Brycinus

Brycinus
Brycinus longipinnis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Alestidae
Genus: Brycinus
Valenciennes, 1850
Type species
Brycinus macrolepidotus
Valenciennes, 1850

Brycinus is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Alestiidae. Like other "African characids", they were formerly included in the Characidae but are actually somewhat more distantly related Characiformes.[1]

Like some other Alestiidae, they are called robber tetras due to their bold and rather carnivorous habits. They are not infrequently kept as aquarium fishes and in their requirements resemble the South American tetras of the Characidae. Unlike these, Brycinus are not well-suited to accompany delicate fishes however and are better kept with dwarf cichlids and similar small but robust companions.

  1. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Brycinus". FishBase. January 2016 version.