TABLE 2 | Numbers of characiform genera and species described in the last 20 years, grouped by ten-year intervals (2003–2012; and 2013–2022). Fossil taxa included in generic and species totals and also indicated separately in parentheses followed by number of valid taxa if lower than number of described taxa.

Family	Genera (2003–2012)	Species (2003–2012)	Genera (2013–2022)	Species (2013–2022)
Acestrorhynchidae	0	0	0	3
Alestidae	0	10 (3 fossil)	1	6
Anostomidae	1	13 (12 valid)	2	17
Bryconidae	0	2	0	6 (1 fossil)
Chalceidae	0	3	0	0
Characidae	12 (1 fossil; 9 valid)	224 (2 fossil; 217 valid)	8	223 (218 valid)
Chilodontidae	0	1	0	0
Citharinidae	0	0	0	0
Crenuchidae	0	5	0	33
Ctenoluciidae	0	0	0	0
Curimatidae	0	5	0	15 (14 valid)
Cynodontidae	0	0	0	0
Distichodontidae	0	6	0	10
Erythrinidae	1 (fossil)	3 (1 fossil)	0	4
Gasteropelecidae	0	0	0	0
Hemiodontidae	0	2	0	3
Hepsetidae	0	1 (currently invalid)	0	2
Iguanodectidae	0	3	0	9
Lebiasinidae	0	11 (10 valid)	0	4
Parodontidae	0	9	0	0
Prochilodontidae	0/0	0	0/0	0/0
Serrasalmidae	1 (fossil)	6 (1 fossil)	0	14
Tarumaniidae	0	0	1	1
Triportheidae	0	3	0	0
Characiformes Incertae sedis	2	2 (2 fossil)	0	1 (fossil)
Total taxa	17 (5 fossils; 14 valid)	309 (9 fossil; 299 valid)	12	351 (2 fossil; 345 valid)