Brycon

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Brycon hilarii.jpg

| image_upright = 1.2

| image_caption = Brycon hilarii

| taxon = Brycon

| authority = J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1844

| type_species = Brycon falcatus

| type_species_authority = J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1844

}}

Brycon is a genus of fish in the family Bryconidae and order Characiformes found in freshwater habitats in Central and South America, ranging from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.{{FishBase_genus | genus = Brycon | month = October | year = 2016 }} Despite not being closely related to true trout, they are sometimes called South American trout.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Brycon |title=Brycons |access-date=9 March 2011 |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |archive-date=3 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203134708/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Brycon |url-status=dead }} Members of the genus may be referred to by a number of other different common names in various languages. They reach a maximum length of {{convert|11.9|-|79.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} depending on the species involved. Some species perform seasonal breeding migrations.Araujo-Lima, C.A.R.M.; and M.L. Ruffino (2003). Migratory Fishes of the Brazilian Amazon. Pp. 233—302 in: Carolsfeld, J.; B. Harvey; C. Ross; and A. Baer (editors). Migratory Fishes of South America. {{ISBN|0-9683958-2-1}}

They feed heavily on fruits and seeds, but also take other plant material, invertebrates and small fish.{{cite book | author=Goulding, M | year=1980 | title=The Fishes and the Forest: Explorations in Amazonian Natural History | publisher=University of California Press | pages=68–100 | isbn=0-520-04131-3 }}{{cite journal | last1=Reysa |first1=P. |last2=Sabino |first2=J. |last3=Galetti |first3=M. | title=Frugivory by the fish Brycon hilarii (Characidae) in western Brazil | year=2009 | journal=Acta Oecologica | volume=35 | issue=1 | pages=136–141 | doi=10.1016/j.actao.2008.09.007 |bibcode=2009AcO....35..136R }} Their food is typically taken from the water, but they are able to jump out of the water to "pluck" low-hanging seeds and fruits directly from trees. Some seeds are crushed when eaten, but may also pass undamaged through the fish, making them seed dispersers.

Brycon support important fisheries and based on a review by IBAMA, they are the fifth most caught fish by weight in the Brazilian Amazon.