Revised 12 April 2024
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Acinocheirodon Malabarba & Weitzman 1999 acino, from ákaina (Gr. ἄκαινα), thorn or spike, referring to spines on caudal-fin rays; cheirodon, referring to its placement in Cheirodontinae

Acinocheirodon melanogramma Malabarba & Weitzman 1999 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; gramma, scientific Neo-Latin derived from grammḗ (Gr. γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen, referring to distinctive black bar on large anterior unbranched dorsal-fin ray [authors did not indicate whether name is an adjective or a noun, so it is treated as a noun, especially since its spelling, if it were an adjective, does not agree with the masculine gender of the genus (-a instead of –us)

Amblystilbe Fowler 1940 amblýs (Gr. ἀμβλύς), blunt, referring to “very short” snout; stílbē (Gr. στίλβη), lamp or mirror (i.e., shining), allusion not explained, described as “largely silvery, with violaceous reflections,” but possibly referring to relationship with Odontostilbe

Amblystilbe howesi Fowler 1940 in honor of “Mr. Arthur Howes” (although “Gordon Howes” is credited with collecting holotype and other fishes during a 1937 expedition to Bolivia)

Aphyocheirodon Eigenmann 1915 aphýē (Gr. ἀφύη), small white fry, i.e., a small Cheirodon, probably referring to small size of A. hemigrammus (39–48 mm in type series)

Aphyocheirodon hemigrammus Eigenmann 1915 hemi-, from hḗmisys (Gr. ἥμισυς), half; grammus, line, referring to “median dusky line associated with a narrow silvery line on posterior half of body”

Cheirodon Girard 1855 cheír (Gr. χείρ), hand; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to teeth of C. pisciculus, dilated at apex with at least five subconical points, the middle one being the longest, resembling five fingers on a hand

Cheirodon australis Eigenmann 1928 Latin for southern, “the most southern of the Characidae” (a distinction that actually belongs to Gymnocharacinus bergi, Gymnocharacinae) [originally spelled australe, which does not agree with the masculine gender of the genus]

Cheirodon galusdae Eigenmann 1928 in honor of Piedro Galusda, superintendent of the state hatchery at Lautaro, where he planned the collecting of fish during Egenmann’s expedition, “who has successfully introduced several species of trout into the rivers of Chile” [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]

Cheirodon ibicuhiensis Eigenmann 1915 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: rio Ibicuí, rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, type locality

Cheirodon interruptus (Jenyns 1842) Latin for interrupted, referring to “interrupted” lateral line, “coming to an end before it has reached the length of the pectoral, and not carried over more than eight or nine scales in the length”

Cheirodon jaguaribensis Fowler 1941 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: rio Jaguaribe, Russas, Ceará State, Brazil, type locality [Incertae sedis in Characidae; likely belongs in a different genus]

Cheirodon kiliani Campos 1982 in honor of Campos’ teacher, German biologist Ernst Kilian, founding director of Instituto de Zoología, Universidad Austral, Chile (the institute is now named after him)

Cheirodon luelingi Géry 1964 in honor of German ichthyologist Karl Heinz Lüling (1913–1984), Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (Bonn), who collected holotype

Cheirodon macropterus Fowler 1941 big-finned, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to very long dorsal fin, which, when depressed, reaches well into adipose fin [Incertae sedis in Characidae; likely belongs in a different genus]

Cheirodon ortegai Vari & Géry 1980 in honor of Peruvian ichthyologist Hernán Ortega, for collecting many “valuable” specimens for the senior author

Cheirodon parahybae Eigenmann 1915 of rio Parahyba, Campos, Brazil, type locality

Cheirodon pisciculus Girard 1855 diminutive of piscis (L.), fish, i.e., a little fish, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its size (size not mentioned by Girard and no types known; recorded elsewhere as up to 5.4 cm SL)

Cheirodon stenodon Eigenmann 1915 sténos (Gr. στένος), narrow; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to narrow premaxillary teeth

Cheirodontops Schultz 1944 ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), presumably referring to similarity to other cheirodontine fishes, from which it differs in having a complete lateral line

Cheirodontops geayi Schultz 1944 in honor of French pharmacist and natural history collector Martin François Geay (1859–1910), who reported on the fishes of the Orinoco Basin in his work “Pêches dans les Affluentes de l’Orinoque” (1896–97)

Compsura Eigenmann 1915 comps-, from kompsós (Gr. κομψός), nice, refined or elegant (Eigenmann said “well dressed”); ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to conspicuous triangular spot on caudal fin

Compsura gorgonae (Evermann & Goldsborough 1909) of Gorgona, Panama Canal Zone, type locality

Compsura heterura Eigenmann 1915 differently-tailed, from héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, presumably referring to scaled caudal-fin base on males, unscaled on females

Ctenocheirodon Malabarba & Jerep 2012 cteno-, from ktenós (Gr. κτενός), comb, referring to “ventral procurrent caudal-fin arrangement of males,” i.e., a ctenoid Cheirodon

Ctenocheirodon pristis Malabarba & Jerep 2012 from pristḗr (Gr. πριστήρ), saw, referring to “projected ventral procurrent caudal-fin rays along the ventral margin of the caudal peduncle”

Heterocheirodon Malabarba 1998 héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different, referring to absence of sexual dimorphism on ventral procurrent caudal-fin rays as found in other cheirodontine genera, i.e., a different Cheirodon

Heterocheirodon jacuiensis Malabarba & Bertaco 1999 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: rio Jacui, Cachoeira do Sul, Brazil, type locality

Heterocheirodon yatai (Casciotta, Miquelarena & Protogino 1992) derived from the Guaraní word for palm tree, referring to Butia yatay, a palm tree dominant at the type locality (Entre Ríos, Argentina)

Holoshesthes Eigenmann 1913 hólos (Gr. ὅλος), whole or entire; esthḗs (Gr. ἐσθής), dress, clothing or raiment, referring to maxillaries with teeth along its entire edge, i.e., clothed in teeth [Eigenmann later emended spelling to Holesthes (1915) and Holoesthes (1917) but original spelling stands; treated as a junior synonym of Odontostilbe by some workers]

Holoshesthes pequira (Steindachner 1882) etymology not explained, possibly a local Brazilian name, apparently based on Salmo pequira, a museum or manuscript name coined by Johann Natterer (1787–1843), who collected holotype in 1824

Kolpotocheirodon Malabarba & Weitzman 2000 kolpōtós (Gr. κολπωτός), formed into folds, referring to caudal organ formed by hypertrophied dermal folds along caudal-fin rays; cheirodon, referring to placement in subfamily Cheirodontinae

Kolpotocheirodon figueiredoi Malabarba, Lima & Weitzman 2004 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist José Lima de Figueiredo (b. 1943), Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo

Kolpotocheirodon theloura Malabarba & Weitzman 2000 thēlḗ (Gr. θηλή), teat or nipple; ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to papillae on ventral lobe of caudal fin

Macropsobrycon Eigenmann 1915 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye or face, i.e., with a long face, referring to large maxillary, nearly as long as eye; 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

Macropsobrycon uruguayanae Eigenmann 1915 of Uruguayana, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, type locality

Macropsobrycon xinguensis Géry 1973 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: rio Xingú basin, Brazil, where it is endemic [Incertae sedis in Characidae, likely belongs in a different genus]

Nanocheirodon Malabarba 1998 nânos (Gr. νάνος), dwarf (noun), referring to small size (mature at 15 mm SL) of adult N. insignis, i.e., a dwarf Cheirodon

Nanocheirodon insignis (Steindachner 1880) Latin for distinguished by marks, allusion not explained, probably referring to conspicuous caudal spot

Odontostilbe Cope 1870 odontos, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to teeth of O. fugitiva “in a single series on the premaxillary and dentary bones only”; stílbē (Gr. στίλβη), lamp or mirror (i.e., shining), allusion not explained, but since Cope in the same publication described Tetragonopterus (now Astyanax) stilbe, which has a “very distinct” silver lateral band, it is reasonable to assume that it refers to the “silver band” of O. fugitiva)

Odontostilbe avanhandava Chuctaya, Bührnheim & Malabarba 2018 named for Salto (falls) do Avanhandava (meaning “man who speaks the Nhandeva dialect”), rio Tietê (São Paulo State, Brazil), locality of the oldest known specimen, collected by John D. Haseman in 1908; the falls were flooded by the Nova Avanhandava Hydroelectric Power Dam and no longer exist

Odontostilbe dialeptura (Fink & Weitzman 1974) dialēptós (Gr. διαληπτός), distinguishable; ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to recurved bony hooks on lower caudal-fin lobe and peduncle scalation of males

Odontostilbe dierythrura Fowler 1940 di– (Gr. prefix), from dýo (δύο); erythrós (Gr. ἐρυθρός), red; ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to “brilliant vermilion” color at base of each caudal lobe

Odontostilbe ecuadorensis Bührnheim & Malabarba 2006 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ecuador, type locality (along Ecuador-Peru border)

Odontostilbe euspilura (Fowler 1945) eū́– (Gr. εὖ), well or very; spílos (Gr. σπίλος), blot (i.e., ink blot); ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to large black basal spot on caudal fin [often misspelled as euspilurus]

Odontostilbe fugitiva Cope 1870 Latin for fleeing or flying, allusion not explained nor evident

Odontostilbe microcephala Eigenmann 1907 small-headed, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to “very small, slightly convex” head

Odontostilbe mitoptera (Fink & Weitzman 1974) thread-finned, from mitos, thread, and ptera, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to threadlike extensions on dorsal and pelvic fins

Odontostilbe nareuda Bührnheim & Malabarba 2006 named for Río Nareuda, Pando, Bolivia, type locality

Odontostilbe pacaasnovos Chuctaya, Ohara & Malabarba 2020 named for Parque Nacional Pacaás Novos, Rondônia, Brazil, where type locality (upper rio Jaciparaná) is situated

Odontostilbe pao Bührnheim & Malabarba 2007 named for the Pao River, Apure-Orinoco River basin, Venezuela, type locality

Odontostilbe paraguayensis Eigenmann & Kennedy 1903 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Paraguay, where type locality (Asunción) is situated

Odontostilbe parecis Bührnheim & Malabarba 2006 named for Chapada dos Parecis, a plateau situated east of the Guaporé tributaries, Brazil, type locality

Odontostilbe pulchra (Gill 1858) Latin for beautiful or lovely, presumably referring to its coloration: greenish yellow body with a silvery lateral band, white dorsal and anal fins tinted with red, bright golden patches on operculum, and red or yellow blotches above and beneath black caudal spot

Odontostilbe roloffi Géry 1972 in honor of German aquarist Erhard Roloff (1903–1980), who collected holotype and other species described in Géry’s monograph

Odontostilbe splendida Bührnheim & Malabarba 2007 Latin for splendid, grand or admirable, allusion not explained, perhaps attractively colored like its sympatric congener O. pulchra

Odontostilbe weitzmani Chuctaya, Bührnheim & Malabarba 2018 in honor of American ichthyologist Stanley H. Weitzman (1927–2017), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), for his work on the systematics of Neotropical characiforms, particularly of the characid subfamily Cheirodontinae

Prodontocharax Eigenmann & Pearson 1924 pro– (L.), in front of, odontos, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to teeth on maxillary of P. melanotus, by which it differs from the “closely related” Parecbasis (Aphyoditeinae); Charax, typical genus of the Characiformes, from chárax (Gr. χάραξ), a pointed stake of a palisade, referring to densely packed sharp teeth, a common root-name formation in the order

Prodontocharax aquilaepinnae Bertaco, Chuctaya, Jerep & Malabarba 2023 aquilus (L.), blackish or dark-colored; pinnae (L.), fins, referring to pigmented dorsal and anal fins

Prodontocharax melanotus Pearson 1924 mélas (Gr. μέλας), black; notus, from nṓtos (Gr. νῶτος), back, probably referring to large black irregular spot on first five rays of dorsal fin

Protocheirodon Vari, Melo & Oliveira 2016 prṓtos (Gr. πρῶτος), first or earliest form of, referring to phylogenetic position of P. pi as sister to all other members of Cheirodontinae

Protocheirodon pi (Vari 1978) referring to shape of swim bladder, formed like the Greek letter π (πῖ, pí)

Pseudocheirodon Meek & Hildebrand 1916 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false, “closely allied” (and presumably similar) to Cheirodon

Pseudocheirodon arnoldi (Boulenger 1909) in honor of German aquarist Johann Paul Arnold (1869–1952), who sent holotype to Boulenger from specimens “which have been or are still living in Mr. Arnold’s aquarium at Hamburg”

Pseudocheirodon terrabae Bussing 1967 of the Rio Grande de Térraba basin, where type locality (Río Ceibo, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica) is situated

Saccoderma Schultz 1944 saccus (L.), bag; dérma (Gr. δέρμα), skin, referring to dermal sac on caudal fin

Saccoderma hastata (Eigenmann 1913) Latin for armed with a spear, presumably referring to retrorse hooks on caudal- and anal-fin rays

Saccoderma melanostigma Schultz 1944 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; stígma (Gr. στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to black caudal spot

Serrapinnus Malabarba 1998 serra (L.), saw; pinnus (L.), fin, referring to “peculiar” saw-like shape of anal-fin rays of adult males (the rays have hooks that serve as contact organs during copulation)

Serrapinnus aster Malabarba & Jerep 2014 Latin for star, referring to star-shaped ventral profile of the set of hypertrophied procurrent caudal-fin rays present in mature males

Serrapinnus calliurus (Boulenger 1900) pretty-tailed, from kállos (Gr. κάλλος), beauty, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, presumably referring to large black spot at base of tail and/or white patches on caudal-fin lobes

Serrapinnus gracilis (Géry 1960) Latin for thin or slender, more elongated and compressed that other Cheirodon (original genus) species

Serrapinnus heterodon (Eigenmann 1915) héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, allusion not explained, possibly referring to variable number of maxillary teeth (1–4) based on geographic location

Serrapinnus kriegi (Schindler 1937) in honor of German zoologist Hans Krieg (1888–1970), who helped collect holotype

Serrapinnus littoris (Géry 1960) scientific Neo-Latin for littoral (i.e., close to shore), presumably referring to distribution in coastal French Guiana

Serrapinnus lucindai Malabarba & Jerep 2014 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Paulo Henrique Franco Lucinda, Universidade Federal do Tocantins (Porto Nacional, Brazil), for his contribution to the taxonomy of neotropical freshwater fishes, mainly those of the rio Tocantins basin

Serrapinnus malabarbai Jerep, Dagosta & Ohara 2018 in honor of Luiz Roberto Malabarba, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre, Brazil), for his “great” contribution to our knowledge on the Cheirodontinae and other neotropical freshwater fishes

Serrapinnus microdon (Eigenmann 1915) micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, presumably referring to its narrow premaxillary teeth

Serrapinnus micropterus (Eigenmann 1907) micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, presumably referring to short pectoral fin, just reaching ventral fin

Serrapinnus notomelas (Eigenmann 1915) nṓtos (Gr. νῶτος), back; mélas (Gr. μέλας), black, presumably referring to black base of dorsal fin and/or its black anterior rays

Serrapinnus piaba (Lütken 1875) a local Brazilian name applied to various characiform fishes, presumably including this one as well (today piaba is often applied to small ornamental characins popular in the aquarium trade)

Serrapinnus potiguar Jerep & Malabarba 2014 a term traditionally used in Brazil to refer to someone born in the Rio Grande do Norte State, where this species is endemic

Serrapinnus sterbai Zarske 2012 in honor of Zarske’s teacher, Czech-born zoologist and aquarist Günther Sterba (1922–2021), University of Leipzig, on the occasion of his 90th birthday

Serrapinnus tocantinensis Malabarba & Jerep 2014 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: rio Tocantins-Araguaia basin, Brazil, where it is endemic

Serrapinnus zanatae Jerep, Camelier & Malabarba 2016 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Angela Maria Zanata (Federal University of Bahia), for her “great” contribution to our knowledge of Neotropical freshwater fishes, and for collecting this new species