WFB 232 Ichthyology Matt LarsonCharaciformes (Greek charac-, ‘a pointed stake, sea fish’)Taxonomy: Superclass Osteichthyes, boney fishesClass Actinoptergii ray-finned fishesOrder Characiformes, characins and their relativesFamily 15 families in total, Notable: Citharinidae, moonfishes Characidae, piranhas and tetras ~225 genera, ~ 1500 speciesNotable species: Goliath Tigerfish (Hydrocynus, goliath) Red Piranha (Pygocentrus, nattereri) Golden Dorado (Salminus brasiliensis)Description: “usually has opposing pharyngeal teeth, adipose fin, and separation of the first hypural from the compound ural centrum” (Bond 1996)Various bones are present within this family; orbitosphenoid, parietal, symplectic and subopercularPaired fins, “well developed (the only naked characin is Gymnocharacinus bergi from Argentina), lateral line is often decurved and sometimes incomplete, barbels are always absent.” (Orti 1997)Habitat: Highly variable habitat, but mostly found in freshwater rivers or lakesDistribution: Freshwater, found in Africa or South America north up to Mexico and the Rio GrandeEcology and life history: Fills various niches of the underwater ecosystem, for example the family Curimatidae are benthic detritus eaters of South America, while the Characidae family contains piranhas and tigerfish who are notorious piscivores, most species reproduce sexually and spawn a various times of the year, Hepsetus odoe is a pike-like fish that preys on other fishes and spawns in a floating foam nestAdditional details: Economically important in many countries, used for food in South America and Africa, Goliath Tigerfish and Golden Dorado are also an important fish to their local ecotourism and are chased by many anglers, Lastly many fish within Characiformes are widely used in aquariums Recent Research – Gagiano, C. L. 1997. An ecological study on the tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus) in the Olifants and Letaba rivers with special reference to artificial reproduction. Master’s thesis. Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg, South Africa.References used:Bond, C. E. 1996. Biology of Fishes, 2nd. ed. Saunders College Publishing, Fort WorthPaxton, J. R. and W. N. Eschmeyer. 1998. Encyclopedia of fishes 2nd ed. Academic Press.Orti, G. and R. P. Vari. 1997. Characiformes, tetras, piranhas, hatchetfishes, headstanders, pencilfishes, and their relatives. The Tree of Life Web Project. Available: tolweb.org/characiformes/15062/1997.01.27. (February 2013)WFB 232 Ichthyology Matt