Bryconops florenceae

There are two subgenera in the genus Bryconops: Bryconops and Creatochanes.^[6] B. florenceae belongs to the former, based upon the fact that its maxillary bones lack teeth.^[1] (Members of Creatochanes are characterized partially by having 1-3 teeth on either side of the maxilla.)^[3] B. rheoruber, a congener of remarkable similarity, also belongs to Bryconops.^[4]

Based upon significant morphological similarity and a history of synonymy, Bryconops florenceae is a candidate for the Bryconops caudomaculatus species complex,^[1] though this has not been officially recognized. Other members of this species complex (along with B. caudomaculatus) include B. disruptus, B. durbini, B. collettei, and B. magoi.^[7] B. rheoruber is also in consideration due to its own visual overlap with B. caudomaculatus.^[4]

Prior to 2011, members of Bryconops were considered members of the family Characidae, which is of remarkable variation and has many genera incertae sedis.^[8] However, research by Oliveira et al. regarding the phylogeny of various characin species prompted that Bryconops be moved to the family Iguanodectidae; it was placed there alongside the genera Iguanodectes and Piabucus.^[9]

The specific epithet "florenceae" honors Florence de Rapleye Foerderer, a woman whose will left $7 million each to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Zoo, and Gallaudet University (a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students) after she died in 1999.^[10] There was a suggestion to name B. florenceae Bryconops foerdererae, also to honor Foerderer, but speakers of Brazilian Portuguese would have had remarkable difficulty pronouncing "foerdererae". Thus, "florenceae" was chosen instead.^[11]

Bryconops florenceae was originally documented from the waters of French Guiana in 1996. Its first appearance was in the book "Atlas des Poissons d'eau douce de Guyane (tome 1)", by Paul Planquette et. al., though it was not formally named at the time.^[12] Therein, B. florenceae was described as a "western form" of Bryconops caudomaculatus, which is found in the Approuague and Oyapock rivers. Its current range is known to extend into Suriname, including the Sinnamary, Maroni, and Mana rivers; it demonstrates a preference for areas of strong current with rocky substrate.^[1]

Though B. florenceae has not been the subject of specific dietary study, it is most likely to be an insectivore or omnivore, as is the pattern throughout its genus.^[13][14]

Though not formally evaluated by the IUCN, the original description for B. florenceae from researchers suggests an assessment of least concern.^[1] This is based upon a large native range and a lack of severe active threats to cut off any part of said range. Nonetheless, it may be the case that B. florenceae ends up as one of several Bryconops species threatened by human activity, such as illegal mining or farmland settlement.^[15][16]