Node 190: Bryconinae (86 / 97 / 1 / 10)

Genera Brycon, Chilobrycon Géry & de Rham, Henochilus Garman, Lignobrycon, and Triportheus.

The subfamily Bryconinae was considered by Géry (1977) to be composed of the tribes Bryconini, Salminini, and Triportheini. Although a close relationship between Brycon and Triportheus has been suggested several times in the literature (e. g. Géry, 1977), only Malabarba (1998b) obtained evidence supporting this hypothesis. In her phylogeny, Lignobrycon is the sister group of Triportheus, supported by eight synapomorphies. Lima (2003b), mainly based in the analysis of Zanata (2000) restricted the Bryconinae to Brycon, Chilobrycon, and Henochilus, leaving Lignobrycon, Salminus, and Triportheus as incertae sedis within the Characidae (Lima et al., 2003). This subfamily is herein redefined to include the previously incertae sedis genera Lignobrycon and Triportheus. The included species of Brycon form a polytomy in this node, and the monophyly of the genus is not supported in this analysis. However, only a small sample of this genus was analyzed, and a study focused on the question of the monophyly of Brycon lies far beyond the scope of this paper.

Synapomorphies:

1. Interdigitations between premaxillae (103): (1> 0) present. Paralleled in Distichodus maculatus and Piaractus mesopotamicus.

2. Number of rows of premaxillary teeth (123): (0> 1) three. Paralleled in Bryconaethiops macrops and Chalceus macrolepidotus.

3. Polymorphism of teeth on inner premaxillary row (131): (0> 1) present, with two medial teeth somewhat larger and usually separated from remaining ones by a gap. Paralleled in the Serrasalmidae.