| Brycinus | |
|---|---|
| Longfin Tetras (Brycinus longipinnis) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Superclass: | Osteichthyes |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Subclass: | Neopterygii |
| Infraclass: | Teleostei |
| Superorder: | Ostariophysi |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Alestidae |
| Genus: | Brycinus Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1850 |
| Diversity | |
| 34 species | |
Brycinus is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Alestiidae. Like other "African characids", they were formerly included in the Characidae but are actually somewhat more distantly related Characiformes.
Like some other Alestiidae, they are called robber tetras due to their bold and rather carnivorous habits. They are not infrequently kept as aquarium fishes, and in their requirements resemble the South American tetras of the Characidae. Unlike these, Brycinus are not well-suited to accompany delicate fishes however, and are better kept with dwarf cichlids and similar small but robust companions.
The genus Brycinus contains 34 species. Most of them are known since the early 20th century already, and as of 2009 no new species have been discovered in the 21st century:[1]