Hemiodontidae

Hemiodontidae; Temporal range: Middle Miocene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Hemiodus gracilis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Superfamily:	Erythrinoidea
Family:	Hemiodontidae; Bleeker, 1859
Genera
	See the text

The Hemiodontidae are a small family of freshwater characins found in northern South America, south to the Paraná-Paraguay Basin. The larger species are popular food fish.^[1]

Hemiodontids have a streamlined body shape; many are fast-swimming, and are able to leap out of the water to escape predators. The adults of all species except Micromischodus sugillatus have no teeth on their lower jaws. Most species have a round spot on the side of the midbody and a stripe along the lower lobe of the caudal fin. The largest hemiodontids are around 50 cm (20 in) in length.^[1]

Fossil remains of Hemiodus are known from the Middle Miocene-aged Pebas Formation of Peru.^[2]

Genera

The family has around 29 known species, as well as several undescribed species, in five genera:^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b Weitzman, S.H.; Vari, R.P. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 104. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
^ Carrillo-Briceño, Jorge D.; Aguilera, Orangel A.; Benites-Palomino, Aldo; Hsiou, Annie S.; Birindelli, José L. O.; Adnet, Sylvain; Cadena, Edwin-Alberto; Scheyer, Torsten M. (2021-12-20). "A historical vertebrate collection from the Middle Miocene of the Peruvian Amazon". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 140 (1): 26. Bibcode:2021SwJP..140...26C. doi:10.1186/s13358-021-00239-7. ISSN 1664-2384.
^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Hemiodontidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 May 2025.

Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7

This Characiformes-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[EoF-1] Weitzman, S.H.; Vari, R.P. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 104. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.

[2] Carrillo-Briceño, Jorge D.; Aguilera, Orangel A.; Benites-Palomino, Aldo; Hsiou, Annie S.; Birindelli, José L. O.; Adnet, Sylvain; Cadena, Edwin-Alberto; Scheyer, Torsten M. (2021-12-20). "A historical vertebrate collection from the Middle Miocene of the Peruvian Amazon". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 140 (1): 26. Bibcode:2021SwJP..140...26C. doi:10.1186/s13358-021-00239-7. ISSN 1664-2384.

[CofFF-3] Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Hemiodontidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 May 2025.

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