Curimatidae

Curimatidae
Curimatidae
Cyphocharax voga
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Superfamily: Anostomoidea
Family: Curimatidae
Genera

Curimata
Curimatella
Curimatopsis
Cyphocharax
Potamorhina
Psectogaster
Pseudocurimata
Steindachnerina

Curimatidae is a family of freshwater fishes, known as the toothless characins of the order Characiformes. They originate from southern Costa Rica to northern Argentina. The family has around 95 species, many of them frequently exploited for human consumption. They are closely related to the Prochilodontidae.

This family lacks jaw teeth, although they do sometimes have small teeth on the pharyngeal plates. They are eat films of slime coating underwater surfaces, which consist largely of algae, with some fungi and microscopic animals.[1]

Classification

The family has eight genera and around a hundred species:[2]

Family Curimatidae

  • Curimata (13 species)
  • Curimatella (5 species)
  • Curimatopsis (5 species)
  • Cyphocharax (35 species)
  • Potamorhina (5 species)
  • Psectogaster (8 species)
  • Pseudocurimata (6 species)
  • Steindachnerina (22 species)

See also

References

  1. ^ Weitzman, S.H. & Vari, R.P. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 103. ISBN 0-12-547665-5. 
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2008). "Curimatidae" in FishBase. December 2008 version.
  • Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Curimatidae" in FishBase. Mar 2007 version.
  • Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0471250317
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