Myloplus rubripinnis
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Characiformes (Characins)
Serrasalmidae (Piranhas and Pacus)
Myloplus
Myloplus rubripinnis
Description
This species account was compiled from
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Characters
Body shape: short and / or deep.
Distribution
South America: Amazon and Orinoco River basins; north and eastern Guiana Shield rivers.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. benthopelagic. Found in: streams.
Biology
Gregarious and non-aggressive (Ref. 27188). Prefers calm zones of main rivers where the vegetation hangs over the river banks. Feeds on the leaves of river plants (Ref. 12225). Possesses powerful dentition that can cause serious bites. Its reproduction has not yet been carried out in captivity (Ref. 27188).
Max length: 41.5 cm TL; max weight: 2500 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. The red hooked anal fin of the female is actually a plough. The male has a bilobed anal fin which is designed to wrap around the female's "hook". During spawning, the female inserts the hook into the substrate (e.g., gravel) and ploughs a furrow while laying the eggs with the male in a position next to her with his bi-lobed fin wrapped around the hook as he fertilises the eggs. The female's "hook" is suprisingly strong and can be pushed into coarse gravel (up to the anal opening) without any problem with a shaking body action, the male's bilobed hook folds under the same pressure so they can work in unison (Ref. 55767).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2020-12-21. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Baensch, H.A. and R. Riehl (1985) Aquarien atlas. Band 2. Mergus, Verlag für Natur-und Heimtierkunde GmbH, Melle, Germany. 1216 p.
Ortega, H. and R.P. Vari (1986) Annotated checklist of the freshwater fishes of Peru. Smithson. Contrib. Zool. (437):1-25. DOI: 10.5479/si.00810282.437
Planquette, P., P. Keith and P.-Y. Le Bail (1996) Atlas des poissons d'eau douce de Guyane. Tome 1. Collection du Patrimoine Naturel Volume 22, MNHN, Paris & INRA, Paris. 429 p.
Jégu, M. (2003) Serrasalminae (Pacus and piranhas). p. 182-196. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil.
Giarrizzo, T., R.R. de Sena Oliveira, M.C. Andrade, A.P. Gonçalves, T.A.P. Barbosa, A.R. Martins, D.K. Marques, J.L.B. dos Santos, R. de P., da S. Frois, T.P.O. de Albuquerque, L.F.de A. Montag, M. Camargo and L.M. de Sousa (2015) Length-weight and length-length relationships for 135 fish species from the Xingu River (Amazon basin, Brazil). J. Appl. Ichthyol. 31:514-424. DOI: 10.1111/jai.12677
Comments On Myloplus rubripinnis