Updated 10 March 2024
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Belonophago Giltay 1929 belónē (Gr. βελόνη), needle, i.e., a Phago with an elongate upper jaw, similar to needlefishes (Belonidae, Belone)

Belonophago hutsebouti Giltay 1929 in honor of Belgian Catholic missionary Joseph Hutsebaut (1886–1954), who collected holotype [note apparent misspelling, –bouti instead of –bauti]

Belonophago tinanti Poll 1939 in honor of André Tinant (1901–1940), Secretary-General of the Palmoil plantations of the Belgian Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), who collected holotype

Congocharax Matthes 1964 Congo, referring to Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it is endemic; charax, referring to previous placement of C. olbrechtsi in Hemigrammocharax (=Nannocharax); also, charax, from Charax, type genus of the order, is a common suffix for characiform fishes

Congocharax olbrechtsi (Poll 1954) in honor of Belgian philologist-ethnologist Frans M. Olbrechts (1899–1958), director, Musée Royal du Congo Belge (now Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale), Tervuren, Belgium, where Poll worked

Distichodus Müller & Troschel 1844 distichus (Gr. δίστῐχος), having two rows; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to two rows of bifid teeth on both jaws

Distichodus affinis Günther 1873 Latin for related, i.e., “allied” to D. notospilus

Distichodus altus Boulenger 1899 Latin for high, probably referring to its body height, 2–21/5 times in TL

Distichodus antonii Schilthuis 1891 in honor of Anton Greshoff (1856– 1905), Dutch trader and collector, who presented several Congo species, including holotype of this one, to the Zoological Museum of Utrecht University

Distichodus atroventralis Boulenger 1898 atra-, from ater (L.), black; ventralis (L.), of the belly, referring to its black or blackish ventral fins

Distichodus brevipinnis Günther 1864 brevis (L.), short; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, presumably referring to length of dorsal fin base, “only three-fourths of that of the head”

Distichodus decemmaculatus Pellegrin 1926 decem (L.), ten; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to 10 small, rounded black spots along lateral line

Distichodus engycephalus Günther 1864 engýs (Gr. ἐγγύς), near or close at hand but often used in the sense of narrow; cephalus, from kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, “easily recognized by its compressed head”

Distichodus fichhysasciolatus Boulenger 1898 diminutive of fasciatus (L.), banded, i.e., with small bands, referring to 18–20 dark vertical bars on body

Distichodus hypostomatus Pellegrin 1900 under-mouthed, from hypó (Gr. ὑπό), under or beneath, and stómatos (Gr. στόματος), genitive of stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to mouth situated underneath and behind strongly projecting snout

Distichodus ingae Moelants & Snoeks & 2018 of Inga, referring to type locality: Congo River near Inga, a few km upstream and on opposite side of river from Inga hydroelectric dam

Distichodus kasaiensis Moelants, Snoeks & Vreven 2018 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kasai River basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it appears to be endemic

Distichodus kolleri Holly 1926 patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Austrian zoologist Otto Koller (1872–1950), Holly’s colleague at the Natural History Museum in Vienna, who participated in various expeditions and donated over 40 lots to the museum’s fish collection

Distichodus langi Nichols & Griscom 1917 in honor of German-born American taxidermist Herbert Lang (1879–1957), American Museum of Natural History, who collected holotype

Distichodus lusosso Schilthuis 1891 local name for this species in the Congo (not name of type locality as reported by several aquarium websites)

Distichodus maculatus Boulenger 1898 Latin for spotted, referring to large blackish round spots forming irregular oblique series across body

Distichodus mbiniensis Schmidt, Knobloch & Barrientos 2021 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Mbini River, Ndowe (Bantu-speaking people who live along coastal Equatorial Guinea) name for the Rio Wele, referring to river drainage where this species occurs

Distichodus microps Schmidt, Knobloch & Barrientos 2021 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to small eye relative to snout and head length

Distichodus mossambicus Peters 1852 –icus (L.), belonging to: Mozambique, where type locality (Zambezi River) is situated

Distichodus nefasch (Bonnaterre 1788) manuscript name used by Forsskål, based on Egyptian vernacular for this species

Distichodus noboli Boulenger 1899 local name for this species along the Upper Congo

Distichodus notospilus Günther 1867 back-spotted, from nṓtos (Gr. νῶτος), back, and spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to large, oblique, band-like black blotch on dorsal fin

Distichodus petersii Pfeffer 1896 patronym not identified but probably in honor of German naturalist Wilhelm C. H. Peters (1815–1883), who traveled to Africa and returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens, including many fishes which he described

Distichodus polli Abwe, Snoeks, Manda & Vreven 2019 in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908–1991), for his “outstanding” work on the freshwater fishes of Africa in general and the Congo basin in particular; he collected the two largest specimens of this species in 1956, including holotype

Distichodus rostratus Günther 1864 Latin for beaked, referring to its pointed, prominent nose

Distichodus rufigiensis Norman 1922 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rufigi River, Tanganyika Territory (now Tanzania), type locality

Distichodus schenga Peters 1852 etymology not explained, perhaps from M’chenga, a stream near Tete, Mozambique, type locality

Distichodus sexfasciatus Boulenger 1897 sex (L.), six; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to 6–7 broad blackish vertical bars on body

Distichodus teugelsi Mamonekene & Vreven 2008 in memory of Belgian ichthyologist Guy Teugels (1954–2003), Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale (Tervuren, Belgium), who first promoted the project that led to the collection of this species

Dundocharax Poll 1967 etymology not explained, probably referring to Dundo River, Angola (near type locality), and/or to Musée de Dundo, where type specimens are housed; charax, possibly referring to similarity with Hemigrammocharax (=Nannocharax); also, charax, from Charax, type genus of the order, is a common suffix for characiform fishes

Dundocharax bidentatus Poll 1967 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; dentatus (L.), toothed, referring to two rows of bicuspid teeth

Eugnathichthys Boulenger 1898 eū́-, a Greek (εὖ) intensive (well or very), and gnáthos (Gr. γνάθος), jaw, referring to massive jaws with moveable upper jaw of E. eetveldii; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Eugnathichthys eetveldii Boulenger 1898 in honor of Belgian diplomat Edmond van Eetvelde (1852–1925), General Secretary of the Congo Free State, where holotype was collected

Eugnathichthys macroterolepis Boulenger 1899 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός); lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, presumably referring to larger scales compared with E. eetveldii; it is unclear what tero– means, possibly from pterón (Gr. πτερόν), fin, as the caudal fin is scaled and the adipose fin is scaly at its base

Eugnathichthys virgatus Stiassny, Denton & Monsembula Iyaba 2013 Latin for made of twigs (i.e., branched), referring to conspicuous midlateral band or streak intersected by numerous vertical bars

Ichthyborus Günther 1864 ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish; borus, from borós (Gr. βορός), greedy or gluttonous, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its ichthyophagous diet and/or gluttonous appearance of mobile upper jaw and elongate snout with canine teeth

Ichthyborus besse (Joannis 1835) Arabic name for this species along the Nile River

Ichthyborus besse congolensis Giltay 1930 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), where type locality (Nyonga, upper Luapula) is situated

Ichthyborus monodi (Pellegrin 1927) in honor of French naturalist and explorer Théodore Monod (1902–2000), later (1938) founder and director of Institut Français d’Afrique Noire (now Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire), who collected holotype

Ichthyborus ornatus (Boulenger 1899) Latin for adorned or decorated, referring to its ornate coloration: purplish gray above, silvery or greenish on sides with three olive bands along lateral line, orange or gray dorsal fin, and orange tail with 6–7 longitudinal black stripes

Ichthyborus quadrilineatus (Pellegrin 1904) quadri-, from quattuor (L.), four; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to four black longitudinal stripes on sides

Mesoborus Pellegrin 1900 mésos (Gr. μέσος), middle; borus, from borós (Gr. βορός), greedy or gluttonous, this genus placed “in the midst” (translation) of other ichthyophagous genera (Eugnathichthys, Ichthyborus, Parahago, Phago)

Mesoborus crocodilus Pellegrin 1900 Latin for crocodile, probably referring to crocodile-like appearance of its elongate snout, large mouth armed with 29–30 small teeth on each side and two canines on lower jaw separated by a pair of small teeth, and upwards-moving upper jaw

Microstomatichthyoborus Nichols & Griscom 1917 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; stómatos (Gr. στόματος), genitive of stóma (στόμα), mouth, described as a “small, weak-mouthed derivative of Ichthyoborus-like fishes” [at 23 characters, the longest genus-level name of any Recent fish]

Microstomatichthyoborus bashforddeani Nichols & Griscom 1917 in honor of American ichthyologist Bashford Dean (1867–1928), Nichols’ colleague at the American Museum of Natural History [at 36 total characters, the longest binomen of any Recent fish species]

Microstomatichthyoborus katangae David & Poll 1937 of Katanga, Lualaba River basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

Monostichodus Vaillant 1886 mónos (Gr. μόνος), alone or only, and stíchos (Gr. στίχος), line or row, i.e., having only one row; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), referring to single row of bifid teeth, compared with two rows in Distichodus

Monostichodus elongatus Vaillant 1886 Latin for prolonged, presumably referring to its relatively elongate body

Monostichodus lootensi (Poll & Daget 1968) in honor of Révérend Père Lootens (1910–1976), Catholic missionary and naturalist, who collected holotype

Monostichodus mesmaekersi (Poll 1959) in honor of Is. Mesmaekers, commander of the port of Boma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, perhaps for facilitating the shipment of specimens (see Protopterus aethiopicus mesmaekersi, Protopteridae)

Nannaethiops Günther 1872 nánnos (Gr. νάννος), dwarf, referring to its small size and/or its affinity with Nannocharax (also described by Günther); Aethiops, Latin for Ethiopian or Negro, from aíthein (Gr. αἴθειν), to burn (intransitive), and ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), face or appearance, possibly referring to Aethiopia, a classical term for Sub-Saharan Africa, i.e., a small “Ethiopian”

Nannaethiops bleheri Géry & Zarske 2003 in honor of German explorer and ornamental-fish wholesaler and supplier Heiko Bleher (b. 1944), who collected holotype

Nannaethiops unitaeniatus Günther 1872 uni-, from unus (L.), one; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to narrow black band running along the side below the lateral line

Nannocharax Günther 1867 nánnos (Gr. νάννος), dwarf, probably referring to small size of N. fasciatus and N. niloticus (both 5 cm); 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

Nannocharax altus Pellegrin 1930 Latin for high, probably referring to higher dorsal fin compared with N. brevis

Nannocharax angolensis (Poll 1967) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Angola, where it is endemic

Nannocharax ansorgii Boulenger 1911 in honor of English explorer and collector William John Ansorge (1850–1913), who collected holotype

Nannocharax brevis Boulenger 1902 Latin for short, presumably referring to short body length, 4.5 cm TL

Nannocharax chochamandai Manda, Snoeks, Decru, Brecko & Vreven 2023 in honor of Auguste Chocha Manda, the “first academic Congolese ichthyologist and aquaculture specialist active in the Katanga province and its surroundings and founding head of the Unité de recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation durable de Zones Humides (BEZHU) at the University of Lubumbashi,” for his “passionate dedication in promoting, facilitating and supervising research on the ichthyofauna of the Upper Congo”

Nannocharax dageti Jerep, Vari & Vreven 2014 in honor of the late Jacques Daget (1919–2009), French ichthyologist, formerly of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), for “major” contributions to our knowledge of African freshwater fishes

Nannocharax elongatus Boulenger 1900 Latin for prolonged, referring to its more elongate body compared with N. fasciatus

Nannocharax fasciatus Günther 1867 Latin for banded, referring to 8–10 brown bars across back, more or less confluent with similar bars on sides, 2–3 brown bars across dorsal fin, and one each on ventral and anal fins

Nannocharax fasciolaris Nichols & Boulton 1927 Latin for marked with narrow bands, referring to ~17 dark cross-bars on body

Nannocharax gobioides Roman 1966 –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: referring to its superficial resemblance to the gudgeon genus Gobio (Gobionidae) [treated as a synonym of N. fasciatus by some workers]

Nannocharax gracilis Poll 1939 Latin for thin or slender, presumably referring to its caudal peduncle, which is ~2 times as long as it is high

Nannocharax hadros Manda, Snoeks, Manda & Vreven 2021 hadrós (Gr. ἁδρός), well-developed, strong, great or bulky, referring to large maximum size (99.5 mm TL), exceeding that of known congeners

Nannocharax hastatus Jerep & Vari 2014 Latin for armed with a spear, referring to its spear-shaped body

Nannocharax hollyi Fowler 1936 in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Maximilian Holly (1901–1969), Natural History Museum of Vienna, for his “valuable” work on the freshwater fishes of the Cameroons in 1930

Nannocharax intermedius Boulenger 1903 Latin for intermediate, described as intermediate in form between N. niloticus and N. fasciatus

Nannocharax latifasciatus Coenen & Teugels 1989 latus (L.), wide or broad; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to wider longitudinal band compared with known congeners at the time

Nannocharax lineomaculatus Blache & Miton 1960 linea (L.), line; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to 3–5 lenticular spots along lateral line

Nannocharax lineostriatus (Poll 1967) linea (L.), line; striatus (L.), grooved or furrowed (i.e., striped), referring to black lateral band running from tip of nose to root of tail, transversed by 9–12 vertical black lines

Nannocharax luapulae Boulenger 1915 of the Luapula River at Kasenga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality

Nannocharax machadoi (Poll 1967) in honor of António de Barros Machado (1912–2002), “distinguished” (translation) Portuguese-born zoologist of the Musée de Dundo, Angola, where type specimens are housed

Nannocharax macropterus Pellegrin 1926 large-finned, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to longer pectoral and ventral fins compared with N. taenia

Nannocharax maculicauda Vari & Géry 1981 macula (L.), spot; cauda (L.), tail, referring to dark spot on caudal peduncle

Nannocharax micros Fowler 1936 from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small, the holotype just 27 mm in length

Nannocharax minutus Worthington 1933 Latin for small, presumably referring to its small size (26–28 mm long)

Nannocharax monardi (Pellegrin 1936) in honor of Swiss naturalist and explorer Albert Monard (1886–1952), who collected holotype

Nannocharax multifasciatus Boulenger 1923 multi– (L.), many; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to 15 brown vertical bars on sides

Nannocharax niloticus (Joannis 1835) –icus (L.), belonging to: Nile River, presumably its type locality (holotype now lost)

Nannocharax occidentalis Daget 1959 Latin for western, described as a western subspecies of N. niloticus

Nannocharax ocellicauda Boulenger 1907 ocellus, diminutive of oculus (L.), eye (but here meaning eyespot); cauda (L.), tail, referring to large, black, light-edged ocellus at root of caudal fin

Nannocharax ogoensis Pellegrin 1911 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ogowe River at Franceville, Gabon, type locality

Nannocharax parvus Pellegrin 1906 Latin for little, up to 4.2 cm TL

Nannocharax procatopus Boulenger 1920 pro– (L.), forward or in front of; cato-, from katá (Gr. κατά), beneath, below or under; pus, from poús (Gr. πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins, i.e., “low feet”), which are positioned well in front of the dorsal-fin origin

Nannocharax pteron Fowler 1936 pterón (Gr. πτερόν), fin, referring to its long, “well-developed” paired fins

Nannocharax reidi Vari & Ferraris 2004 in honor of British ichthyologist and zoo director Gordon McGregor Reid (b. 1948), who first reported this fish as an undescribed form, and who has “contributed broadly” to the knowledge and conservation of African freshwater fishes

Nannocharax rubensteini (Jerep & Vari 2013) in honor of American philanthropist David Rubenstein (b. 1949), who funded the Rubenstein Fellowships of the Encyclopedia of Life at the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution)

Nannocharax rubrolabiatus Van den Bergh, Teugels, Coenen & Ollevier 1995 ruber (L.), red; labiatus (L.), lipped, referring to bright red lips

Nannocharax schoutedeni Poll 1939 in honor of Belgian zoologist Henri Schouteden (1881–1972), who collected many new species in the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), including holotype of this one

Nannocharax signifer Moritz 2010 signum (L.), mark; -fer, from fero (L.), to have or bear (i.e., color sergeant or standard bearer), referring to “unusual” red-orange color on dorsal fin

Nannocharax taenia Boulenger 1902 from tainía (Gr. ταινία), band or ribbon, probably referring to 12 brown bars across back and sides

Nannocharax uniocellatus (Pellegrin 1926) uni-, from unus (L.), one; ocellatus (L.), having little eyes, referring to ocellus at caudal-fin base

Nannocharax usongo Dunz & Schliewen 2009 in honor of Leonard Usongo, “highly successful conservation biologist and supporter of numerous fish inventories in Cameroon” [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Nannocharax wittei (Poll 1933) in honor of Belgian herpetologist Gaston François De Witte (1897–1980), who collected holotype

Nannocharax zebra Dunz & Schliewen 2009 referring to striped zebra-like pattern of preserved specimens

Neolebias Steindachner 1894 neos (Gr. νέος), new; lebías, Greek name (λεβίας) for a kind of small fish, often used to compose names of killifishes (Steindachner erroneously placed N. unifasciatus in Cyprinodontidae)

Neolebias ansorgii Boulenger 1912 in honor of British explorer and collector William John Ansorge (1850–1913), who collected holotype

Neolebias axelrodi Poll & Gosse 1963 in honor of American pet-book publisher and aquarist Herbert R. Axelrod (1927–2017), who collected holotype

Neolebias gossei (Poll & Lambert 1964) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Poll’s Belgian ichthyological colleague, Jean-Pierre Gosse (1924–2001)

Neolebias gracilis Matthes 1964 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its elongate, compressed body

Neolebias kerguennae Daget 1980 in honor of Daget’s wife, Kerguenne

Neolebias lozii Winemiller & Kelso-Winemiller 1993 in honor of the Lozi tribe, traditional caretakers of the Barotse floodplain, Zambia (where this species occurs), and the floodplain’s fishery resources

Neolebias philippei Poll & Gosse 1963 in honor of R. Philippe (no other information provided), who collected holotype

Neolebias powelli Teugels & Roberts 1990 in honor of Canadian biologist Charles Bruce Powell (1943–1998), University of Port Hancourt (Nigeria), who collected part of type series

Neolebias spilotaenia Boulenger 1912 spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot; taenia, from tainía (Gr. ταινία), band or ribbon, presumably referring to vertical bar at base of the caudal fin and darker broad band along side of body, respectively

Neolebias trewavasae Poll & Gosse 1963 in honor of British ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900–1993), for her assistance (e.g., loan of specimens) in the preparation of the authors’ revision of this genus

Neolebias trilineatus Boulenger 1899 tri– (L.), three; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to three black lines on sides, separated by silvery bands

Neolebias unifasciatus Steindachner 1894 uni-, from unus (L.), one; fasciatus (L.), banded, presumably referring to dark line running from tip of snout to caudal-peduncle base

Paradistichodus Pellegrin 1922 pará (Gr. παρά), near, described as a dwarf relative of Distichodus

Paradistichodus dimidiatus (Pellegrin 1904) Latin for halved or divided, referring to broad, dark longitudinal band that divides body into two equal parts

Paraphago Boulenger 1899 pará (Gr. παρά), near, presumably referring to similarity to and/or affinity with Phago (both genera feature narrow, elongate snouts but markedly differ in number of lateral-line scales)

Paraphago rostratus Boulenger 1899 Latin for beaked, referring to its narrow, beak-like snout

Phago Günther 1865 from phageín (Gr. φαγεῖν), to eat, presumably referring to mouth of P. loricatus “armed with a series of strongish, compressed, tricuspid teeth round its entire margin”

Phago boulengeri Schilthuis 1891 patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Belgian-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858–1937), British Museum (Natural History) who published extensively on fishes from the Congo

Phago intermedius Boulenger 1899 Latin for intermediate, described as intermediate in squamation between P. loricatus and P. boulengeri

Phago loricatus Günther 1865 Latin for armored or clothed in mail, referring to large, hard, rugose scales on body, forming a hard carapace

Xenocharax Günther 1867 xénos (Gr. ξένος), strange or foreign (i.e., different), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to how X. spilurus differs from Crenuchus spilurus Günther 1863 (Crenuchidae), a presumed close relative from South America; 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

Xenocharax crassus Pellegrin 1900 Latin for thick or stout, referring to its stockier shape compared with X. spilurus

Xenocharax spilurus Günther 1867 spot-tailed, from spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to large round black spot at root of caudal fin