Brycinus

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, 1850
Type species
Brycinus macrolepidotus Valenciennes, 1850

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.

Species

There are currently 35 recognized species in this genus:^[1]

• Brycinus abeli (Fowler, 1936)
• Brycinus affinis (Günther, 1894) (Redfin Robber)
• Brycinus bartoni (Nichols & La Monte, 1953)
• Brycinus batesii (Boulenger, 1903)
• Brycinus bimaculatus (Boulenger, 1899)
• Brycinus brevis (Boulenger, 1903)
• Brycinus carmesinus (Nichols & Griscom, 1917)
• Brycinus carolinae (Paugy & Lévêque, 1981)
• Brycinus comptus (T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976)
• Brycinus derhami Géry & Mahnert, 1977
• Brycinus ferox (A. J. Hopson & J. Hopson, 1982) (Large-toothed Lake Turkana Robber)
• Brycinus fwaensis Géry, 1995
• Brycinus grandisquamis (Boulenger, 1899) (Pinkfin Alestes)
• Brycinus humilis (Boulenger, 1905)
• Brycinus imberi (W. K. H. Peters, 1852) (Spot-tail)
• Brycinus intermedius (Boulenger, 1903)
• Brycinus jacksonii (Boulenger, 1912) (Victoria Robber)
• Brycinus kingsleyae (Günther, 1896)
• Brycinus lateralis (Boulenger, 1900) (Striped Robber)
• Brycinus leuciscus (Günther, 1867)
• Brycinus longipinnis (Günther, 1864) (Longfin Tetra)
• Brycinus luteus (Román, 1966)
• Brycinus macrolepidotus Valenciennes, 1850 (True Big-scale Tetra)
• Brycinus minutus (A. J. Hopson & J. Hopson, 1982) (Dwarf Lake Turkana Robber)
• Brycinus nigricauda (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1974)
• Brycinus nurse (Rüppell, 1832) (Nurse Tetra)
• Brycinus opisthotaenia (Boulenger, 1903)
• Brycinus peringueyi (Boulenger, 1923)
• Brycinus poptae (Pellegrin, 1906)
• Brycinus rhodopleura (Boulenger, 1906)
• Brycinus sadleri (Boulenger, 1906) (Sadler's Robber)
• Brycinus schoutedeni (Boulenger, 1912)
• Brycinus taeniurus (Günther, 1867)
• Brycinus tessmanni (Pappenheim, 1911)
• Brycinus tholloni (Pellegrin, 1901)

References