Hemiodontidae

{{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.

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.{{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}}

Fossil remains of Hemiodus are known from the Middle Miocene-aged Pebas Formation of Peru.{{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}}