Updated 28 March 2024
PDF version (illustrated and with additional information)

Tetragonopterus Cuvier 1816 mis- or variant spelling of Tetragonoptrus, coined by Klein (1744), who said it meant “quadratus aspectu” (square appearance) and applied it to quadrate or rhomboidal fishes (e.g., butterflyfishes, Chaetodontidae); Seba (1759) referred T. argenteus to Klein’s genus, which Cuvier spelled as Tetragonopterus (adding an “e” to “ptrus”) when he made Seba’s name nomenclaturally available, thus creating the false impression that the name means “square fin” (pterus, from pterón [Gr. πτερόν] or ptéryx [πτέρυξ], fin)

Tetragonopterus anostomus Silva & Benine 2011 upward-mouthed, from ano- (Gr. ἀνά), up or upward, and stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to superior mouth position, unique in the genus

Tetragonopterus araguaiensis Silva, Melo, Oliveira & Benine 2013 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: rio Araguaia, a large tributary of the Amazon basin, central Brazil, where it is endemic

Tetragonopterus argenteus Cuvier 1816 Latin for silvery, referring to its bright, silvery coloration (name coined by Séba in 1759 but unavailable because he did not consistently apply binominal nomenclature as required by ICZN 11.4)

Tetragonopterus carvalhoi Melo, Benine, Mariguela & Oliveira 2011 in honor of Marcelo Rodrigues de Carvalho, Universidade de São Paulo, leader of expedition that collected holotype, for his contributions to the knowledge of neotropical ichthyology

Tetragonopterus chalceus Spix & Agassiz 1829 Latin for brazen or of brass, presumably referring to its light brown (“laete fuscus”) body color

Tetragonopterus daguae (Eigenmann 1913) of the Dagua River, Colombia, type locality

Tetragonopterus denticulatus Silva, Melo, Oliveira & Benine 2013 Latin for having small teeth (denticulate), referring to small teeth on dentary, unique to the genus

Tetragonopterus franciscoensis Silva, Melo, Oliveira & Benine 2016 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: rio São Francisco, northeastern Brazil, where it is well known and abundant

Tetragonopterus georgiae (Géry 1965) matronym not identified but probably in honor of Géry’s wife, Georgie, or Georgette

Tetragonopterus juruena Silva, Melo, Oliveira & Benine 2016 named for the rio Juruena, Mato Grosso, Brazil, type locality

Tetragonopterus kuluene Silva, Melo, Oliveira & Benine 2016 indigenous spelling of rio Culuene, rio Xingu basin, Brazil, type locality

Tetragonopterus manaos Urbanski, Melo, Silva & Benine 2018 named for the Manaós, indigenous tribe who inhabited the lower rio Negro, which includes type locality of this species
Tetragonopterus ommatus Silva, Melo, Oliveira & Benine 2016 eyed, from ómmata (Gr. ὄμματα), eye, referring to the “great” diameter of its orbits

Tetragonopterus rarus (Zarske, Géry & Isbrücker 2004) Latin for rare, referring to its small distribution and endangerment due to mining and mercury pollution

Tetragonopterus signatus Burmeister 1861 Latin for marked, probably referring to black dot at beginning of lateral line [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]