California Academy of Sciences, Rainforest Gallery

Brycon is a genus of fish from the family Characidae. Despite being unrelated to true trout, they are sometimes called South American trout. They reach a maximum length of 12–80 centimetres (4.7–31 in) depending on the exact species involved, and the largest are among the largest species in the Characidae family. They are found widely in freshwater habitats in the Neotropics, ranging from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Some species play a role in seed dispersal, and... less ↑

Leporinus fasciatus, commonly known as the banded leporinus or the black-banded leporinus, is a species of characin in the family Anostomidae. L. fasciatus is native to the River Amazon and other rivers in South America, but has been introduced into the US states of Florida and Hawaii. It has not been observed from Hawaii as of 2005; the species is thought to have gone extinct in the region. less ↑

The Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) inhabits coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers. The tarpon feeds almost exclusively on schooling fish and occasionally crabs. It is capable of filling its swim bladder with air, like a primitive lung. This gives the tarpon a predatory advantage when oxygen levels in the water are low. Tarpons have been recorded at up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in length and weighing up to 161 kg (355 lb). The Atlantic tarpon is also known as... less ↑

The ripsaw catfish (Oxydoras niger) or cuiu cuiu is a species of thorny catfish native to the tropical river basins of South America being found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela. This species grows to a length of 100.0 centimetres (39.4 in) SL and weights up to 13 kilograms (29 lb). This species is a minor component of local commercial fisheries. Has lateral thorns that can damage a potential predator or handler. It feeds by... less ↑

The redtail catfish, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus, is a pimelodid (long-whiskered) catfish named for its orange-red caudal fin. In Venezuela it is known as cajaro and in Brazil it is known as pirarara. It is the only extant species of the genus Phractocephalus. This fish originates from South America in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Essequibo river basins. Despite reaching 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) in length and 80 kg (180 lb) in weight, this fish is a common aquarium fish.This fish also has... less ↑

The danionins are a group of small minnow-type fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. Members of this group are mostly in the genera Danio and Devario. They are native to the fresh waters of southeast Asia. Many species are brightly coloured and are available as aquarium fish worldwide. Danio tend to have horizontal stripes and long barbels, Devario tend to have vertical bars and short rudimentary barbels, if barbels are present at all. All danionins are... less ↑

The glowlight danio (Danio choprai) is a small, schooling fish closely related to the popular zebrafish Danio rerio. This should not be confused with the GloFish , a trademarked brand of fluorescent zebrafish that appear to glow in the dark under ultravilet light. Danio choprai is an active danionin species that spends most of its time on mid-water levels. This species feeds on insects that have fallen into the water, aquatic insect larvae, and other small... less ↑

The cherry barb, Puntius titteya, is a tropical fish belonging to the spotted barb genus of the Cyprinidae family. It is native to Sri Lanka, and introduced populations have become established in Mexico and Colombia. The cherry barb was named Puntius titteya by Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala in 1929. Synonyms include Barbus titteya and Capoeta titteya. less ↑

The harlequin rasbora a small fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae, subfamily Rasborinae, which was originally given the scientific name of Rasbora heteromorpha. The specific name heteromorpha, translating from the Greek as "differently shaped", alludes to the fact that the body shape of this species differs from that of other members of the genus Rasbora, and as a consequence of this and assorted other factors (including the difference in breeding technique), the fish was assigned to... less ↑

Katria katria is a vulnerable species of cichlid fish from the Mangoro and Nosivolo Rivers in east-central Madagascar. It is the only species in the genus Katria, but was formerly included in Ptychochromoides. The only other single-species cichlid genus in Madagascar is Oxylapia, and it is restricted to the same region as Katria. In 2010, the Nosivolo River was designated as a Ramsar Site. The Katria reaches about 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length. less ↑

The pinstripe menarambo or pinstripe damba (Paretroplus menarambo) is a species of cichlid fish from floodplain lakes in the Sofia River system in northwestern Madagascar. It is threatened by invasive species and over-fishing. It is part of a captive breeding program by public institutions like London Zoo and Bolton Museum and among fishkeeping hobbyists. It was formerly classified as extinct in the wild by the IUCN, but a remnant population has recently been discovered in Lake... less ↑

Ptychochromis grandidieri is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family endemic to river basins along a large part of the eastern coast of Madagascar, although it has been recorded as far as 100 km (62 mi) inland. Uniquely in the genus Ptychochromis, this species also occurs in brackish water. It reaches 21.3 cm (8.4 in) in standard length. It shares a large part of its range with a cichlid from another genus, Paretroplus polyactis. less ↑