Biology:Pygocentrus

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Short description: Genus of fishes

Pygocentrus
Piranha1.jpg
Scientific classification e
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Serrasalmidae
Genus: Pygocentrus
J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1844
Type species
Serrasalmus piraya
G. Cuvier, 1819

Pygocentrus is a genus of the piranha family Serrasalmidae. All species are native to tropical and subtropical South America. All the species are predatory, scavengers and may form large schools. The famous red-bellied piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri, is one of four species in the genus.[1]

Species

There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[1]

  • Pygocentrus cariba (Humboldt, 1821) (black spot piranha) – Orinoco river basin.
  • Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858 (red piranha, red-bellied piranha) – Amazon, Paraguay-Paraná-Uruguay, and Essequibo river basins, as well as various river in northeastern Brazil.
  • Pygocentrus palometa Valenciennes, 1850 – Orinoco river basin, possibly a nomen dubium.[2]
  • Pygocentrus piraya (G. Cuvier, 1819) (San Francisco piranha) – São Francisco River

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Pygocentrus in FishBase. April 2013 version.
  2. Reis, R. E., S. O. Kullander and C. J. Ferraris, Jr., editors (2003). Check list of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America. CLOFFSCA. EDIPUCRS, Porto Alegre. 2003: i-xi + 1-729
  • Fink, W. 1993. Revision of the piranha genus Pygocentrus (Teleostei, Characiformes). Copeia 3:665-687.
  • Machado-Allison, A. & W. Fink. 1996. Los peces caribes de Venezuela> diagnosis, claves, aspectos ecológicos y evolutivos. Universidad Central de Venezuela, CDCH, (Colección Monografías)Caracas, 149p. ISBN:980-00-0967-1

Wikidata ☰ Q2700265 entry