Characidae, the characids, is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish belonging to the order Characiformes. They are found throughout much of Central and South America, including such major waterways as the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers.Nelson (2006) These fish vary in length; many are less than .
The name "characins" is a historical one,Characinae, recently narrowly defined, covers only twelve genera and 79 species closely related to Charax (George M.T. Mattox, Monica Toledo-Piza, "Phylogenetic study of the Characinae (Teleostei: Characiformes: Characidae)" Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 165.4:809–915, August 2012). but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a, by and large, monophyletic group (at family rank). This family includes some of the first characiforms to be described to science, such as Charax and Tetragonopterus, and thus lend their name to the order, as well as to common names such as "characin" and "tetra".
Past taxonomic treatments had a much more expansive definition of the family, including numerous South American fish families such as the piranhas and dorados, as well as the African alestids. Following multiple taxonomic revisions, this was eventually restricted to just the American "tetra" type characins by the 2010s. However, even this definition of Characidae was found to obscure much of the evolutionary diversity within the group, and in 2024 the "tetra" families Acestrorhamphidae and Stevardiidae were split out of the Characidae, leaving it with just five subfamilies.
Classification
Taxonomy The following classification is based on Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (2025): Family Characidae
Subfamily Aphyocharacinae C. H. Eigenmann, 1909 Amazonichthys Esguícero & Mendonça, 2023 Aphyocharacidium Géry, 1960 Aphyocharax Günther, 1868 Cyanogaster Mattox, Britz, Toledo-Piza & Marinho, 2013 Leptagoniates Boulenger, 1887 Paragoniates Steindachner, 1876 Phenagoniates C. H. Eigenmann & C. B. Wilson, 1914 Prionobrama Fowler, 1913 Xenagoniates Myers, 1942 Subfamily Cheirodontinae C. H. Eigenmann, 1915 Acinocheirodon Malabarba & Weitzman, 1999 Amblystilbe Fowler, 1940 Aphyocheirodon C. H. Eigenmann, 1915 Cheirodon Girard, 1855 Cheirodontops Schultz, 1944 Compsura C. H. Eigenmann, 1915 Ctenocheirodon Malabarba & Jerep, 2012Malabarba, L.R. & Jerep, F.C. (2012): A New Genus and Species of Cheirodontine Fish from South America (Teleostei: Characidae). Copeia, 2012 (2): 243–250. Heterocheirodon Malabarba, 1998 Holoshesthes C. H. Eigenmann, 1903 Kolpotocheirodon Malabarba & Weitzman, 2000 Macropsobrycon C. H. Eigenmann, 1915 Nanocheirodon Malabarba, 1998 Odontostilbe Cope, 1870 Prodontocharax C. H. Eigenmann & Pearson, 1924 Protocheirodon Vari, Melo & Oliveira, 2016Vari, R.P., Melo, B.F. & Oliveira, C. (2016): Protocheirodon, a new genus of Characidae (Teleostei: Characiformes) with the redescription of the poorly known Protocheirodon pi. Neotropical Ichthyology, 14 (2): e150154. Pseudocheirodon Meek & Hildebrand, 1916 Saccoderma Schultz, 1944 Serrapinnus Malabarba 1998 Subfamily Exodontinae Fowler, 1958 Bryconexodon Géry, 1980 Exodon Müller & Troschel, 1844 Roeboexodon Géry, 1959 Subfamily Tetragonopterinae Gill, 1858 Tetragonopterus Cuvier, 1816 Subfamily Characinae Latreille, 1825 Acanthocharax C. H. Eigenmann, 1912 Acestrocephalus C. H. Eigenmann, 1910 Atopomesus Myers, 1927 Charax Scopoli, 1777 Cynopotamus Valenciennes, 1850 Galeocharax Fowler, 1910 Microschemobrycon C. H. Eigenmann, 1915 Phenacogaster C. H. Eigenmann, 1907 Roeboides Günther 1864
Former members
This family has undergone a large amount of systematic and taxonomic change. More recent revision has moved many former members of the family into their own related but distinct families – the pencilfishes of the genus Nannostomus are a typical example, having now been moved into the Lebiasinidae, the assorted predatory species belonging to Hoplias and Hoplerythrinus have now been moved into the Erythrinidae, and the sabre-toothed fishes of the genus Hydrolycus have been moved into the Cynodontidae. The former subfamily Alestiinae was promoted to family level (Alestiidae) and the subfamilies Crenuchinae and Characidiinae were moved to the family Crenuchidae.
Other fish families that were formerly classified as members of the Characidae, but which were moved into separate families of their own during recent taxonomic revisions (after 1994) include Acestrorhynchidae, Anostomidae, Chilodidae, Citharinidae, Ctenoluciidae, Curimatidae, Distichodontidae, Gasteropelecidae, Hemiodontidae, Hepsetidae, Parodontidae, Prochilodontidae, Serrasalmidae, and Triportheidae.Oliveira, C., Avelino, G.S., Abe, K.T., Mariguela, T.C., Benine, R.C., Orti, G., Vari, R.P., & Correa e Castro, R.M. (2011): Phylogenetic relationships within the speciose family Characidae (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Characiformes) based on multilocus analysis and extensive ingroup sampling. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 11: 275. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-275 In 2024, the families Stevardiidae and Acestrorhamphidae, containing a high proportion of the famous ornamental aquarium tetras, were also split out of the family, in addition to the small family Spintherobolidae.
References
de Lucena, Carlos Alberto Santos (2003): New characid fish, Hyphessobrycon scutulatus, from the rio Teles Pires drainage, upper rio Tapajós system (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Characidae). Neotropical Ichthyology 1(2): 93–96. PDF fulltext Géry, Jacques (1977): Characoids of the World. Nelson, Joseph S. (2006): Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.