''Hydrocynus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of characin fish in the family

Alestidae African tetras (family (biology), family Alestidae, formerly spelled Alestiidae) are a group of Characiformes, characiform fish found exclusively in Africa. This family contains about 18 genera and 119 species. Among the best known members are th ...

commonly called "tigerfish," native to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. The genus name is derived from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

ὕδωρ ("water"Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.) + κύων ("dog"). The genus contains five species, all commonly known as "African

tigerfish Tigerfish can refer to fish from various families, and derives from official and colloquial associations of these with the tiger (''Panthera tigris''). However, the primary species designated by the name "tigerfish" are African and belong to the ...

" for their fierce predatory behaviour and other characteristics that make them excellent

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish species pursued by recreational fishing, recreational fishers (typically angling, anglers), and can be freshwater fish, freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be fish as food, eaten aft ...

. ''Hydrocynus'' are normally

piscivorous A piscivore () is a carnivorous animal that primarily eats fish. Fish were the diet of early tetrapod evolution (via water-bound amphibians during the Devonian period); insectivory came next; then in time, the more terrestrially adapted rept ...

, but ''H. vittatus'' is proven to prey on birds in flight.

Taxonomy

''Hydrocynus'' was first proposed as a genus in 1816 by the French

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

Georges Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, baron Cuvier (23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier (; ), was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuv ...

. In 1910 Carl Eigenmann designated ''Hydrocynus lucius'' as the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

of the genus, however, that name is a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

of ''

Boulengerella lucius ''Boulengerella'' is a genus of pike-characins from tropical South America, found in the Amazon Basin, Orinoco, and rivers of the Guiana Shield. ''Boulengerella'' was named after the Belgian ichthyologist George Albert Boulenger. The currently ...

'', a

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeogra ...

species which is classified in a different family. In 1952

Haroldo P. Travassos Haroldo Pereira Travassos (23 March 1922 - 13 June 1977) was a Brazilian ichthyologist. He taught the faculty of philosophy at the La-Fayette Institute, the Fluminense Federal University and the University of Rio de Janeiro. Travassos was born in ...

proposed the genus ''Hydrocionichthys'' with ''Hydrocynus forskahlii'' as its type species, as this genus is a

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

of ''Hydrocynus'' then ''H. forskahlii'' would be the type species of ''Hydrocynus''. This may have to be ruled on by the

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...

. This genus is classified in teh African tetra family, Alestidae., in the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Characiformes Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationsh ...

Evolutionary history

The earliest fossils which have been identified as belonging to ''Hydrocynus'' are dated to the

Late Paleocene The Thanetian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS Geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age or uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Paleocene epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), Serie ...

Early Eocene In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...

of Algeria, and from the middle Eocene of Libya. ''Hydrocynus'' remains are also known from the

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...

, and have been found from the

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

, Maronga, Turkana and Semliki basins of northern and eastern Africa, in all of which ''Hydrocynus'' species still occur. The oldest lineage appears to be that of ''Hydrocynus goliath'', while lineages of ''H. brevis'' and ''H. forskahlii'' diverged in the Late Miocene and

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58

Species

''Hydrocynus'' contains the following valid species: * '' Hydrocynus brevis'' ( Günther, 1864) (Tigerfish) * '' Hydrocynus forskahlii'' (Cuvier, 1819) (Elongate tigerfish) * ''

Hydrocynus goliath ''Hydrocynus goliath'', also known as the goliath tigerfish, giant tigerfish, or mbenga, is a very large African predatory freshwater fish of the family Alestidae. Distribution Goliath tigerfish ''(Hydrocynus goliath)'' is one of five recognize ...

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858– ...

, 1898 (Goliath tigerfish) * '' Hydrocynus tanzaniae'' B. Brewster, 1986 (Blue tigerfish) * ''

Hydrocynus vittatus ''Hydrocynus vittatus'', the African tigerfish, tiervis or ngwesh is a predatory freshwater fish distributed throughout much of Africa. This fish is generally a piscivore but it has been observed leaping out of the water and catching Hirundo rus ...

'' Castelnau, 1861 (Striped tigerfish)

Economic importance

The different species tigerfish are among the most important and popular game fish species in Africa and as a result they are an important asset to the various tourist industries. They are also one of the most important components of commercial freshwater catches in Africa.

Notes and references

{{Authority control Alestidae Freshwater fish of Africa Freshwater fish genera Characiformes genera Taxa named by Georges Cuvier Predatory animals Extant Thanetian first appearances