Hydrocynus

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title: "Hydrocynus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["alestidae", "hydrocynus", "freshwater-fish-of-africa", "freshwater-fish-genera", "characiformes-genera", "taxa-named-by-georges-cuvier", "predatory-animals", "extant-thanetian-first-appearances"] description: "Genus of fishes" topic_path: "general/alestidae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocynus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of fishes ::

| fossil_range = | image = Hydrocynus goliath - Poisson-chien - Aqua porte Dorée 03.JPG | image_caption = Goliath tigerfish (H. goliath) | taxon = Hydrocynus | authority = Cuvier, 1816 | type_species = Hydrocynus lucius | type_species_authority = Cuvier, 1816 | synonyms = * Hydrocionichthys Travassos, 1952 | synonyms_ref = | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = 5, see text.

Hydrocynus is a genus of Characin fish in the family Alestidae commonly called "tigerfish," native to Africa. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ ("water") + κύων ("dog"). The genus contains five species, Hydrocynus are normally piscivorous, but H. vittatus is proven to prey on birds in flight.

Taxonomy

Hydrocynus was first proposed as a genus in 1816 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier. In 1910 Carl Eigenmann designated Hydrocynus lucius as the type species of the genus, however, that name is a synonym of Boulengerella lucius, a Neotropical species which is classified in a different family. In 1952 Haroldo P. Travassos proposed the genus Hydrocionichthys with Hydrocynus forskahlii as its type species, as this genus is a junior synonym of Hydrocynus then H. forskahlii would be the type species of Hydrocynus. This may have to be ruled on by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. This genus is classified in the African tetra family, Alestidae., in the order Characiformes.

Evolutionary history

The earliest fossils which have been identified as belonging to Hydrocynus are dated to the Late Paleocene/Early Eocene of Algeria, and from the middle Eocene of Libya. Hydrocynus remains are also known from the Late Miocene, and have been found from the Chad, Maronga, Turkana and Semliki basins of northern and eastern Africa, in all of which Hydrocynus species still occur. The oldest lineage appears to be that of Hydrocynus goliath, while lineages of H. brevis and H. forskahlii diverged in the Late Miocene and Pliocene while the lineages which formed H. tanzaniae and the "vittatus complex" appear in the Pliocene.

Species

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Hydrocynus_comparison.jpg" caption="H. goliath]]''"] ::

Hydrocynus contains the following valid species:

• Hydrocynus brevis (Günther, 1864) (Tigerfish)
• Hydrocynus forskahlii (Cuvier, 1819) (Elongate tigerfish)
• Hydrocynus goliath Boulenger, 1898 (Goliath tigerfish)
• Hydrocynus tanzaniae B. Brewster, 1986 (Blue tigerfish)
• Hydrocynus vittatus Castelnau, 1861 (Striped tigerfish)

Economic importance

The different species of tigerfish are among the most important and popular game fish species in Africa and as a result they are an important asset to the various tourist industries. They are also one of the most important components of commercial freshwater catches in Africa.

References

1. {{Cof family
2. Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.
3. all commonly known as "African [[tigerfish]]" for their fierce predatory behaviour and other characteristics that make them excellent [[game fish]].[http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-278428/Hydrocynus "Hydrocynus"], [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]
4. (1994). "Comparative ecology of the African pike, ''Hepsetus odoe'', and tigerfish, ''Hydrocynus forskahlii'', in the Zambezi River floodplain". Journal of Fish Biology.
5. [http://www.universityherald.com/articles/6788/20140113/african-tigerfish-recorded-catching-bird-prey-in-mid-flight-for-first-time-ever-video.htm "African Tigerfish Recorded Catching Bird Prey in Mid-Flight For First Time Ever (VIDEO)"], ''[[University Herald]]'', January 13, 2014.
6. {{Cof family
7. (2016). "Earliest occurrence of Hydrocynus (Characiformes, Alestidae) from Eocene continental deposits of Méridja Hamada, northwestern Sahara, Algeria". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.
8. (2015-12-16). "A Fish Assemblage from the Middle Eocene from Libya (Dur At-Talah) and the Earliest Record of Modern African Fish Genera". PLOS ONE.
9. (2011). "Cryptic diversity of African tigerfish (genus ''Hydrocynus'') reveals palaeogeographic signatures of linked Neogene geotectonic events". PLOS ONE.
10. {{Cof genus
11. "tigerfish". International Game Fish Association.

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