Chalceidae | |
---|---|
Chalceus macrolepidotus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Characiformes |
Family: |
Chalceidae Fowler, 1958 |
Chalceidae, the tucanfishes, [1] [2] is a family of freshwater fish first described by Henry Weed Fowler in the year 1958. It is a monotypic family, home only to the genus incertae sedis Chalceus.
All members of the family inhabit areas of northern South America, including the Amazon River and various tributaries. [3]
Chalceidae is in the order Characiformes. The genus Chalceus used to be placed in the family Characidae, and is still listed there by several sources (like GBIF and ITIS). [4] Research since its original placement suggested movement into the family Chalceidae, based upon phylogenetic significance as a monophyletic group. [5] Morphological features further support this move. [6] This was also done in order to keep the family Characidae monophyletic. [5]
Currently, only Chalceus is classified in Chalceidae. Because Chalceus is a genus with five extant species, Chalceidae has five extant species by extension. [7] [8] In alphabetical order, they are:
Chalceidae was first described in 1958 by Henry Weed Fowler as Chalceidi. [9] It has also been described as Plethodectidi by the same; [10] this is because Plethodectes erythrurus ( Cope, 1870) used to be the sole representative, a name now synonymized with Chalceus erythrurus. [11] [12] Therefore, the family Plethodectidi became defunct alongside the genus Plethodectes (in the context of describing species of Chalceus).
"Tucanfish" directly translates to "toucan fish", because "tucán" means toucan in Spanish. [13] The species C. erythrurus shares a name with the family it belongs to - it is also commonly called the tucan fish. [14]
The sole genus of Chalceidae, Chalceus, gives the family its name and therefore its etymological root. Said root is the Greek word chalkos, which means copper; [15] [16] this is in reference to the original description of C. macrolepidotus, wherein Georges Cuvier reported that its scales were "sometimes golden" when preserved in alcohol. [2] [17]
Chalceidae | |
---|---|
Chalceus macrolepidotus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Characiformes |
Family: |
Chalceidae Fowler, 1958 |
Chalceidae, the tucanfishes, [1] [2] is a family of freshwater fish first described by Henry Weed Fowler in the year 1958. It is a monotypic family, home only to the genus incertae sedis Chalceus.
All members of the family inhabit areas of northern South America, including the Amazon River and various tributaries. [3]
Chalceidae is in the order Characiformes. The genus Chalceus used to be placed in the family Characidae, and is still listed there by several sources (like GBIF and ITIS). [4] Research since its original placement suggested movement into the family Chalceidae, based upon phylogenetic significance as a monophyletic group. [5] Morphological features further support this move. [6] This was also done in order to keep the family Characidae monophyletic. [5]
Currently, only Chalceus is classified in Chalceidae. Because Chalceus is a genus with five extant species, Chalceidae has five extant species by extension. [7] [8] In alphabetical order, they are:
Chalceidae was first described in 1958 by Henry Weed Fowler as Chalceidi. [9] It has also been described as Plethodectidi by the same; [10] this is because Plethodectes erythrurus ( Cope, 1870) used to be the sole representative, a name now synonymized with Chalceus erythrurus. [11] [12] Therefore, the family Plethodectidi became defunct alongside the genus Plethodectes (in the context of describing species of Chalceus).
"Tucanfish" directly translates to "toucan fish", because "tucán" means toucan in Spanish. [13] The species C. erythrurus shares a name with the family it belongs to - it is also commonly called the tucan fish. [14]
The sole genus of Chalceidae, Chalceus, gives the family its name and therefore its etymological root. Said root is the Greek word chalkos, which means copper; [15] [16] this is in reference to the original description of C. macrolepidotus, wherein Georges Cuvier reported that its scales were "sometimes golden" when preserved in alcohol. [2] [17]