''Salminus'', popularly known as dorado or dourado, is a
genus of relatively large (up to long),
predatory freshwater fish from the family
Characidae. They are native to large tropical and subtropical rivers in
South America, and undertake migrations during the rainy season to
spawn.
[Lima, F. C. T., and H. A. Britski (2007). ]
Salminus franciscanus, a new species from the rio São Francisco basin, Brazil (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Characidae)
' Neotrop. Ichthyol. 5(3). They are very popular among
recreational anglers and also support important
commercial fisheries.
[
]
Species
Significant taxonomic
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
confusion has surrounded this genus, and until a review in 1990, several additional species were recognised (most of these are junior synonym
The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
* In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...
s of ''S. brasiliensis'').[Géry, J. and L. Lauzanne (1990). ''Les types des espèces du genre Salminus Agassiz, 1829 (Ostariophysi, Characidae) du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris.'' Cybium 14(2): 113-124.] Although known for more than 150 years, ''S. franciscanus'' was only scientifically described in 2007.[ Today, four extant (living) species are recognised:]Steindachner
Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...
, 1880 – Santiago and Magdalena basins in Ecuador and Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
* '' Salminus brasiliensis'' (G. Cuvier
Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...
, 1816) (dorado/golden dorado) – Paraguay, Uruguay, Chapare and Mamoré basins, and drainage of the Lagoa dos Patos
* '' Salminus franciscanus'' F. C. T. Lima & Britski, 2007 – São Francisco basin
* ''Salminus hilarii
''Salminus'', popularly known as dorado or dourado, is a genus of relatively large (up to long), predatory freshwater fish from the family Characidae. They are native to large tropical and subtropical rivers in South America, and undertake migra ...
'' Valenciennes, 1850 – upper Paraná, Amazon and Orinoco
The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...
basins
A fifth extinct species is only known from Miocene fossil remains:
* †'' Salminus noriegai'' – Argentina
References
Characidae
Taxa_named_by_Louis_Agassiz
Fish of South America
{{Characiformes-stub