Brittanichthys is a genus of characins endemic to the Rio Negro basin in South America. The currently described species are:

Brittanichthys
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Characidae
Genus: Brittanichthys
Géry, 1965

Etymology edit

The genus Brittanichthys is named in honor of ichthyologist Martin Ralph Brittan (1922-2008), Sacramento State College, California, who discovered both species.

The species Brittanichthys axelrodi is named in honor of pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927-2017), whose T.F.H. Fund sponsored the expedition that collected the type specimen.

The species Brittanichthys myersi is named in honor of Stanford University ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905-1985), “a long-time student of South American fishes”[1]

References edit

  1. ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018). "Order CHARACIFORMES: Family CHARACIDAE: Subfamily STETHAPRIONINAE (a-g)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 27 February 2021.