# Ichthyothere > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ichthyothere > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ichthyothere.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyothere > Source revision: 1193404645 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Genus of plants Ichthyothere Ichthyothere elliptica Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Asterids Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Subfamily: Asteroideae Tribe: Millerieae Subtribe: Espeletiinae Genus: Ichthyothere Mart., 1830 Synonyms Torrentia Vell. Latreillea DC. ***Ichthyothere*** is a genus of flowering plants, found in parts of [South America](/source/South_America) (the [Amazon](/source/Amazon_basin)) and [Central America](/source/Central_America).[1][2][3] The name *ichthyothere* literally translates as *fish poison*. These plants' active constituent is a chemical called [ichthyothereol](/source/Ichthyothereol), which is a [polyyne](/source/Polyyne) compound that is highly [toxic](/source/Toxic) to [fish](/source/Fish) and [mammals](/source/Mammals).[4] *Ichthyothere terminalis* [leaves](/source/Leaf) have traditionally been used to make poisoned bait by indigenous peoples of the lower [Amazon basin](/source/Amazon_basin).[4] [Ichthyothereol](/source/Ichthyothereol), a potent fish poison found in members of this genus This genus is characterized by the small [capitulum](/source/Head_(botany)) with few (usually one or two) fertile ray florets. It lacks an expanded outer series of herbaceous involucral [bracts](/source/Bract) or phyllaries. These tend to be much reduced. *Ichthyothere scandens* and *Ichthyothere garcia-barrigae*, both found at elevations above 1,000m, belong to a unique subgenus within *Ichthyothere*. The other species are small [herbs](/source/Herb) with an erect [stem](/source/Plant_stem), showing tightly clustered or glomerulate groups of capitula. They occur below 1,000 m elevation. Its taxonomic status has been revised several times. It was classified in the subtribes Melampodiinae, Milleriinae and then in a group of unclassified taxa. Recent molecular phylogenetic research has now placed the genus *Ichthyothere* in the subtribe Espeletiinae. It may be a sister taxon to the *[Espeletia](/source/Espeletia)* complex.[5] **Species** Species accepted by the [Plants of the World Online](/source/Plants_of_the_World_Online) as of December 2022:[6] - *[Ichthyothere connata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_connata&action=edit&redlink=1)* S.F.Blake - *[Ichthyothere cordata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_cordata&action=edit&redlink=1)* Malme - *[Ichthyothere cunabi](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_cunabi&action=edit&redlink=1)* Mart. - *[Ichthyothere davidsei](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_davidsei&action=edit&redlink=1)* H.Rob. - *[Ichthyothere elliptica](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_elliptica&action=edit&redlink=1)* H.Rob. - *[Ichthyothere garcia-barrigae](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_garcia-barrigae&action=edit&redlink=1)* H.Rob. - *[Ichthyothere grandifolia](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_grandifolia&action=edit&redlink=1)* S.F.Blake - *[Ichthyothere granvillei](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_granvillei&action=edit&redlink=1)* H.Rob. - *[Ichthyothere hirsuta](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_hirsuta&action=edit&redlink=1)* Gardner - *[Ichthyothere integrifolia](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_integrifolia&action=edit&redlink=1)* Baker - *[Ichthyothere latifolia](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_latifolia&action=edit&redlink=1)* Baker - *[Ichthyothere linearis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_linearis&action=edit&redlink=1)* Baker - *[Ichthyothere macdanielii](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_macdanielii&action=edit&redlink=1)* H.Rob. - *[Ichthyothere matogrossensis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_matogrossensis&action=edit&redlink=1)* R.C.A.Pereira & Semir - *[Ichthyothere mollis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_mollis&action=edit&redlink=1)* Baker - *[Ichthyothere palustris](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_palustris&action=edit&redlink=1)* Malme - *[Ichthyothere pastazensis](/source/Ichthyothere_pastazensis)* H.Rob. - *[Ichthyothere perfoliata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_perfoliata&action=edit&redlink=1)* R.C.A.Pereira & Semir - *[Ichthyothere peruviana](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_peruviana&action=edit&redlink=1)* Baker - *[Ichthyothere petiolata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_petiolata&action=edit&redlink=1)* H.Rob. - *[Ichthyothere rufa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_rufa&action=edit&redlink=1)* Gardner - *[Ichthyothere sasakiae](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_sasakiae&action=edit&redlink=1)* Frisby & D.J.N.Hind - *[Ichthyothere scandens](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_scandens&action=edit&redlink=1)* S.F.Blake - *[Ichthyothere suffruticosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_suffruticosa&action=edit&redlink=1)* Gardner - *[Ichthyothere terminalis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_terminalis&action=edit&redlink=1)* S.F.Blake - *[Ichthyothere ternifolia](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_ternifolia&action=edit&redlink=1)* Baker - *[Ichthyothere woodii](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichthyothere_woodii&action=edit&redlink=1)* Frisby & D.J.N.Hind ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp von. 1830. Repertorium für die Pharmacie 35: 195 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Tropicos, *Ichthyothere* Mart.](http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40030421) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Robinson H., 1980 Studies in the Heliantheae (Asteraceae). XXVI. New species of *Ichthyothere*. Phytologia 47: 128-128 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CasconMors1965_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CasconMors1965_4-1) Cascon, Seiva C.; Mors, Walter B.; Tursch, Bernard M.; Aplin, Robin T.; Durham, Lois J. (1965). "Ichthyothereol and Its Acetate, the Active Polyacetylene Constituents of *Ichthyothere terminalis* (Spreng.) Malme, a Fish Poison from the Lower Amazon". *Journal of the American Chemical Society*. **87** (22): 5237–5241. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1021/ja00950a044](https://doi.org/10.1021%2Fja00950a044). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0002-7863](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0002-7863). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [5844817](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5844817). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Molecular phylogenetics of the Espeletia complex (Asteraceae)](https://web.archive.org/web/20040222171941/http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/89/7/1074#F2) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-POWO_6-0)** ["*Ichthyothere* Mart"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:9464-1). *Plants of the World Online*. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022. Taxon identifiers Ichthyothere Wikidata: Q3147701 Wikispecies: Ichthyothere CoL: 638H9 EoL: 5115821 FNA: 116325 GBIF: 3125434 GRIN: 6006 iNaturalist: 186393 IPNI: 9464-1 IRMNG: 1059259 NCBI: 182994 Open Tree of Life: 707302 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:9464-1 Tropicos: 40030421 WFO: wfo-4000018940 WoRMS: 1075941 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ichthyothere](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyothere) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyothere?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.