Pherenicus of Heraclea is known solely from a brief entry in the Byzantine encyclopedia, the Suda, which identifies him as a poet from Heraclea, likely Heraclea Pontica. No biographical details survive. A Hellenistic date, perhaps the 3rd to 1st century BCE, is plausible given the genre of his work.

His only attested composition is the lost epic poem titled Persica. The title indicates its subject concerned Persian history or mythology.

Pherenicus represents the minor Hellenistic genre of historical epic. His Persica belongs to a tradition of Greek works on Persian themes, alongside authors like Herodotus and Choerilus of Samos. His scant attestation exemplifies the multitude of lost authors from antiquity, highlighting the scope of literary activity despite the irrecoverable nature of his work.