valencia 2003 in honor of Yoki, “my dream witch, for her pains and patience with a husband who loves little fishes)” (translation; “dream witch” is a term of endearment, akin to “bewitching woman”)
Bryconamericus ytu Almirón, Azpelicueta & Casciotta 2004 Guaraní word for a small waterfall, referring to falls presents at type locality
Bryconamericus zamorensis Román-Valencia, Ruiz-C., Taphorn & García-A. 2013 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Zamora Chinchipe state, Ecuador, type locality
Ceratobranchia Eigenmann 1914 cerato-, from kératos (Gr. κέρατος), genitive of kéras (κεράς), horn; bránchia (Gr. βράγχια), gills, referring to antler-like gill rakers of C. obtusirostris
Ceratobranchia binghami Eigenmann 1927 in honor of explorer-politician Hiram Bingham III (1875–1956), Director of the Yale Geographical Expedition (and discoverer of the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu)
Ceratobranchia delotaenia Chernoff & Machado-Allison 1990 dḗlos (Gr. δῆλος), conspicuous or distinctive; taenia, from tainía (Gr. ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to its distinctive lateral stripe
Ceratobranchia elatior Tortonese 1942 Latin for taller or higher, referring to deeper body compared with C. obtusirostris and C. binghami
Ceratobranchia joanae Chernoff & Machado-Allison 1990 in memory of American environmentalist and philanthropist Joan Milliken Stroud (1922–1985), “whose enthusiasm and support for natural history benefitted many scientific endeavors”; the authors’ research was funded in part by the Stroud Foundation
Ceratobranchia obtusirostris Eigenmann 1914 obtusus (L.), blunt; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its blunt, rounded head
Diapoma Cope 1894 dia, presumably from dis (L.), in two; pṓma (Gr. πῶμα), lid or cover, i.e., operculum, referring to upper part of operculum of D. speculiferum, described as “excavated,” with a “sub-operculum produced below lateral line and above pectoral fin to an obtuse apex”
Diapoma alburnus (Hensel 1870) Latin for whitefish, referring to similarity in both color and shape to the Common Bleak Alburnus alburnus
Diapoma alegretense (Malabarba & Weitzman 2003) –ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Alegrete county, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where type locality (an unnamed creek) is situated
Diapoma dicropotamicum (Malabarba & Weitzman 2003) -icum (L.), belonging to: dicro-, from díkros (Gr. δίκρος), forked; potamós (Gr. ποταμός), river, referring to Río Forqueta, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, type locality
Diapoma guarani (Mahnert & Géry 1987) named for the Guaraní, the largest ethnic group in Paraguay, where type locality (upper Río Paraná at Puerto Bertoni) is situated
Diapoma itaimbe (Malabarba & Weitzman 2003) itaimbé, Tupí-Guaraní word for precipice, referring to deep-canyon tributary rivers of the Río Mampituba drainage, Santa Catarina, Brazil, type locality
Diapoma lepiclastum (Malabarba, Weitzman & Casciotta 2003) lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale; klastós (Gr. κλαστός), broken into pieces, referring to irregular alternate sets of pored and unpored scales on lateral line
Diapoma nandi Vanegas-Ríos, Azpelicueta & Malabarba 2018 Guaraní word meaning inconsequential, referring to “absence of remarkable external characteristics”
Diapoma obi (Casciotta, Almirón, Piálek& Říĉan 2012) Guaraní word for blue, referring to ground color of body in life
Diapoma pampeana Ito, Carvalho, Pavanelli, Vanegas-Ríos & Malabarba 2022 –ana (L.), belonging to: Pampa, a “peculiar” biome distributed along lowlands of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, where this species is apparently endemic
Diapoma potamohadros Ito, Carvalho, Pavanelli, Vanegas-Ríos & Malabarba 2022 potamós (ποταμός), river; hadrós (ἁδρός), well-developed, strong, great or bulky, Greek transliterations of the Tupi-Guarani igua, river, and açu, big, referring to the lower Iguaçu River basin of Brazil and Argentina, where this species occurs
Diapoma pyrrhopteryx Menezes & Weitzman 2011 pyrrhós (Gr. πυρρός), flame-colored; ptéryx (Gr. πτέρυξ), fin, referring to red fins in life
Diapoma speculiferum Cope 1894 speculum (L.), mirror; ferum (L.), to carry or bear, referring to reflection of “metallic mercury, especially on the operculum”
Diapoma terofali (Géry 1964) in honor of Fritz Terofal (1932–1988), director, Ichthyology Section, Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Munich, Germany
Diapoma thauma Menezes & Weitzman 2011 thaū́ma (Gr. θαῦμα), wonder or marvel, referring to its beauty in life
Diapoma tipiaia (Malabarba & Weitzman 2003) named for Arroio Tipiáia, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, type locality
Diapoma uruguayense (Messner 1962) –ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Uruguay River basin (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay), where it is endemic
Knodus Eigenmann 1911 knȳ́ (Gr. κνῦ), a jot (small amount) or doit (trifle); odoús (Gr. ὀδούς), tooth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to small, dainty teeth of K. meridae
Knodus alpha (Eigenmann 1914) álpha (ἄλφα), first letter of Greek alphabet, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its being the first of two species described in the same paper that Eigenmann suspected were synonymous with Bryconamericus (now Hemibrycon) caucanus; the second species, B. beta, named after bêta (βῆτα), second letter of the Greek alphabet, is now a synonym of K. alpha
Knodus angustus Menezes, Ferreira & Netto-Ferreira 2020 Latin for narrow, referring to the narrowness of its body
Knodus borari Silva-Oliveira, Canto & Ribeiro 2023 named for the Borari, indigenous people who inhabit the lower Rio Tapajós basin, Pará, Brazil, where this species occurs
Knodus borki Zarske 2008 in honor of German aquarist Dieter Bork, “who has contributed much to the development of aquariology as a dedicated aquarium friend (breeder, author and photographer)” (translation); he also supplied holotype
Knodus breviceps (Eigenmann 1908) brevis (L.), short; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its short head, 4.50–4.66 times in body length
Knodus caquetae Fowler 1945 of the Río Caquetá drainage, Colombia, type locality [treated as a synonym of Bryconamericus hypopterus by some workers]
Knodus chapadae (Fowler 1906) of Santa Ana da Chapada, province of Mato Grosso, Brazil, near type locality in the headwaters of the rio Paraguay
Knodus cinarucoense (Román-Valencia, Taphorn & Ruiz-C. 2008) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cinaruco River, Apure State, Venezuela, type locality
Knodus cismontanus (Eigenmann 1914) cis (L.), on the same side as; montanus (L.), belonging to a mountain, presumably referring to its distribution at the base of the Andes, east of Bogota, Colombia
Knodus cupariensis de Sousa, Silva-Oliveira, Canto & Ribeiro 2020 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: rio Cupari, rio Tapajós basin, Pará, Brazil, only known area of occurrence
Knodus delta Géry 1972 délta (δέλτα), fourth letter of Greek alphabet, allusion not explained; since Knodus is often synonymized with Bryconamericus, and this species is similar to K. beta motatanensis (now B. motatanensis), Géry may be continuing Eigenmann’s tradition of naming closely related and very similar taxa (B. alpha, B. beta [=alpha]) after Greek letters (see also K. gamma)
Knodus deuterodonoides (Eigenmann 1914) –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: referring to its “very similar” dentition to that of Deuterodon (Acestrorhamphidae: Stygichthyinae)
Knodus diaphanus (Cope 1878) from diaphanḗs (Gr. διαφανής), translucent (i.e., to shine through), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to silvery color, with a broad bright silver lateral band [placed in Bryconamericus by some workers]
Knodus dorsomaculatus Ferreira & Netto-Ferreira 2010 dorso-, from dorsalis (L.), of the back; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to dark blotch on dorsal-fin rays
Knodus figueiredoi Esguícero & Castro 2014 in honor of José Lima de Figueiredo (b. 1943), Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de São Paulo, for contributions to the taxonomy of Neotropical fishes
Knodus gamma Géry 1972 gámma (γάμμα), third letter of Greek alphabet, allusion not explained; since Knodus is often synonymized with Bryconamericus, and this species is sympatric with K. beta motatanensis (now B. motatanensis), Géry may be continuing Eigenmann’s tradition of naming closely related and very similar taxa (B. alpha, B. beta [=alpha]) after Greek letters (see also K. delta)
Knodus geryi Lima, Britski & Machado 2004 in honor of French physician and ichthyologist Jacques Géry (1917–2007), for his “enormous” contribution to the knowledge of characiform fishes
Knodus guajajara Aguiar, Brito, Ottoni & Guimarães 2022 named for the Guajajara indigenous tribe, one of the most numerous indigenous peoples in Brazil; they inhabit more than 10 Indigenous Lands on the eastern margin of the Amazon, all located in Maranhão, where this species occurs
Knodus heteresthes (Eigenmann 1908) héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; esthḗs (Gr. ἐσθής), dress, clothing or raiment, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its deeply imbricate scales, “without striae” (italics in original)
Knodus hypopterus (Fowler 1943) below-finned, from hypó (Gr. ὑπό), under or beneath (i.e., ventral), and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to “advanced” (i.e., anteriorly positioned) anal fin
Knodus longus Zarske & Géry 2006 Latin for long, referring to its elongate body (body height 4.22–4.42 times in SL)
Knodus macarenae (Román-Valencia, García-Alzate, Ruiz-C. & Taphorn 2010) of the Macarena Mountain range, Orinoco River system, Colombia, type locality
Knodus megalops Myers 1929 big-eyed, from mégas (Gr. μέγας), large, and ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, the largest eyes in the genus (among congeners known at the time)
Knodus meridae Eigenmann 1911 of Merida, Venezuela, type locality
Knodus mizquae (Fowler 1943) of Río Mizque, Department of Cochabamba, Bolivia, type locality
Knodus moenkhausii (Eigenmann & Kennedy 1903) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of William J. Moenkhaus (1871–1947), American geneticist and ichthyologist, and Eigenmann’s colleague at Indiana University
Knodus nuptialis Menezes & Marinho 2019 Latin for nuptial (pertaining to marriage), referring to series of sexually dimorphic traits (hooks, gill glands and nuptial tubercles) on adult males during breeding season
Knodus obolus Deprá, Ota, Vitorino Júnior & Ferreira 2021 Latin for a small Greek coin, i.e., Charon’s obol, a silver coin that the Greek would place in the mouth of a deceased person before burial so that their soul could pay Charon, the ferryman, to cross the river separating the world of the living from the world of the dead, referring to deep body and silvery color of this species, which is the second fish from the Rio das Almas basin (river of the souls, in Portuguese) named in allusion to this myth, the first being the cichlid Retroculus acherontos
Knodus orteguasae (Fowler 1943) of Río Orteguasa, Caquetá, Colombia, type locality
Knodus pasco Zarske 2007 named for Departamento Pasco, Peru, type locality (and where it appears to be endemic)
Knodus rufford Deprá, Ota, Vitorino Júnior & Ferreira 2021 named for the Rufford Foundation, which provided funds for expedition during which this species, K. obolus and Moenkhausia goya (Acestrorhamphidae: Stichonodontinae) were discovered
Knodus savannensis Géry 1961 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: presumably the “savannahs of northeastern Brazil” (Tocantins River basin), where it occurs
Knodus septentrionalis Géry 1972 Latin for northern, proposed as a northern (i.e., north of the Andes) subspecies of K. victoriae [treated as a synonym of K. orteguasae by some workers]
Knodus shinahota Ferreira & Carvajal 2007 named for Río Shinahota, Cochabamba, Bolivia, type locality
Knodus smithi (Fowler 1913) in honor of Edgar A. Smith (d. 1953), member of the Madeira-Mamoré expedition (1907–1912) commissioned by the Brazilian Government to build a railway along the banks of the Rio Madeira, who collected holotype
Knodus tanaothoros (Weitzman, Menezes, Evers & Burns 2005 tanaós (Gr. τάναος), outstretched; thorós (Gr. θορός), seed of the male (semen), referring to elongate nature of sperm cells compared with analogous cells in Attonitus
Knodus tiquiensis Ferreira & Lima 2006 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rio Tiquié, Indian village of Caruru, Brazil, type locality
Knodus victoriae (Steindachner 1907) of Victoria (now Alto Parnaíba municipality, Maranhão), Brazil, where type locality (rio Parnaíba) is situated
Knodus weitzmani (Menezes, Netto-Ferreira & Ferreira 2009) in honor of American ichthyologist Stanley H. Weitzman (1927–2017), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), for his “outstanding” contribution to the knowledge of Neotropical freshwater fishes
Knodus ytuanama Ferreira & Ohara 2023 from the Tupí words ytu, waterfall, and anama, friend, referring to its fast-flowing habitat
Monotocheirodon Eigenmann & Pearson 1924 etymology not explained, possibly mónos (Gr. μόνος), and nṓtos (Gr. νῶτος), back, referring to lack of adipose fin, i.e., presumed to be closely related to Cheirodon (Characidae: Cheirodontinae) but with one fin (the dorsal) on its back
Monotocheirodon drilos Menezes, Weitzman & Quagio-Grassiotto 2013 drī́los (Gr. δρῖλος), a person with a circumcised penis (or the penis itself, per the authors), referring to its “prominent male inseminating organ”
Monotocheirodon duda Carvalho, Thomaz, Urbano-Bonilla & Prada-Pedreros 2024 named for the Río Duda Meta Department, Colombia (type locality) and elsewhere in the Río Duda drainage, where it occurs; additionally, in Spanish, duda means doubt, referring to its presumed placement in Monotocheirodon, an “assumption that needs further evaluation”
Monotocheirodon kontos Menezes, Weitzman & Quagio-Grassiotto 2013 kontós (Gr. κοντός), long pole, referring to “prominent male inseminating organ”
Monotocheirodon pearsoni Eigenmann 1924 patronym not identified but clearly in honor of in honor of American ichthyologist Nathan Everett Pearson (1895–1982), Eigenmann’s student, author of paper in which description appeared, and who probably collected holotype
Othonocheirodus Myers 1927 othon (Gr. όθόνη), napkin or veil; cheír (Gr. χείρ), hand; odoús (Gr. ὀδούς), tooth, i.e., “the veiled hand-shaped teeth,” referring to upper-jaw lip that covers five-pointed mandibular teeth and part or all of similarly shaped premaxillary teeth
Othonocheirodus eigenmanni Myers 1927 in honor of German-born American ichthyologist Carl H. Eigenmann (1863–1927), “who has contributed more than anyone else to our knowledge of the fresh-water fishes of South America”
Phallobrycon Menezes, Ferreira & Netto-Ferreira 2009 phallós (Gr. φαλλός), penis, referring to urogenital papilla of male, apparently responsible for introduction of sperm into ovary of female; brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae
Phallobrycon adenacanthus Menezes, Ferreira & Netto-Ferreira 2009 adḗn (Gr, ᾰ̓δήν), gland; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (Gr. ἄκανθα), thorn, referring to restriction of glandular tissue to area where anal-fin spines are located
Phallobrycon synarmacanthus Netto-Ferreira, Bastos, Sousa & Menezes 2016 syn (Gr. συν), together; hárma (Gr. ἅρμα), joint; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (Gr. ἄκανθα), thorn, referring to 3–5 hypertrophied spines of fifth anal-fin branched ray, which are connected via a bony crest in sexually mature males
Piabarchus Myers 1928 Pia-, referring to Piabinus, original genus of P. analis; archus, from archós (Gr. ἀρχός), anus, referring to its long, anteriorly inserted anal fin
Piabarchus analis (Eigenmann 1914) Latin for anal, referring to its long anal fin
Piabarchus stramineus (Eigenmann 1908) Latin for straw-like, referring to its color in alcohol
Piabarchus torrenticola Mahnert & Géry 1988 torrentis, genitive singular of torrens (L.), swift water; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to waterfall habitat at type locality, Salto Pirareta, Cordillera Province, Paraguay
Piabina Reinhardt 1867 diminutive of Piaba, local name for species of Tetragonopterus (i.e., small characins) in the vicinity of Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, type locality of P. argentea
Piabina anhembi da Silva & Kaefer 2003 local name for a bird once sought for medicinal and protective purposes, which also served as the name of rio Tietê (São Paulo, Brazil, type locality) until 1748
Piabina argentea Reinhardt 1867 Latin for silvery, referring to its silvery lateral band
Piabina thomasi (Fowler 1940) in honor of museologist William Stephen Thomas (1909–2001), who collected South American fishes for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
Rhinobrycon Myers 1944 rhinós (Gr. ῥινός), genitive of rhís (ῥίς), nose, referring to its projecting snout and inferior mouth; brycon, generalized term used in generic names of many characiform fishes, derived from brýchō (Gr. βρύχω), to bite, gnash teeth or eat greedily, originally an allusion to fully toothed maxillae
Rhinobrycon negrensis Myers 1944 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil, type locality
Rhinopetitia Géry 1964 Rhino-, referring to its phylogenetic affinity with Rhinobrycon; –ia (L. suffix), belonging to: zoologist-anatomist Georges Petit (1892–1973), Directeur du Laboratoire Arago
Rhinopetitia melanohumeralis Menezes & Netto-Ferreira 2019 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; humeralis (L.), humeral, referring to conspicuous dark blotch on the humeral region on sides of body
Rhinopetitia myersi Géry 1964 in honor of American ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905–1985), Stanford University, who described the closely related Rhinobrycon in 1944 and loaned paratypes of R. negrensis to Géry for comparison
Rhinopetitia nigrofasciata Menezes & Netto-Ferreira 2019 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; fasciata (L.), banded, referring to dark midlateral stripe along sides
Rhinopetitia oligolepis Menezes & Netto-Ferreira 2019 olígos (Gr. ὀλίγος), few or scanty; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to fewer number of longitudinal scale rows from dorsal-fin origin to lateral line compared to congeners
Rhinopetitia paucirastra Menezes & Netto-Ferreira 2019 olígos (Gr. ὀλίγος), few or scanty; rastra, plural of rastrum (L.), rake, referring to reduced number of gill rakers on anterior external portion of first gill arch compared with congeners
Rhinopetitia potamorhachia Netto-Ferreira, Birindelli, Sousa & Menezes 2014 potamós (Gr. ποταμός), river; rhachia (Gr. ῥαχία), beach, referring to fact that most specimens were collected on sandy beaches along the Rio Teles Pires (Pará, Brazil)