SOUTH AMERICAN CPIARACID FISHES — WEITZMAN 131 



Historical Review of the Classification of Nannostomus and 



Poecilobrycon 



Giinther (1872, p. 146) described the first member of the Nannos- 

 tomina, Nannostomus beckfordi. Of its relationships with other 

 characids, he simply stated: ". . . allied to Lebiasina, but with a 

 totally different form of the snout and mouth." He considered it to 

 belong to his first group of characids, the Erythrina (Giinther 1864, 

 pp. 278 and 281), which included the genera Hoplias, Erythrinus, 

 Lebiasina, Pyrrhulina, and Corynopoma. They were defined as those 

 characids without an adipose fin. 



Steindachner (1876, p. 130) thought Nannostomus should be placed 

 in or near the group Anostomatina ^ of Giinther (1864, pp. 279, 303). 

 Giinther's Anostomatina included the genera Anostomus, Rhytiodus, 

 and Leporinus. Steindachner (1876, p. 122) pointed out that the 

 presence or absence of the adipose fin in Nannostomus (=Nannos- 

 tomus plus Poecilobrycon of later authors) is not of importance in 

 determining their relationships with other characids because this fin 

 may be present or absent in specimens of Poecilobrycon eques. 



Eigenmann and Eigenmann (1891, p. 49) placed Nannostomus 

 in their subfamily Anostomatinae, which also included Anostomus, 

 Laemolyta, Characidium, Rhytiodus, Leporellus, and Leporinus. 

 Boulenger (1904, p. 576), following Steindachner 's and Eigenmann 's 

 precedent, placed the genus Nannostomus in the subfamily 

 Anostominae. 



Eigenmann (1909b, p. 35-36) placed the genera Nannostomus, 

 Poecilobrycon, and Archicheir (the latter two therein described) in his 

 undefined subfamily Nannostomatinae; however, the name Nan- 

 nostomatinae first appeared in Eigenmann (1909a). He also included 

 the genera Characidium and Microcharax in this subfamily. Eigen- 

 mann (1910, p. 427) again listed his subfamily Nannostomatinae 

 and, in addition, included the genus Jobertina. Eigenmann may have 

 held the opinion that the members of his subfamily Pyrrhulininae 

 are aUied to Nannostomus and Poecilobrycon for he placed them 

 immediately after his Nannostomatinae. These two subfamilies 

 were separated widely from his Erythrininae. Eigenmann's Anosto- 

 matinae (including Leporinus and relatives) immediately preceded 

 his Nannostomatinae. Apparently at that time he thought them 

 related. Eigenmann (1912, p. 254), in a key to the subfamilies 

 of characids from British Guiana, first defined the subfamily Nan- 



2 According to Miller (1897, p. 132), family group names formed from adjec- 

 tives used substantively, e.g., Nannostomus and Anostomus, should not be ter- 

 minated by "-atidae" or "-atinae." Accordingly, Giinther's Anostomus should 

 become Anostomina, not Anostomatina, or Anostominae, not Anostomatinae. 



