Hepsetus

Hepsetus is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the monotypic family Hepsetidae, the African pikes or African pike characins, in the order Characiformes. It was long believed that only a single widespread species existed, H. odoe,^[2] but studies in 2011–2013 have shown that this species is restricted to parts of West and Central Africa. The well-known species of southern Africa, including Kafue River, is Hepsetus cuvieri.^[3] These predatory fish reach up to 44 cm (17 in) in length.^[4]

Hepsetus
Hepsetus lineatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Suborder:	Characoidei
Family:	Hepsetidae C. L. Hubbs, 1939[1]
Genus:	Hepsetus Swainson, 1838[1]
Type species
Salmo odoe Bloch, 1794[1]
Synonyms[1]
Hydrocyonoides Castelnau, 1861 Sarcodaces Günther, 1864

A 2024 study found their closest relatives to be the newly-defined family Lepidarchidae, which they diverged from during the Late Cretaceous.^[5] The divergence of these two families appears to have been driven by the Trans-Saharan Seaway, which served as a marine barrier between western and eastern Africa at the time.^[6]

Species

There are currently six recognized species in this genus:^[4][7]

• Hepsetus cuvieri (Castelnau, 1861)^[3]
• Hepsetus kingsleyae Vreven, Decru & Snoeks, 2013^[8]
• Hepsetus lineatus (Pellegrin, 1926)^[8]
• Hepsetus microlepis (Boulenger, 1901)^[9]
• Hepsetus occidentalis Decru, Snoeks & Vreven, 2013^[10]
• Hepsetus odoe (Bloch, 1794)^[11]

Synonym:

• Hepsetus akawo Decru, Vreven & Snoeks, 2012 = Hepsetus odoe^[10][12]