The Erythrinidae are a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...
es found in
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...
s and other freshwater habitats from
Costa Rica south as far as
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
. They are common and are caught with hooks by fishermen, partially because of their voracious behaviour. They are sometimes called ''trahiras'' (also spelled trairas) or ''tarariras''.
The Erythrinidae include cylindrical fish with blunt heads, and prey on other fish. They can reach lengths up to . Some species can breathe air, enabling them to survive in water low in oxygen,
and even to move over land between ponds.
Species
The 16 species are contained in three
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial ...
:
*''
Erythrinus''
*''
Hoplerythrinus
''Hoplerythrinus'' is a genus of trahiras found in Central and South America. The currently described species in this genus are:
* ''Hoplerythrinus cinereus'' ( T. N. Gill, 1858)
* ''Hoplerythrinus gronovii'' (Valenciennes, 1847)
* '' Hopleryth ...
''
*''
Hoplias
''Hoplias'' is a genus of fish in the family Erythrinidae found in Central and South America.
Species
There are currently 13 recognized species in this genus:
* '' Hoplias aimara'' ( Valenciennes, 1847)
* '' Hoplias australis'' Oyakawa & ...
'' - giant trahiras
References
* Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). ''
Fishes of the World
''Fishes of the World'' by the American Ichthyology, ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011) is a standard reference for fish systematics. Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of the diversity and classificat ...
''. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
External links
Fish of South America
{{Characiformes-stub