African tetras (family Alestidae, formerly spelled Alestiidae) are a group of characiform fish found exclusively in Africa.Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. This family contains about 18 genera and 119 species. Among the best known members are the Congo tetra and African tigerfish; both are kept in aquaria, and tigerfish are utilized for food and as gamefish.
Although currently native only to African waterways, fossil evidence suggests that during the Paleogene, they ranged as far north as southern Europe and as far east as the Arabian subcontinent. Fossil remains date back to potentially the Late Paleocene with Hydrocynus remains known from Algeria. Alestid-like teeth are also known from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of France, and phylogenetic evidence also suggests that they diverged around this time.
Taxonomy
Taxonomy based on Van der Laan 2017 and Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (2026): Family Alestidae Cockerell, 1910 Subfamily Petersiinae Poll, 1967 (Tanzania robbers) Genus Petersius Hilgendorf, 1894 Subfamily Alestinae Cockerell, 1910 (African tetras) Genus Alestes Müller & Troschel, 1844 Genus Alestion Roberts, 2019 Genus Bathyaethiops Fowler, 1949 Genus Brycinus Valenciennes, 1850 Genus Bryconaethiops Günther, 1873 Genus Bryconalestes Hoedeman, 1951 Genus Hydrocynus Cuvier, 1816 Genus Ladigesia Géry, 1968 Genus Micralestes Boulenger, 1899 Genus Rhabdalestes Hoedeman, 1951 Genus Tricuspidalestes Poll, 1967 Subfamily Clupeocharacinae Pellegrin, 1926 (Congo tetras) Genus Alestopetersius Hoedeman, 1951 Genus Brachyalestes Günther, 1864 Genus Brachypetersius Hoedeman, 1956 Genus Clavocharax Wang, Stiassny & Melo, 2026 Genus Clupeocharax Pellégrin, 1926 Genus Hemigrammopetersius Pellégrin, 1926 Genus Nannopetersius Hoedeman, 1951 Genus Phenacogrammus C. H. Eigenmann, 1907 The following fossil genera are also known:
Genus †Alestoides Monod & Gaudant, 1998 (Early Eocene of France) Genus †Arabocharax Micklich & Roscher, 1990 (Oligocene of Saudi Arabia) Genus †Bunocharax Van Neer, 1994 (Miocene of Africa) Genus †Eurocharax Gaudant, 1980 (?Oligocene of France) Genus ?†Mahengecharax Murray, 2003 (Middle Eocene of Tanzania, taxonomic identity disputed) Genus †Sindacharax Greenwood & Howes, 1975 (Miocene of Africa)
The Lepidarchidae, whose two genera were previously placed in this family, have been found to be an ancient group more closely related to the Hepsetidae, and are thus placed in their own family now.
Below are two cladograms: the left one is based on a maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree from a 2023 analysis of ultraconserved element (UCE) loci, while the right one is based on 2026 study's maximum likelihood tree analyzing UCEs with ultrafast bootstrap support:
References