Brittanichthys Géry, 1965a

Mirande, Juan Marcos, 2010, Phylogeny of the family Characidae (Teleostei: Characiformes): from characters to taxonomy, Neotropical Ichthyology 8 (3), pp. 385-568 : 545

Brittanichthys Géry, 1965a

The phylogenetic position of this genus is uncertain. Géry (1965a, 1973, 1977) classified it among the Aphyoditeina, based principally on a numerical taxonomy analysis ( Géry, 1965a). It shares the presence of one row of premaxillary teeth, among other features, with some members of Aphyoditeinae . The analysis of Géry (1965a) grouped Brittanichthys with Leptobrycon and these two species were grouped with Aphyodite and Parecbasis . Géry (1965a) mentioned also that Brittanichthys has ectopterygoid and mesopterygoid teeth and lacks a tongue; these conditions are unique or much unusual among characids. Moreira (2002), in his coding of this species, reported the frontal fontanel as margined anteriorly by the mesethmoid, thereby differing from the examined species of the Aphyoditeinae , in which the frontal fontanel is limited anteriorly by the frontals. This genus is inseminating ( Malabarba, 1998a) and modifications of the medial caudal-fin rays ( Géry, 1965a, 1977) resemble those of some Stevardiinae . The relationships of this genus, thus, should be tested in a phylogenetic framework.