Distichodontidae

Distichodontidae
Distichodus maculatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Suborder: Citharinoidei
Family: Distichodontidae
Genera

17, See article.

The Distichodontidae are a family of fresh water African fishes of the order Characiformes.[1]

Two evolutionary grades are found in this family; micropredators (predators of very small organisms) and herbivores have a nonprotractile upper jaw and a deep to shallow body, while carnivores have a movable upper jaw and an elongated body.[1] The fish vary greatly in size among species, with the micropredators being less than 8 cm (3.1 in) in length, and the largest carnivores can reach up to 83 cm (33 in).[2]

Genera

The 17 genera include about 90 species:[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Nelson, Joseph, S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7.
  2. Weitzman, S.H. & Vari, R.P. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 101. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
  3. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). "Distichodontidae" in FishBase. October 2011 version.
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