| Ctenoluciidae | |
|---|---|
) | |
| Ctenolucius hujeta | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Superfamily: | Erythrinoidea |
| Family: | Ctenoluciidae |
The Ctenoluciidae (meaning "comb light family"), also known as pike-characins, are a small family of freshwater fishes from Panama and South America.
They have elongated, pike-like bodies, and several sharp and conical teeth. They are relatively large, up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length, predatory fish.[1]
Some of these fish, such as Ctenolucius hujeta, enter the aquarium fish hobby, often being labeled a "freshwater barracuda" or "freshwater needlefish", descriptions of fish that are both unrelated to members of this family.
Genera
The two genera in this group are:[2]
- Boulengerella (five species)
- Ctenolucius (two species)
References
- ^ Weitzman, S.H.; Vari, R.P. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 102. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). "Ctenoluciidae" in FishBase. October 2011 version.
- Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7