Spintherobolidae
| Spintherobolidae Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Amazonspinther dalmata | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Suborder: | Characoidei |
| Superfamily: | Characoidea |
| Family: | Spintherobolidae Mirande, 2018 |
| Genera | |
Spintherobolidae, also known as piquiras, are a small family of freshwater fish in the order Characiformes.[1] It contains only two genera (one monotypic and the other with 4 species), both of which are endemic to Brazil.[2] Both genera in this family were originally placed in the Characidae (originally in the Cheirodontini, then in a distinct subfamily in 2018), but in 2024 they were upgraded to being their own family.[3][4]
The following genera are placed in this family:[2]
- Amazonspinther Bührnheim, Carvalho, Malabarba & Weitzman, 2008[5]
- Spintherobolus Eigenmann, 1911
Of the two extant genera, the single species of Amazonspinther is found in the Amazon basin, while the 4 species of Spintherobolus are restricted to rivers draining the Atlantic Forest.[2]
In addition, a single fossil genus, †Megacheirodon Malabarba, 1998 is known from the Late Oligocene-aged Tremembé Formation of Brazil. As its name suggests, it was initially also placed in the Cheirodontini, but morphological analyses have found it to be closly related to Amazonspinther and Spintherobolus, and in 2013 it was proposed to move all three out of Cheirodontini.[5][6]
References
[edit]- ^ Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
- ^ a b c Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Spintherobolidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Melo, B. F.; R. P. Ota; R. C. Benine; F. R. Carvalho; F. C. T. Lima; G. M. T. Mattox; C. S. Souza; T. C. Faria; L. Reia; F. F. Roxo; M. Valdez-Moreno; T. J. Near; C. Oliveira (3 September 2024). "Phylogenomics of Characidae, a hyper-diverse Neotropical freshwater fish lineage, with a phylogenetic classification including four families (Teleostei: Characiformes)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 202 (1): zlae101. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae101.
- ^ Mirande, Juan Marcos (2018). "Morphology, molecules and the phylogeny of Characidae (Teleostei, Characiformes)". Cladistics. 35 (3): 282–300. doi:10.1111/cla.12345. hdl:11336/86318. ISSN 1096-0031.
- ^ a b Bührnheim, Cristina M.; Carvalho, Tiago P.; Malabarba, Luiz R.; Weitzman, Stanley H. (2008). "A new genus and species of characid fish from the Amazon basin: the recognition of a relictual lineage of characid fishes (Ostariophysi: Cheirodontinae: Cheirodontini)". Neotropical Ichthyology. 6: 663–678. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252008000400016. hdl:10183/23297. ISSN 1679-6225.
- ^ Mariguela, T. C.; Ortí, G.; Avelino, G. S.; Abe, K. T.; Oliveira, C. (2013-07-01). "Composition and interrelationships of a large Neotropical freshwater fish group, the subfamily Cheirodontinae (Characiformes: Characidae): A case study based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 68 (1): 23–34. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.03.011. ISSN 1055-7903.