Belonophago is a small genus of predatory characins restricted to the Congo River basin, known from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It belongs to the African characin family Distichodontidae, and more specifically to the pike-characin lineage that also holds the "fin-eating" genera Phago and Ichthyborus - fish built with an elongated snout and forward-pointing jaws (the genus name itself echoes "belone," a dart or needle, paired with "phago," to eat). The atlas's two species, hutsebouti and tinanti, are modest in size at 3.5–4.5 in, consistent with the compact, dart-shaped build typical of this predatory characin lineage.
This is a genus of scientific rather than aquarium interest - neither species carries an established common name or a foothold in the ornamental trade, and both remain poorly documented outside the ichthyological literature on Congo basin fish faunas. Fin- and scale-eating pike characins in general have a reputation among specialist keepers as difficult, high-maintenance predators unsuited to community tanks, and Belonophago's narrow known range and thin data trail make it more a subject for field surveys than for the hobby. Both described species are currently assessed Least Concern, though as with much of the Congo basin's characin diversity, detailed population data remain sparse.