{{Short description|Family of fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = {{fossil range|Middle Miocene|present}} | image = Hemiodopsis2.JPG | image_caption = ''Hemiodus gracilis'' | taxon = Hemiodontidae | authority = Bleeker, 1859 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = See the text }}
The '''Hemiodontidae''' are a small family of freshwater characins found in northern South America, south to the Paraná-Paraguay Basin. The larger species are popular food fish.<ref name=EoF/>
Hemiodontids have a streamlined body shape; many are fast-swimming, and are able to leap out of the water to escape predators. The adults of all species except ''Micromischodus sugillatus'' have no teeth on their lower jaws. Most species have a round spot on the side of the midbody and a stripe along the lower lobe of the caudal fin. The largest hemiodontids are around {{convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length.<ref name=EoF>{{cite book |editor=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N.|author1=Weitzman, S.H. |author2=Vari, R.P.|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|page= 104|isbn= 0-12-547665-5}}</ref>
Fossil remains of ''Hemiodus'' are known from the Middle Miocene-aged Pebas Formation of Peru.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Carrillo-Briceño |first1=Jorge D. |last2=Aguilera |first2=Orangel A. |last3=Benites-Palomino |first3=Aldo |last4=Hsiou |first4=Annie S. |last5=Birindelli |first5=José L. O. |last6=Adnet |first6=Sylvain |last7=Cadena |first7=Edwin-Alberto |last8=Scheyer |first8=Torsten M. |date=2021-12-20 |title=A historical vertebrate collection from the Middle Miocene of the Peruvian Amazon |journal=Swiss Journal of Palaeontology |language=en |volume=140 |issue=1 |pages=26 |doi=10.1186/s13358-021-00239-7 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021SwJP..140...26C |issn=1664-2384}}</ref>
==Genera== The family has around 29 known species, as well as several undescribed species, in five genera:<ref name="CofFF">{{Cof family|family=Hemiodontidae|access-date=17 May 2025}}</ref> *''Anodus'' <small>Cuvier, 1829</small> *''Argonectes'' <small>Böhlke & Myers, 1956</small> *''Bivibranchia'' <small>Eigenmann, 1912</small> *''Hemiodus'' <small>Müller, 1842</small> *''Micromischodus'' <small>Roberts, 1971</small>
==References== {{Reflist}} *Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). ''Fishes of the World''. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. {{ISBN|0-471-25031-7}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q928992}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Hemiodontidae Category:Characoidei Category:Fish of South America Category:Characiformes families
{{Characiformes-stub}} Category:Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker