Xenocharax is a genus of African characiforms in the family Distichodontidae, the group that also includes better-known grazers such as Distichodus and Nannocharax. The atlas covers two species, X. crassus and X. spilurus, recorded from Cameroon, Gabon, and the Congo basin, spanning both the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Atlas sizes run from about 7.5–8 in, making Xenocharax one of the more robust, deep-bodied members of a family whose smaller relatives are mostly algae and vegetation grazers with a small, downturned mouth.
Neither atlas species carries an established common name, and Xenocharax has essentially no presence in the aquarium trade - it is known mainly from ichthyological surveys of Central African rivers rather than fish stores, so detailed, reliable information on its wild diet and behaviour is sparse in accessible sources. Conservation status is only partly resolved for the genus: one of the two atlas species is assessed as Least Concern, while the other has not yet been formally evaluated, a common gap for Congo basin distichodontids that have drawn more taxonomic than conservation attention.