Family Characidae Latreille 1825 (Fig. 3B). Characins, Tetras; Sardinas, Sardinitas de Río, Sabaletes

Description: Body fusiform to slightly elongate, compressed to strongly compressed; usually less than 15 cm in length; upper jaw usually not projecting well beyond the tip of the lower jaw, upper jaw usually with 1–2 rows of multicuspid teeth; fins spine-less; adipose fin present; caudal fin forked; generally silvery in color (Angulo et al. 2021). Distribution: Freshwater; southwestern Texas, USA, Mexico and Central and South America (Nelson et al. 2016). Five genera and eleven species in Nicaraguan freshwaters.