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Piranha

Piranhas are freshwater fish that inhabit rivers and lakes in South America. They belong to the subfamily Serrasalminae and were traditionally considered to include 4 genera, though recent analysis suggests restricting or expanding this to include additional related taxa. Estimates of the total number of piranha species vary widely from fewer than 30 to over 60 species. Piranhas are found primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins, though some species occur across multiple river systems and as many as 7 species can be found together in some locations. They have been unsuccessfully introduced to parts of the United States from aquariums.

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232 views1 page

Piranha

Piranhas are freshwater fish that inhabit rivers and lakes in South America. They belong to the subfamily Serrasalminae and were traditionally considered to include 4 genera, though recent analysis suggests restricting or expanding this to include additional related taxa. Estimates of the total number of piranha species vary widely from fewer than 30 to over 60 species. Piranhas are found primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins, though some species occur across multiple river systems and as many as 7 species can be found together in some locations. They have been unsuccessfully introduced to parts of the United States from aquariums.

Uploaded by

ArjanShahinlli
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ICT

Piranha
"Pirana" redirects here. For other uses, see Piranha
(disambiguation).
A piranha or piraña (/pɪˈrɑːnjə/, /pɪˈrænjə/, or /pɪ
ˈrɑːnə/; Portuguese: [piˈɾɐɲ
̃ ɐ], Spanish: [piˈɾaɲa]), a
member of family Serrasalmidae,[1] or a member of the
subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra
family, Characidae[2] in order Characiformes, is a
freshwater fish that inhabits South American
rivers, floodplains, lakes and reservoirs. Although often
described as extremely predatory and mainly feeding on fish, their dietary habits vary
extensively, and they will also take plant material,[3] leading to their classification
as omnivorous.[4]

Taxonomy and evolution


Piranhas belong to the subfamily Serrasalminae, which includes closely related
omnivorous[5] fish such as pacus.[6] Traditionally, only the
four genera Pristobrycon, Pygocentrus, Pygopristis, and Serrasalmus are considered to
be true piranhas, due to their specialized teeth. However, a recent analysis showed, if
the piranha group is to be monophyletic, it should be restricted
to Serrasalmus, Pygocentrus, and part of Pristobrycon, or expanded to include these
taxa plus Pygopristis, Catoprion, and Pristobrycon striolatus. Pygopristis was found to
be more closely related to Catoprion than the other three piranha genera.[6]
The total number of piranha species is unknown and contested, and new species
continue to be described. Estimates range from fewer than 30 to more than 60.[6]

Distribution
Piranhas are indigenous to the Amazon basin, in the Orinoco, in rivers of the Guianas,
in the Paraguay–Paraná, and the São Francisco River systems, but there are major
differences in the species richness. In a review where 38–39 piranha species were
recognized, 25 were from the Amazon and 16 from Orinoco, while only 3 were present
in Paraguay–Paraná and 2 in São Francisco.[6] Most species are restricted to a single
river system, but some (such as the red-bellied piranha) occur in several. Many species
can occur together; for example, seven are found in Caño Maporal, a stream in
Venezuela.[6]Aquarium piranhas have been unsuccessfully introduced into parts of
the United States.[7] In many cases, however, reported captures of piranhas are
misidentifications of pacu (e.g., red-bellied pacu Piaractus brachypomus is frequently
misidentified as red-bellied piranha Pygocentrus nattereri).[8] Piranhas have also been
discovered in the Kaptai Lake in southeast Bangladesh. Research is being carried out
to establish how piranhas have moved to such distant corners of the world from their
original habitat. Some rogue exotic fish traders are thought to have released them in the
lake to avoid being caught by antipoaching forces. Piranhas were also spotted in
the Lijiang River in China.[9]

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