Updated 15 Nov. 2024
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Subfamily XENOCYPRIDINAE Günther 1868
Ancherythroculter Yih & Wu 1964 anchi-, from ángchi (Gr. ἄγχι), near, i.e., similar to Erythroculter (=Culter)
Ancherythroculter daovantieni (Bănărescu 1967) in honor of primatologist Dao Van Tien (1920–1995), National University of Hanoi, who provided holotype
Ancherythroculter kurematsui (Kimura 1934) in honor of U. Kurematsu, who, during the Japanese occuptation of China, served on the Japanese General Council of Chengtu (now Chingdu), capital of Sichuan Province, China, where this species occurs
Ancherythroculter lini Luo 1994 in honor of Chinese ichthyologist Lin Shu-Yen (1903–1974), who reported this species as Erythroculter hypselonotus (=Chanodichthys dabryi) in 1934
Ancherythroculter nigrocauda Yih & Wu 1964 nigro, from niger (L.), dark or black; cauda (L.), tail, allusion not expained, possibly referring to the “particularly obvious” (translation) margins around its caudal-fin lobes [second author sometimes given as “Woo”]
Ancherythroculter wangi (Tchang 1932) in honor of Mr. F. T. Wang (no other information given), who collected holotype
Aphyocypris Günther 1868 aphyo, from aphýē (ἀφύη), small white fry, probably referring to small size of A. chinensis (22 “lines” long = 4.66 cm); cypris, a common suffix for small cyprinoid genera, derived from Cyprinus (Common Carp)
Aphyocypris amnis Liao, Kullander & Lin 2011 Latin for stream or river, referring to its distribution in only one river drainage
Aphyocypris arcus (Lin 1931) Latin for bow, referring to arched ventral outline on thorax
Aphyocypris chinensis Günther 1868 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chikiang, China, type locality
Aphyocypris dorsohorizontalis (Nguyen & Doan 1969) dorso-, from dorsalis (L.), of the back; horizontalis (L.), horizontal, referring to its “nearly flat” (translation) back [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]
Aphyocypris kikuchii (Oshima 1919) in honor of Yonetaro Kikuchi (1869–1921), collector for the Taipei Museum in Formosa (Taiwan), who collected holotype
Aphyocypris kyphus (Mai 1978) apparent Latinization of Ky-Phú Creek, Cho-Moi, Hòa-Bình Province, northern Vietnam, type locality [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]
Aphyocypris lini (Weitzman & Chan 1966) in honor of Chinese ichthyologist Lin Shu-Yen (1903–1974), who described this species in 1939 but used a preoccupied name (A. pooni Herre 1939, possibly a junior synonym of Tanichthys albonubes, Tanichthyidae)
Aphyocypris moltrechti (Regan 1908) in honor of Latvian entomologist-ophthalmologist Arnold Moltrecht (1873–1952), who collected holotype
Aphyocypris normalis Nichols & Pope 1927 Latin for normal or according to rule, allusion not explained nor evident; in fact, since its complete lateral line differs from the incomplete lateral line Günther emphasized in his description of the genus, this species appears to be abnormal or “breaking the rule”
Aphyocypris pulchrilineata Zhu, Zhao & Huang 2013 pulcher (L.), beautiful; lineata (L.), lined, presumably referring to distinct longitudinal black stripe along body, narrow yellowish or golden stripe immediately above it, thin black stripe along dorsal midline from head to caudal-fin base, and/or black line between anal- and caudal-fin bases
Chanodichthys Bleeker 1860 chano-, referring to resemblance of C. mongolicus to Chanos chanos (Gonorynchiformes: Chanidae); ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish (the “d” probably added for euphony)
Chanodichthys abramoides (Dybowski 1872) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: allusion not explained, possibly referring to its superficial resemblance to the Common Bream of Europe, Abramis brama
Chanodichthys dabryi (Bleeker 1871) in honor of Claude-Philibert Dabry de Thiersant (1826–1898), fish culturist, French counsel to China, and student of Chinese fishes, who sent specimens to the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris)
Chanodichthys erythropterus (Basilewsky 1855) red-finned, from erythrós (Gr. ἐρυθρός), red, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to its reddish fins
Chanodichthys flavipinnis (Tirant 1883) flavus (L.), yellow; pinnis (scientific Neo-Latin), finned, referring to its yellowish dorsal fin
Chanodichthys mongolicus (Basilewsky 1855) -icus (L.), belonging to: described from a specimen “In winter, brought to Beijing frozen from Mongolia” (translation)
Chanodichthys mongolicus elongatus (He & Liu 1980) Latin for prolonged, referring to its slenderer body and caudal peduncle compared with C. m. mongolicus
Chanodichthys mongolicus qionghaiensis (Ding 1990) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Qionghai Lake, Sichuan, China, where it is endemic
Chanodichthys oxycephalus (Bleeker 1871) sharp-headed, from oxýs (Gr. ὀξύς), sharp or pointed, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to the pointed shape of its head
Chanodichthys recurviceps (Richardson 1846) recurvus (L.), curved upwards; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, “remarkable for the face being inclined upwards by a sudden curvature over the temples like the profile of a pug-dog”
Ctenopharyngodon Steindachner 1866 cteno-, from ktenós (Gr. κτενός), genitive of kteís (κτείς), comb; phárynx (Gr. φάρυγξ), throat; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to its comb-like pharyngeal teeth
Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes 1844) –ella (L.), diminutive suffix, etymology not explained nor evident, possibly referring to Ide or idus, from the Eurasian Leuciscus idus (Cypriniformes: Leuciscidae), in whose genus it was originally placed
Culter Basilewsky 1855 Latin for knife, referring to knife-like shape of C. alburnus
Culter alburnus Basilewsky 1855 Latin for whitefish (e.g., Common Bleak Alburnus alburnus), presumably referring to its white body color (“Corpus album”)
Culter compressocorpus Yih & Chu 1959 compressus (L.), squeezed or pressed together; corpus (L.), body, referring to thin, laterally compressed body
Culter oxycephaloides Kreyenberg & Pappenheim 1908 –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: Culter (=Chanodichthys) oxycephalus, which it resembles in the shape of its head
Distoechodon Peters 1881 distolos (Gr. δίστολος), in pairs; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to two rows of pharyngeal teeth
Distoechodon compressus (Nichols 1925) Latin for squeezed or pressed together, referring to its compressed body
Distoechodon macrophthalmus Zhao, Kullander, Kullander & Zhang 2009 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its relatively bigger eyes compared with congeners
Distoechodon tumirostris Peters 1881 tumidus (L.), swollen; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its “bulging, prominent snout” (translation)
Elopichthys Bleeker 1860 Elops, referring to its elongate body, similar to that of ladyfishes (Elops, Elopidae); ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Elopichthys bambusa (Richardson 1845) Bambusa, bamboo genus, alluding to “Bamboo spoilt fish,” translation of Chinese vernacular (phonetically spelled Chǔh nuy yu) as given by John Reeves (1774–1856), who commissioned fish paintings and illustrations from Chinese artists while working as a tea inspector in China (1812–1831)
Hainania Koller 1927 -ia (L.), belonging to: Hainan Island, China, type locality of H. serrata
Hainania serrata Koller 1927 Latin for serrated (toothed like a saw), referring to its belly scutes from pelvic fin base to anus
Hemiculter Bleeker 1860 hemi-, from hḗmisys (Gr. ἥμισυς), half, referring to previous placement of H. leucisculus in Culter
Hemiculter elongatus Nguyen & Ngo 2002 Latin for prolonged, referring to its long, thin body
Hemiculter krempfi Pellegrin & Chevey 1938 in honor of French marine biologist Armand Krempf (1879–?), Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography (Vietnam), who collected holotype
Hemiculter leucisculus (Basilewsky 1855) diminutive of the Eurasian dace genus Leuciscus (Leuciscidae), presumably referring to its smaller, Leuciscus-like jaws (“maxilla inferiore Leucisco simili”) compared with large-jawed members of Culter, in which it was originally placed
Hemiculter nikolskyi Vasil’eva, Vasil’ev & Shedko 2022 in honor of the “famous” (translation) Russian ichthyologist Georgy Vasil’evich Nikolsky (1910–1977), organizer and participant of the Amur expeditions, the collections of which served as the basis for the authors’ study of the genus
Hemiculter songhongensis Nguyen & Nguyen 2002 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sông Hông, Hà Nôi, Vietnam, type locality
Hemiculter tchangi Fang 1942 in honor of Fang’s colleague Tchung-Lin Tchang (1897–1963), Fan Memorial Institute of Biology (Peking), who had originally described this species in 1930 but used a preoccupied name (Barilius alburnops Regan 1914)
Hemiculter yungaoi Vasil’eva, Vasil’ev & Shedko 2022 in honor of Yun Gao, Kunming Institute of Zoology (China), who collected holotype
Hemiculterella Warpachowski 1887 -ella (L.), diminutive suffix: alluding to its similarity to Hemiculter
Hemiculterella macrolepis Chen 1989 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to large scales (larger than those on H. sauvagei, at least)
Hemiculterella sauvagei Warpachowski 1887 patronym not identified but clearly in honor of French paleontologist-ichthyologist Henri Émile Sauvage (1842–1917), whose 1884 description of Hemiculter balnei (=leucisculus) is cited by Warpachowski
Hemiculterella wui (Wang 1935) in honor of Chinese zoologist Wu Hsien-Wen (1900–1985, also known as Xian-Wen Wu), Biological Laboratory of the Science Society of China
Hemigrammocypris Fowler 1910 hemi-, from hḗmisys (Gr. ἥμισυς), half, and grammḗ (Gr. γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to incomplete lateral line of H. rasborella (=neglectus); cypris, a common suffix for small cyprinoid genera, derived from Cyprinus (Common Carp)
Hemigrammocypris neglectus (Stieler 1907) Latin for overlooked, allusion not explained, presumably referring to how the author and ichthyologist Paul Pappenheim, as reported by Zarske (2013), overlooked this species among a consignment of aquarium fishes from Japan, initially thinking it was the juvenile of a larger cyprinid species
Hypophthalmichthys Bleeker 1860 hypó (Gr. ὑπό), less than, under or beneath; ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to their downward-looking ventrolateral eyes; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Hypophthalmichthys harmandi Sauvage 1884 in honor of François-Jules Harmand (1845–1921), French Navy Surgeon, naturalist and explored in Indochina, who collected holotype
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes 1844) Latin for a female molitor, miller or grinder, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its pharyngeal teeth (used to grind phytoplankton)
Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson 1845) Latin for well-known, noted or celebrated, alluding to “Eminent fish,” translation of Chinese vernacular (phonetically spelled Tsing yu) as given by John Reeves, who commissioned Chinese artists to paint or illustrate them while working as a tea inspector in China (1812–1831
Ischikauia Jordan & Snyder 1900 -ia (L.), belonging to: Japanese biologist Chiyomatso Ishikawa (1861–1935), Imperial Museum of Tokyo, who provided a small collection of fishes from Lake Biwa (Japan), including I. steenackeri [note apparent Latinization of spelling]
Ischikauia steenackeri (Sauvage 1883) in honor of Francisque (also spelled Francis) Steenackers (1858–1917, note the dropped “s”), French Consul to Japan, who collected holotype
Luciobrama Bleeker 1870 lucius (L.) pike (Esocidae), referring to its long, Esox-like head and trunk (body); brama, derived from abramís (Gr. ἀβραμίς), bream or mullet, i.e., a pike-like bream
Luciobrama macrocephala (Lacepède 1803) large-headed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to its long, pike-like head [often spelled macrocephalus]
Macrochirichthys Bleeker 1859 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; chir, from cheír (Gr. χείρ), hand, homologous to the pectoral fin, which is greatly enlarged; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Macrochirichthys macrochirus (Valenciennes 1844) macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; chirus, from cheirós (Gr. χειρός), genitive of cheír (χείρ), hand, homologous to the pectoral fin, which is greatly enlarged
Megalobrama Dybowski 1872 megalós (Gr. μεγάλος), great or large, allusion not explained, possibly referring to large size (up to 27 cm in M. skolkovii) and/or high body and steep dorsal profile; brama, derived from abramís (Gr. ἀβραμίς), bream or mullet, i.e., a large bream
Megalobrama amblycephala Yih 1955 blunt-headed, from amblýs (Gr. ἀμβλύς), blunt, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to its head shape compared with M. terminalis
Megalobrama elongata Huang & Zhang 1986 Latin for prolonged, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its shorter body height compared with congeners, which might give it a more elongate or streamlined appearance
Megalobrama mantschurica (Basilewsky 1855) –ica (L.), belonging to: Manchuria, referring to distribution in northeast Asia
Megalobrama pellegrini (Tchang 1930) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin (1873–1944), who described many Southeast Asian freshwater fishes
Megalobrama skolkovii Dybowski 1872 patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Adjutant General I. G. Skolkov (1814–1873), who led an 1869 expedition to the Amur drainage basin, Russia (where this species was collected), during which Dybowski served as physician and naturalist [treated as a synonym or subspecies of M. mantschurica by some workers]
Megalobrama terminalis (Richardson 1846) Latin for of or belonging to boundaries, alluding to “Border fish,” English translation of Chinese vernacular (phonetically spelled Peen yu) as given by John Reeves, who commissioned Chinese artists to paint or illustrate them while working as a tea inspector in China (1812–1831
Metzia Jordan & Thompson 1914 –ia (L.), belonging to: American zoologist Charles William Metz (1889–1975), Stanford University (California, USA), who helped the authors identify fishes collected in Japan
Metzia alba (Nguyen 1991) Latin for white, referring to its silvery color
Metzia bounthobi Shibukawa, Phousavanh, Phongsa & Iwata 2012 in honor of zoologist Bounthob Praxaysombath, National University of Laos (Vientiane), lead researcher of the 2007–2010 field surveys during with eight of the 10 type series were collected
Metzia formosae (Oshima 1920) of Formosa, described from Taiwan
Metzia hautus (Nguyen 1991) Latinization of the French haut, high, referring to its higher body compared with congeners
Metzia lineata (Pellegrin 1907) Latin for lined, presumably referring to the brown longitudinal parallel lines marking each row of scales along the back and sides
Metzia longinasus Gan, Lan & Zhang 2009 longus (L.), long; nasus (L.), snout, referring to its relatively long snout (longer than eye diameter) compared with congeners
Metzia mesembrinum (Jordan & Evermann 1902) Latinization of mesēmbrinós (Gr. μεσημβρινός), midday or noon (when the sun is at the meridian), but often used to mean southern (the country towards the meridian, the south), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to island of Kotosho (now called Orchid), reported (but incorrect) type locality southeast of mainland Taiwan (correct type locality is Suwata, on southern rim of Yilan County, Taiwan)
Metzia parva Luo, Sullivan, Zhao & Peng 2015 Latin for small, referring to its body size (48.3–57.7 mm SL vs. 58.3–151.4 mm SL in congeners)
Mylopharyngodon Peters 1881 mylo-, from mýlē (Gr. μύλη), mill or millstone; phárynx (Gr. φάρυγξ), throat; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to mollusk-crushing pharyngeal teeth
Mylopharyngodon piceus (Richardson 1846) Latin for pitchy or pitch-black, referring to its “pitchy or blackish-brown” coloration
Ochetobius Günther 1868 etymology not explained, perhaps from ochetós (Gr. ὀχετός), groove, referring to triangular groove near corner of mouth, a diagnostic character mentioned in Kner’s 1867 description of O. elongatus
Ochetobius elongatus (Kner 1867) Latin for prolonged, referring to its elongate, compressed body
Oxygaster van Hasselt 1823 oxýs (Gr. ὀξύς), sharp or pointed; gastḗr (Gr. γαστήρ), belly or stomach, referring to knife-like keel on abdominal surface of O. anomalura
Oxygaster anomalura van Hasselt 1823 uneven-tailed, from anṓmalos (Gr. ἀνώμαλος), irregular or uneven, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, perhaps referring to longer lower caudal lobe (not mentioned in description but shown in original sketch)
Oxygaster argentea (Day 1867) Latin for silvery, referring to its “Brilliant silvery” coloration and local name, “The White Carp”
Parabramis Bleeker 1864 pará (Gr. παρά), near, referring to resemblance to and/or affinity with Abramis (Leuciscidae), in which its one species had originally been placed
Parabramis pekinensis (Basilewsky 1855) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Peking (=Beijing), China, where its occurs in rivers leading to Tschill (Chihli) Bay, particularly in September and October
Parachela Steindachner 1881 pará (Gr. παρά), near, similar in body shape to Chela (Danionidae)
Parachela cyanea Kottelat 1995 Latin for dark blue, referring to its bluish color in life
Parachela hypophthalmus (Bleeker 1860) hypó (Gr. ὑπό), less than, under or beneath; ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to lower placement of eyes on head compared with P. oxygastroides
Parachela ingerkongi (Bănărescu 1969) in honor of both American biologist Robert F. Inger (1920–2019) and Malaysian fisheries biologist Chin Phui Kong (1923–ca. 2016), the first to give an “adequate description” of North Borneo specimens of Oxygaster (=Parachela) oxygastroides
Parachela johorensis Steindachner 1870 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Johor River, Malaysia, type locality
Parachela melanosticta Page, Tangjitjaroen, Limpichat, Randall, Boyd, Tongnunui & Pfeiffer 2024 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; sticta, from stiktós (Gr. στικτός), spotted, referring to large black spots near the tips of the caudal-fin lobes
Parachela microlepis Page, Tangjitjaroen, Limpichat, Randall, Boyd, Tongnunui & Pfeiffer 2024 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; lepís (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to its “much smaller” scales compared with congeners
Parachela oxygastroides (Bleeker 1852) –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: resembling Leuciscus oxygaster (=Oxygaster anomalura)
Parachela williaminae Fowler 1934 in honor of Williamina Meyer de Schauensee (1905–1989), wife of Academy ornithologist Rodolphe, to whom the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia is “greatly indebted for many Siamese fishes”
Paralaubuca Bleeker 1864 pará (Gr. παρά), near, referring to what Bleeker believed was its close affinity with Laubuca Bleeker 1860 (now in Danionidae)
Paralaubuca barroni (Fowler 1934) in honor Mr. P. A. R. Barron of Chieng Mai, Thailand, a “student of Siamese Ophidia” (i.e., snakes)
Paralaubuca harmandi Sauvage 1883 in honor of François-Jules Harmand (1845–1921), French Navy Surgeon, naturalist and explored in Indochina, who collected holotype
Paralaubuca riveroi (Fowler 1935) in honor of Cuban biologist and anthropologist Luis Howell Rivero (1899–1986), to whom Fowler was indebted for collections of Cuban fishes (although this Asian fish is far from Cuba!)
Paralaubuca typus Bleeker 1864 serving as type of genus
Plagiognathops Berg 1907 plágios (Gr. πλάγιος), sideways or oblique; gnáthos (Gr. γνάθος), jaw; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), presumably referring to its arching, transverse mouth [replacement name for Plagiognathus Dybowski 1872, preoccupied in Hemiptera]
Plagiognathops microlepis (Bleeker 1871) micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to “significantly more numerous” (translation) and therefore smaller scales compared with Xenocypris davidi, its presumed congener at the time
Pseudobrama Bleeker 1870 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false; brama, derived from abramís (Gr. ἀβραμίς), bream or mullet, described as an intermediate genus between Xenocypris and the leuciscid Acanthobrama
Pseudobrama simoni (Bleeker 1864) in honor of Gabriel Eugène Simon (1829–1896), French agronomist and consul to China, who “reported” (translation) a collection of Chinese fishes, including holotype of this one
Pseudohemiculter Nichols & Pope 1927 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false, proposed as a subgenus of Hemiculter
Pseudohemiculter dispar (Peters 1881) Latin for unlike or dissimilar, probably referring to how it is “very close” (translation) to but different from Hemiculter leucisculus and the genera Chanodichthys and Culter
Pseudohemiculter hainanensis (Boulenger 1900) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hainan Island, China, type locality
Pseudohemiculter kweichowensis (Tang 1942) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: a market in Kweichow (Guizhou) Province, China, where holotype was obtained
Pseudohemiculter pacboensis Nguyen 2002 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Pác Bó, Cao Bang Province, Vietnam, type locality
Pseudolaubuca Bleeker 1864 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false, referring to its close affinity with Paralaubuca, described by Bleeker in a concurrent paper
Pseudolaubuca engraulis (Nichols 1925) engraulís, ancient Greek name (ἐγγραυλίς) of the European Anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, often used a standard suffix for anchovies, probably referring to its anchovy-like appearance
Pseudolaubuca hotaya Mai 1978 of Ho Tây [West Lake], Hanoi, North Vietnam, type locality
Pseudolaubuca jouyi (Jordan & Starks 1905) in honor of Pierre Louis Jouy, (1856–1894), American diplomat, amateur naturalist and ethnographer, who collected holotype
Pseudolaubuca sinensis Bleeker 1864 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sinica (China), where it is endemic
Sinibrama Wu 1939 sini-, Sinica (China); brama, derived from abramís (Gr. ἀβραμίς), bream or mullet, i.e., a Chinese bream, probably referring to Chinese distribution of type species, S. wui
Sinibrama affinis (Vaillant 1892) Latin for related, referring to its affinity with S. macrops, from which it differs in the arrangement of scales
Sinibrama longianalis Xie, Xie & Zhang 2003 longus (L.), long; analis (L.), anal, referring to its long anal-fin base
Sinibrama macrops (Günther 1868) macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its large eye, “rather longer than the snout, one-third of the length of the head, and wider than the interorbital space”
Sinibrama melrosei (Nichols & Pope 1927) in honor of Mrs. J. C. Melrose, of the American Presbyterian Mission of Hainan (China), in appreciation of her interest in the authors’ work [preferably spelled melroseae since name honors woman, but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]
Sinibrama taeniatus (Nichols 1941) Latin for banded, referring to slight dusky central band from below dorsal fin backward on the peduncle, becoming ill-defined more anteriorly
Sinibrama wui (Rendahl 1933) in honor of Chinese zoologist Wu Hsien-Wen (1900–1985, also known as Xian-Wen Wu), Biological Laboratory of the Science Society of China, who recognized but did not name this species in 1930 [apparently a junior homonym of Chanodichthys wui Lin 1932 (=S. macrops); next available name may be S. typus Yih & Wu 1964 (written as Sinibrama wui typus, with the italicized “typus” intended to delineate the “typical” S. wui compared to a putative subspecies, S. w. polylepis, and not intended to be a name)]
Siniichthys Bănărescu 1970 sini-, from Sinica (China), where S. brevirostris (=bleekeri) is endemic to the Yangtze River basin (but has been introduced elsewhere); ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Siniichthys bleekeri (Warpachowski 1888) in honor of Dutch army surgeon and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819–1878), who proposed Hemiculter (original genus of this species) in 1860
Siniichthys lucidus (Dybowski 1872) Latin for bright or shining, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its silvery coloration
Siniichthys varpachovskii (Nikolskii 1903) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Soviet ichthyologist Nikolai Arkadevich Warpachowski (1862–1909), who proposed the closely related Hemiculterella in 1888 [Cyrillic “В” Romanized as “v” instead of “w”]
Squaliobarbus Günther 1868 etymology not explained, perhaps combining the chub-like shape of Squalius (Leuciscidae: Leuciscinae) with the barbels (although minute) of Barbus (Cyprinidae: Barbinae)
Squaliobarbus curriculus (Richardson 1846) Latin for carriage, alluding to “Black-stone carriage,” translation of Chinese vernacular (phonetically spelled Hǐh shǐh wan) as given by John Reeves, who commissioned Chinese artists to paint or illustrate them while working as a tea inspector in China (1812–1831
Toxabramis Günther 1873 tox-, from toxótēs (Gr. τοξότης), archer or bowman, possibly referring to vaguely bow-like shape of body with strongly serrated dorsal fin spine serving as “arrow”; abramís (Gr. ἀβραμίς), bream or mullet, possibly referring to its original placement in the nominal subfamily Abramidinae
Toxabramis argentifer Abbott 1901 argentum (L.), silver; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, i.e., silvery, referring to its lower-body coloration
Toxabramis hoffmanni Lin 1934 in honor of American entomologist William E. Hoffmann (1896–1986), Director of the Lingnan Natural History Survey and Museum, for his interest in Lin’s work
Toxabramis houdemeri Pellegrin 1932 in honor of French veterinary surgeon Fernand Édouard Houdemer (1881–?), who collected holotype
Toxabramis maensis Nguyen & Duong 2006 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ma River, Camthuy district, Thanh Province, Vietnam, type locality
Toxabramis nhatleensis Nguyen, Tran & Ta 2006 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Nhât Lê River, Quang Bình Province, Vietnam, type locality [species inquirenda, provisionally included here, treated as a junior synonym of T. maensis by some workers]
Toxabramis swinhonis Günther 1873 –is, genitive singular of: Robert Swinhoe (1836–1877), British consul and naturalist at Shanghai, China, who collected type
Xenocyprioides Chen 1982 –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: referring to resemblance to Xenocypris in pharyngeal tooth pattern
Xenocyprioides carinatus Chen & Huang 1985 Latin for keeled, referring to its keeled abdomen
Xenocyprioides parvulus Chen 1982 diminutive of parvus (L.), small, i.e., very small, referring to its size, 27–32 mm TL (21-25 mm SL)
Xenocypris Günther 1868 xénos (Gr. ξένος), strange or foreign (i.e., different), allusion not explained, probably referring to its unique combination of characters (e.g., short anal fin, compressed pharyngeal teeth) among cyprinids; cypris, a common suffix for small cyprinoid genera, derived from Cyprinus (Common Carp)
Xenocypris davidi Bleeker 1871 in honor of Armand David (1826–1900), Lazarist missionary Catholic priest and biologist, who collected many species in China
Xenocypris fangi Tchang 1930 patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Ping-Wen Fang (1903–1944), Metropolitan Museum of Natural History and Biological Laboratory of the Science Society of China, who collected holotype
Xenocypris hupeinensis (Yih 1964) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hupei, China, type locality
Xenocypris macrolepis Bleeker 1871 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to its larger scales compared with X. davidi
Xenocypris medius (Oshima 1920) Latin for in the middle, referring to its type locality in central Formosa (Taiwan)
Xenocypris schisturus (Oshima 1920) split-tailed, from schistós (Gr. σχιστός), split or divided, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to its “well-developed rudimentary” caudal-fin rays
Xenocypris yunnanensis Nichols 1925 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Yunnan-fu Lake (Kunming), type locality, and/or Yunnan Province, China, where it is endemic
Subfamily OPSARIICHTHYINAE Rendahl 1928
Candidia Jordan & Richardson 1909 –ia (L.), belonging to: Lake Candidius (now Sun Moon Lake), Taiwan, type locality of C. barbata
Candidia barbata (Regan 1908) Latin for bearded; originally described in Opsariichthys but differing in having a pair of barbels
Candidia pingtungensis Chen, Wu & Hsu 2008 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Pingtung County, Taiwan, type locality
Nipponocypris Chen, Wu & Hsu 2008 Nippon, referring to occurrence of all three species in Japan (they also occur in Korea); cypris, a common suffix for small cyprinoid genera, derived from Cyprinus (Common Carp)
Nipponocypris koreanus (Kim, Oh & Hosoya 2005) –anus (L.), belonging to: South Korea, where type locality (Han River, Gangwon-do) is situated
Nipponocypris sieboldii (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) in honor of Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796–1866), German biologist and medical officer in the Dutch East Indian Army, who collected many of the fishes described in the Fauna Japonica monograph series (1833–1850), including this one, and under whose direction the series was prepared
Nipponocypris temminckii (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) in honor of Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778–1858), director of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands) (Temminck did not name this species after himself; Schlegel wrote the description and coined the name, but the publication in which it appeared is credited to both authors)
Opsariichthys Bleeker 1863 etymology not explained, perhaps indicating a close relationship with and/or similarity (e.g., vertical barring) to Opsarius (Danionidae); ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Opsariichthys acutipinnis (Bleeker 1871) acutus (L.), sharp or pointed; pinnis (scientific Neo-Latin), finned; name coined by Guichenot on a museum label, presumably referring to its pointed pectoral fin
Opsariichthys bea Nguyen 1987 matronym not identified but in honor of Nguyen’s wife Bê (Mai Dinh Yen, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, pers. comm. with T. T. Nguyen) [species inquirenda, provisionally included here, possibly a species of Parazacco]
Opsariichthys bidens Günther 1873 bi-, from bis (L.), two; dens (L.), tooth, allusion not explained (teeth not mentioned in description), perhaps referring to how “end of the lower jaw is received in a notch of the upper, and has on each side, in front, a notch to receive a strong projection of the upper jaw”
Opsariichthys chengtui (Kimura 1934) of Chengtu, Sichuan Province, China, close to Peng-hsien, type locality
Opsariichthys dienbienensis Nguyen & Nguyen 2000 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau Province, Vietnam, type locality
Opsariichthys duchuunguyeni Huynh & Chen 2014 in honor of ichthyologist Nguyen Huu Duc, Hanoi National University of Education, for his contributions to Vietnamese freshwater fish research
Opsariichthys evolans (Jordan & Evermann 1902) Latin for flying away, probably referring to its “long and falcate” (i.e., wing-like) pectoral fins
Opsariichthys hainanensis Nichols & Pope 1927 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hainan Island, China, type locality
Opsariichthys hieni Nguyen 1987 patronym not identified but in honor of Nguyen’s father Hiên (Mai Dinh Yen, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, pers. comm. with T. T. Nguyen) [species inquirenda, provisionally included here, possibly a synonym of Rasbora steineri (Danionidae)]
Opsariichthys iridescens Peng, Zhou & Yang 2024 Neo-Latin for iridescent, referring to its “unique body color, which is brighter than that of any known species in the genus”
Opsariichthys kaopingensis Chen & Wu 2009 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kaoping River, southern Taiwan, type locality
Opsariichthys macrolepis (Yang & Hwang 1964) macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to larger scales (45–49 along lateral line) compared with O. chengtui (60–67)
Opsariichthys minutus Nichols 1926 Latin for small, described from “two small imperfect specimens, which would appear to be approximately adult,” possibly a dwarf form of the genus
Opsariichthys pachycephalus Günther 1868 thick-headed, from pachýs (Gr. παχύς), thick, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its wide mouth, a characteristic of the genus
Opsariichthys rubriventris Chen, Li, Zhou & Wang 2024 rubri-, from ruber (L.), red; ventris, genitive of venter (L.), belly, referring to the red belly of mature males
Opsariichthys songmaensis Nguyen & Nguyen 2000 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Song Ma (Ma River), Song Ma town, Song Ma County, Son La Province, Vietnam, type locality
Opsariichthys uncirostris (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) uncinus (L.), hook or barb; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to how projection of lower jaw fits into a notch on upper jaw, giving the snout a hooked appearance
Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis Berg 1932 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Amur, Siberia, Russia, type locality
Parazacco Chen 1982 pará (Gr. παρά), near, referring to its resemblance to Zacco
Parazacco spilurus (Günther 1868) spot-tailed, from spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to black spot at base of caudal fin
Zacco Jordan & Evermann 1902 derived from Zakko (also spelled Zako), Japanese name for river minnows, notably for Acheilognathus (=Tanakia) lanceolata
Zacco acanthogenys (Boulenger 1901) acanthus, from ákantha (Gr. ἄκανθα), spine; génys (Gr. γένυς), cheek or jaw, referring to a “large, deciduous, horny excrescence, bearing a longitudinal series of 5 or 6 spines, on each side of the snout, and another on the lower part of the cheek, below the eye”
Zacco platypus (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) platýs (Gr. πλατύς), wide or broad; pus, from poús (Gr. πούς), foot (homologous to the anal fin), presumably referring to the enlarged anal fin of males
Zacco sinensis Zhu, Yu & Liu 2020 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sinica (China), where it is endemic
Zacco tiaoxiensis Zhang, Zhou & Yang 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tiaoxi River basin, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, type locality
Subfamily Incertae sedis
Anabarilius Cockerell 1923 án– (ἄν), Greek privative, i.e., not, i.e., not Barilius, referring to unique scale structure of two species (andersoni, polylepis) previously placed in Barilius (Danionidae)
Anabarilius alburnops (Regan 1914) ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), presumably referring to its similarity to European Alburnus (Leuciscidae)
Anabarilius andersoni (Regan 1904) in memory of John Anderson (1833–1900), Scottish zoologist and anatomist, “to whom we are principally indebted for our knowledge of the Reptiles and Fishes of Yunnan”
Anabarilius brevianalis Zhou & Cui 1992 brevis (L.), short; analis (L.), anal, referring to small number (8-10) of branched anal-fin rays
Anabarilius duoyiheensis Li, Mao & Lu 2002 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Duoyihe, Luoping County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality
Anabarilius goldenlineus Li & Chen 1995 Latinization of the Anglo-Saxon golden and line, referring to three golden lines on back and sides
Anabarilius grahami (Regan 1908) in honor of British missionary John Graham (d. 1947), who collected many fishes in Yunnan, China, including holotype of this one
Anabarilius liui (Chang 1944) in honor of herpetologist Cheng-chao Liu (1900–1976), West China Union University
Anabarilius liui chenghaiensis He 1984 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chenghai Lake, Jinsha River system, Yunnan Province, China, type locality
Anabarilius liui yalongensis Li & Chen 2003 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Yalong River basin, Xichang County, Sichuan Province, China, type locality
Anabarilius liui yiliangensis He & Liu 1983 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Yiliang County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality
Anabarilius longicaudatus Chen 1986 longus (L.), long; caudatus (L.), tailed, presumably referring to its slenderer caudal peduncle compared with A. liui liui
Anabarilius macrolepis Yih & Wu 1964 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, allusion not explained but Chinese vernacular translates as “large-scaled white fish”
Anabarilius maculatus Chen & Chu 1980 Latin for spotted, referring to black spots on sides, not known from any other congeners at the time
Anabarilius paucirastellus Yue & He 1988 paucus (L.), few or scanty; rastellus, diminutive of rastrum (L.) rake, referring to smaller number of gill rakers (7–9) compared with congeners
Anabarilius polylepis (Regan 1904) polý- (Gr. πολύ-), many; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to smaller (and therefore more numerous) scales compared with Barilius (=Pseudohemiculter) hainanensis
Anabarilius qiluensis Chen & Chu 1980 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Qilu Lake, Tonghai County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality
Anabarilius qionghaiensis Chen 1986 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Qionghai Lake, Sichuan Province, China, type locality
Anabarilius songmingensis Chen & Chu 1980 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Songiming County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality
Anabarilius transmontanus (Nichols 1925) trans (L.), over or beyond; montanus (L.), pertaining to mountains, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to placement of type locality (Yunnan-Fu [now Kunming], Yunnan Province, China) surrounded by mountains to the north, west and east
Anabarilius xundianensis He 1984 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Xundian County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality
Anabarilius yangzonensis Chen & Chu 1980 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Yangzon Lake, Yunnan Province, China, type locality
Araiocypris Conway & Kottelat 2008 araiós (Gr. ἀραιός), thin, slender or weak, referring to its thin, slender body; cypris, a common suffix for small cyprinoid genera, derived from Cyprinus (Common Carp)
Araiocypris batodes Conway & Kottelat 2008 batódēs (Gr. βατóδης), thorny, like the prickles on a blackberry (báton, βάτον) bush, referring to large conical tubercles on lower jaw of male
Atrilinea Chu 1935 atri-, from ater (L.), black; linea (L.), line, presumably referring to markedly black stripe along lateral line of A. chenchiwei (=roulei)
Atrilinea macrolepis Song & Fang 1987 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to its larger scales compared with A. roulei
Atrilinea macrops (Lin 1931) macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its large eye
Atrilinea roulei (Wu 1931) in honor of French zoologist Louie Roule (1861–1942), chair of the ichthyology and herpetology departments, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), in whose laboratory Wu conducted his studies
Gymnodanio Chen & He 1992 gymnós (Gr. γυμνός), bare or naked, referring to its scaleless body (except for lateral line); danio, placed in Danioninae (then a subfamily of Cyprinidae) at time of description
Gymnodanio strigatus Chen & He 1992 Latin for furrowed or grooved, allusion not explained, possibly referring to groove-like appearance of conspicuously scaled lateral line on scaleless body
Longiculter Fowler 1937 longus (L.), long, described as a “well-elongated” Culter
Longiculter siahi Fowler 1937 in honor of Mr. Y. Siah, Thai bird collector and taxidermist, who assisted Fowler in forming his collection of fishes from Thailand
Pogobrama Luo 1995 pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to two minute barbels on corners of mouth (sometimes absent); brama, referring to previous placement in Sinibrama
Pogobrama barbatula (Luo & Huang 1985) diminutive of barbata (L.), bearded, referring to two minute barbels on corners of mouth (sometimes absent), which distinguishes it from its presumed congeners in Sinibrama
Rasborichthys Bleeker 1859 referring to similarity to Rasbora (Danionidae); ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Rasborichthys helfrichii (Bleeker 1856) in honor of C. Helfrich, Surgeon Lieutenant Colonel, Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, who supplied holotype