''Alestes'' is a genus of freshwater
ray-finned fishes belonging to the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Alestidae, known as the "African Characidae" as they are found exclusively on that continent. As suggested by that name, they Alestidae was formerly included in
Characidae
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 Riv ...
. ''Myletes'' was 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 ''Alestes'', which was used for various South American
serrasalmids too but this name was suppressed by Opinion 1813 of the
ICZN
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its formal author, t ...
.
Within the
Lake Chad basin, ''Alestes'' and ''
Hydrocynus'', collectively known as ''salanga'', are lightly smoked and dried.
''Fisheries Development Within the Framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission''
by A. Staunch, presented at the Symposium on the Evaluation of Fishery Resources in the Development and Management of Inland Fisheries, 1972 (hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...
)
Species
There are currently seven recognized species in this genus:Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
, 1758
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...
) (Characin)
* '' Alestes inferus'' Stiassny, Schelly & Mamonekene, 2009
* '' Alestes liebrechtsii'' Boulenger, 1898
* '' Alestes macrophthalmus'' Günther, 1867 (Torpedo robber)
* '' Alestes stuhlmannii'' Pfeffer, 1896
References
External links
on 2014-11-26 Bailly, N. (2014). Alestes. In: Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2014) FishBase. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species
Alestidae
Fish of Africa
{{Characiformes-stub