Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Characinidae

Characinidae

9.9
A former scientific name for a group of freshwater fish like piranhas and tetras
  • noun
  • /ˌkɛrəsɪˈnaɪdi/
  • Archaic
: Characinidae
  • Many aquarium guides from the 20th century refer to tetras as belonging to Characinidae.

Examples

  • In outdated taxonomic classifications, piranhas were listed as members of Characinidae.

  • Scientists revised fish classifications, replacing Characinidae with the name Characidae in taxonomic literature.

  • The genus Astyanax, once placed in Characinidae, is now part of Characidae.

  • The Characinidae family includes many popular aquarium fish.

  • Some species of Characinidae are known for their vibrant colors.

  • Many popular aquarium fish, such as tetras, were formerly classified under Characinidae.

  • The family Characinidae included various species before being reclassified to Characidae.

Synonyms

family Characinidae
vsCharacinidae
  • Archaic
9.6

An old scientific name for a group of fish that live in rivers and lakes like tetras

is the updated scientific family name that replaced the older term

Surface Forms

Characinidae singular
Characinidas plural

Morphology

Characinidae = characin (semi-transparent) = characin + idae

The form is clearly 'characin' + the taxonomic family suffix '-idae', but '-idae' is a specialized scientific suffix that many learners will not interpret productively.

Etymology

Characinidae comes from the group name Characin- for certain tropical freshwater fish like piranhas and tetras, plus the family ending -idae that means 'family' in scientific names. So, Characinidae was the scientific 'family' name once used for these fish.