Brycinus macrolepidotus
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| Brycinus macrolepidotus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Alestidae |
| Genus: | Brycinus |
| Species: | B. macrolepidotus |
| Binomial name | |
| Brycinus macrolepidotus (Valenciennes, 1850) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Brycinus macrolepidotus, the true big-scale tetra or largescale robber, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Alestidae, the African tetras. This fish is widespread in tropical Africa.
Brycinus macrolepidotus was first formally described in 1850 by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes with its type locality given as Senegal.[2] When he described this species Valenciennes proposed the new genus Brycinus with B. macrolepidotus as its type species by monotypy. The genus Brycinus is classified within the African tetra family Alestidae, in the order Characiformes, the characins and allies.[3]
Etymology
Brycinus macrolepidotus is the type species of the genus Brycinus, a name for which Valenciennes did not explain its etymology but it may be a reference to the similarity of this fish to the fishes in the Neotropical genus Brycon, these taxa being considered to be members of the same family at the time, with the suffix -inus being adjectival. Brycon us derived from the Greek word brycho which means "to bite", "gnash teeth" or "guzzle", a reference to the large teeth in both jaws. The specific name macrolepidotus means "large scaled", the scales being described by Valenciennes as being "trés grande".[4]