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Glite Dictionary
family Characidae

family Characidae

9.5
A group of tropical freshwater fish like tetras that live in South and Central America and Africa
  • noun
  • Specialized
: familia Characidae
  • Many aquarium enthusiasts keep family Characidae members, such as tetras, because of their bright colors and active behavior.

Examples

  • Species within the family Characidae are native to rivers and lakes across South America.

  • Biologists are studying the evolutionary relationships among fishes in the family Characidae.

  • The family Characidae includes many colorful species.

  • Many aquarists love keeping family Characidae fish in their tanks.

  • Many aquarium enthusiasts keep family Characidae members, such as tetras, because of their bright colors and active behavior.

  • Species within the family Characidae are native to rivers and lakes across South America.

  • Biologists are studying the evolutionary relationships among fishes in the family Characidae.

Synonyms

Characidae
vsfamily Characidae
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of tropical freshwater fish like tetras found in Africa and the Americas

is the current accepted scientific name for that same fish group
family Characinidae
vsfamily Characidae
  • Archaic
9.6

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

is the modern accepted name rather than the older form
Characinidae
vsfamily Characidae
  • Archaic
9.9

A former scientific name for a group of freshwater fish like piranhas and tetras

is the current name and excludes the historical alternative label

Surface Forms

family Characidae singular
families Characidae plural

Morphology

family + Characidae

The phrase is directly compositional: 'family' denotes a taxonomic grouping and 'Characidae' is the name of that group of fishes, so a learner who knows both words will understand it refers to the taxonomic family of those fishes. This pattern (family + taxon name) is a standard, cross-linguistic way to label biological groups and is therefore transparent to learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Family Characidae comes from an old word meaning 'point', because many of these small freshwater fishes have tiny sharp teeth. That's why family Characidae is used today to name the group of related 'tetras' and similar fishes.