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Definition of swordtail characin
swordtail characin
Plural:swordtail characins
• noun
1
A small freshwater fish (Corynopoma riisei) native to South America and Trinidad, belonging to the characin family, notable for the male's uniquely elongated lower tail fin rays that resemble a sword.
Example
"The aquarium enthusiast carefully added a small school of swordtail characins to their planted tropical tank."
Word Nuance & Usage
Not to be confused with the much more common 'swordtail' (Xiphophorus hellerii), which is a livebearing fish; the swordtail characin is an unrelated egg-laying tetra.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Swordtail characin. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/swordtail%20characin