Serrasalmus rhombeus
No common name
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Characiformes (Characins)
Serrasalmidae (Piranhas and Pacus)
Serrasalmus
Serrasalmus rhombeus
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.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Body shape: short and / or deep. Striking features: none.
Distribution
South America: Amazon and Orinoco River basins, north and eastern Guiana Shield rivers, and northeastern Brazilian coastal rivers.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. benthopelagic. Found in: streams, lakes.
Biology
Occurs in the rapids but is also captured in deep zones of main rivers with the use of fish bait. Is essentially a carnivore, feeds on small fish, crabs, mammals, lizards and coleopteran insects. Its opportunistic behavior allows it to adapt to various biotopes (Ref. 12225). It is timid and not aggressive but it possesses powerful dentition that can cause serious bites, and is therefore, potentially dangerous. Import is prohibited in some areas. However, the incorporation of this species in fish-based house security systems has been proposed (see Ref. 9506).
Max length: 41.5 cm SL; max weight: 3830 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2020-12-22. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Goulding, M. (1980) The fishes and the forest: explorations in Amazonian natural history. University of California Press, Berkeley. 280 p.
Merckx, A., M. Jégu and G. Mendes Dos Santos (2000) Une nouvelle espèce de Serrasalmus (Teleostei: Characidae: Serrasalminae), S. altispinis n. sp., décrite du rio uatumã (Amazonas, Brésil) avec une description complémentaire de S. rhombeus (Linnaeus, 1766) du plateau Guyanais. Cybium 24(2):181-201.
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.
Comments On Serrasalmus rhombeus