Erythrinidae

This article is about the family of freshwater fish. For saltwater wolffish, see Anarhichadidae.

The Erythrinidae are a family of fishes found in rivers and other freshwater habitats from Costa Rica south as far as Argentina. They are common and are caught with hooks by fishermen, partially because of their voracious behaviour. They are sometimes called trahiras (also spelled trairas) or tarariras.

Erythrinidae
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Superfamily:	Erythrinoidea
Family:	Erythrinidae
Genera
Erythrinus Hoplerythrinus Hoplias †Paleohoplias

The Erythrinidae include cylindrical fish with blunt heads, and prey on other fish. They can reach lengths up to 90 cm (35 in). Some species can breathe air, enabling them to survive in water low in oxygen,^[1] and even to move over land between ponds.

Genera

The 16 species are contained in extant (living) genera,^[2] plus another extinct species in a separate genus:^[3]

• Erythrinus
• Hoplerythrinus
• Hoplias - giant trahiras^[4]
• †Paleohoplias