Pygocentrus nattereri
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Characiformes (Characins)
Serrasalmidae (Piranhas and Pacus)
Pygocentrus
Pygocentrus nattereri
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: short and / or deep. Striking features: none.
Distribution
South America: Amazon River basin, Paraguay-Paraná River basin, northeastern Brazilian coastal rivers and Essequibo River basin (Ref. 39031). Reported from the Uruguay River, Brazil (Ref. 79585).
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. pelagic. Found in: streams.
Biology
Common in creeks and interconnected ponds in Matto Grosso, Brazil, where it influences distribution and feeding of other fish (Ref. 9080) and in areas of high primary production in Rio Machado and Rio Negro (Ref.9096). Adults feed mainly at dusk and dawn. Feeds on insects, worms and fish (Ref. 7020). Medium-sized to large individuals (15-24 cm length) forage mainly at dawn, late afternoon and night up to about 2200H, whereas smaller fish (8-11 cm) are active mainly during the day (Ref. 9080). Teeth replacement on alternating sides of jaw allows continuous feeding. Its powerful dentition can inflict serious bites. Has a highly evolved auditory capacity and a 'lurking', then 'dashing' behavior during daytime. Shows hierarchies within small schools (Ref. 9077). Available information on body composition of 'piranha caju' flesh is 8.2% fat, 15.0% protein and 4.4% ash (Ref. 9251).
Max length: 50.0 cm SL; max weight: 3850 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters). Males and females appear externally alike (Refs. 2279 & 9245). In 'Serrasalmus sp. aff. nattereri', reported to occur in the Orinoco basin (Venezuela, Guyana), the males have more 'bull-like' heads, but are more slender than females (Ref. 1672). Eggs are laid on tree roots trailing in the water and are guarded; the reproductive success may vary strongly from year to year depending on how the savanna was flooded (Ref. 9078). The eggs are large, adhere to plants and are not attacked by the parents. They hatch in 9 to10 days (Ref. 7020).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2020-12-21. Resilience: Medium (K=0.89; tm=1; Fec=4,000-5,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquarium: commercial.
References
Kner, R. (1860) Zur Familie der Characinen: III. Folge der ichthyologischen Beiträge. Wien. Denkschriften der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften (Mathematisch-Naturwiss. Classe) 18:36-38.
Pauly, D. (1994) Quantitative analysis of published data on the growth, metabolism, food consumption, and related features of the red-bellied piranha, Serrasalmus nattereri (Characidae). Environ. Biol. Fishes 41(1-4):423-437.
Fink, W.L. (1993) Revision of the piranha genus Pygocentrus. Copeia 1993(3):665-687.
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.
Britski, H.A., K.Z. de S> de Silimon and B.S. Lopes (2007) Peixes do Pantanal: manual de identificaçäo, 2 ed. re. ampl. Brasília, DF: Embrapa Informaçäo Tecnológica, 227 p.
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