Astyanax belizianus (Bocourt, 1868)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Astyanax belizianus, the Belizean tetra, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American characins. This fish is found in Central America. Little is known of its diet or specific environmental preferences, but it was first recorded in Belize. Modern ichthyology has expanded its range into Guatemala and Honduras, where it inhabits various rivers and lake tributaries. It is a silvery fish that may have a slight yellowish tint to its scales. The body is deep, especially in comparison to similar species from the same genus.
Its original description nominated it as a member of genus Tetragonopterus, which is not uncommon for members of Astyanax named in the late 1800s. A. belizianus was considered synonymous with congener Astyanax aeneus for a great deal of its existence, but recent research into the phylogeny of the genus (2017) has resurrected it from synonymy and re-granted it species status.
Wikipedia contributors, Astyanax belizianus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:05:25.802319+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Astyanax belizianus (Bocourt, 1868)
- Name authority
- (Bocourt, 1868)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Characiformes
- Family
- Acestrorhamphidae
- Genus
- Astyanax
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCharaciformes
- suborderCharacoidei
- familyAcestrorhamphidae Eigenmann, 1907
- subfamilyAcestrorhamphinae Eigenmann, 1907
- genusAstyanax Baird & Girard, 1854
- speciesAstyanax belizianus (Bocourt, 1868)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Astyanax. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Astyanax robustus Meek, 1912 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax pirabitira Lucena, Bertaco & Berbigier, 2013 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax superbus Myers, 1942 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax bagual Bertaco & Vigo, 2015 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax ruberrimus Eigenmann, 1913 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax trierythropterus Godoy, 1970 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax henseli de Melo & Buckup, 2006 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax procerus Lucena, Castro & Bertaco, 2013 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax poetzschkei Ahl, 1932 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax saltor Travassos, 1960 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax acatlanensis Schmitter-Soto, 2017 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Astyanax bacalarensis Schmitter-Soto, 2017 | AcestrorhamphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tetragonopterus belizianus Bocourt, 1868 Bocourt, 1868 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1592383 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:D5CVV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.