Hyphessobrycon Meek, 1904, is a genus of freshwater fish in the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. The type species is H. compressus, the Mayan tetra, and the Hyphessobrycon species are among the fishes known as tetras. All species of this genus are native to the Neotropic ecozone in South America.

All small fishes, the Hyphessobrycon tetras reach maximum overall lengths of about 2–7 cm (0.75–2.75 in). They are generally of typical characin shape, but vary greatly in coloration and body form, many species having distinctive black, red, or yellow markings on their bodies or fins.

The Hyphessobrycon species are generally omnivorous, feeding predominantly on small crustaceans, insects, worms, and zooplankton. When spawning, they scatter their eggs and guard neither eggs nor young.

None of the roughly one hundred fishes in the genus appears on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

The generic name, Hyphessobrycon, is of slightly uncertain origin. The second part derives from the Greek βρύκω (to bite); the first, according to FishBase, derives from an ostensible Greek hyphesson, which may be an error for υπελάσσων (slightly smaller).

Species

• Hyphessobrycon agulha
• Hyphessobrycon albolineatum
• Hyphessobrycon amandae – ember tetra
• Hyphessobrycon amapaensis
• Hyphessobrycon anisitsi
• Hyphessobrycon arianae
• Hyphessobrycon axelrodi – calypso tetra
• Hyphessobrycon balbus
• Hyphessobrycon bentosi – ornate tetra
• Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus – yellow tetra
• Hyphessobrycon boulengeri
• Hyphessobrycon cachimbensis
• Hyphessobrycon catableptus
• Hyphessobrycon coelestinus
• Hyphessobrycon columbianus
• Hyphessobrycon compressus – Mayan tetra
• Hyphessobrycon condotensis
• Hyphessobrycon copelandi
• Hyphessobrycon diancistrus
• Hyphessobrycon duragenys
• Hyphessobrycon ecuadorensis
• Hyphessobrycon ecuadoriensis
• Hyphessobrycon eilyos
• Hyphessobrycon elachys
• Hyphessobrycon eos – dawn tetra
• Hyphessobrycon epicharis
• Hyphessobrycon eques
• Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma – bleeding-heart tetra
• Hyphessobrycon fernandezi
• Hyphessobrycon flammeus – flame tetra
• Hyphessobrycon frankei
• Hyphessobrycon georgettae
• Hyphessobrycon gracilior
• Hyphessobrycon griemi – goldspotted tetra
• Hyphessobrycon guarani
• Hyphessobrycon haraldschultzi
• Hyphessobrycon hasemani
• Hyphessobrycon heliacus
• Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi – black neon tetra
• Hyphessobrycon heteresthes
• Hyphessobrycon heterorhabdus – flag tetra
• Hyphessobrycon hildae
• Hyphessobrycon igneus
• Hyphessobrycon iheringi
• Hyphessobrycon inconstans
• Hyphessobrycon itaparicensis
• Hyphessobrycon langeanii
• Hyphessobrycon latus
• Hyphessobrycon loretoensis – Loreto tetra
• Hyphessobrycon loweae
• Hyphessobrycon luetkenii
• Hyphessobrycon maculicauda
• Hyphessobrycon megalopterus – black phantom tetra
• Hyphessobrycon melanopleurus
• Hyphessobrycon melasemion
• Hyphessobrycon melazonatus
• Hyphessobrycon meridionalis
• Hyphessobrycon metae
• Hyphessobrycon micropterus
• Hyphessobrycon milleri
• Hyphessobrycon minimus
• Hyphessobrycon minor
• Hyphessobrycon moniliger
• Hyphessobrycon mutabilis
• Hyphessobrycon negodagua
• Hyphessobrycon panamensis
• Hyphessobrycon parvellus
• Hyphessobrycon peruvianus – Peruvian tetra
• Hyphessobrycon piabinhas
• Hyphessobrycon poecilioides
• Hyphessobrycon procerus
• Hyphessobrycon proteus
• Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis – lemon tetra
• Hyphessobrycon pyrrhonotus
• Hyphessobrycon pytai
• Hyphessobrycon reticulatus
• Hyphessobrycon robustulus
• Hyphessobrycon rosaceus – rosy tetra
• Hyphessobrycon roseus
• Hyphessobrycon saizi
• Hyphessobrycon santae
• Hyphessobrycon savagei
• Hyphessobrycon schauenseei
• Hyphessobrycon scholzei – blackline tetra
• Hyphessobrycon simulatus
• Hyphessobrycon socolofi – spotfin tetra
• Hyphessobrycon sovichthys
• Hyphessobrycon stegemanni – savanna tetra
• Hyphessobrycon stramineus
• Hyphessobrycon sweglesi – red phantom tetra
• Hyphessobrycon takasei – coffee-bean tetra
• Hyphessobrycon taurocephalus
• Hyphessobrycon tenuis
• Hyphessobrycon tortuguerae
• Hyphessobrycon tropis
• Hyphessobrycon tukunai
• Hyphessobrycon uruguayensis
• Hyphessobrycon vilmae
• Hyphessobrycon wajat
• Hyphessobrycon weitzmanorum
• Hyphessobrycon werneri

References

• "Hyphessobrycon" (http://www.fishbase.org/Eschmeyer/GeneraSummary.cfm?ID=Hyphessobrycon). FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. October 2004 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2004.
• "Hyphessobrycon" (TSN 162860) (http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=162860). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. N.p.: Integrated Taxonomic Information System, 2004. Accessed on 17 December 2004.