Piranha

Piranhas

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Family:	Characidae
Subfamily:	Serrasalminae

Genera

Catoprion
Citharinus
Pristobrycon
Pygocentrus
Serrasalmus

The piranhas or pirañas are a group of carnivorous freshwater fish living in South American rivers. They belong to five genera of the subfamily of Serrasalminae (which also includes closely related herbivorous fish including pacus and silver dollars). They are normally about 15 to 25 cm long (6 to 10 inches), although reportedly individuals have been found up to 40 cm in length. They are known for their sharp teeth (able to bite through a steel fishing hook) and an aggressive appetite for meat and flesh. They are normally only found in the Amazonian, Guianas and Paraguayan river systems. However, piranha (most likely former aquarium-dwellers) are also occasionally found in the Potomac River, but they typically do not survive the cold winters of that region. [1]

Piranhas generally pose little threat to humans, and attacks on humans are extremely rare. Natives frequently swim in piranha infested water without attacks or scratches. It is not recommended to swim where piranha live in drought season because of increased aggressiveness caused by food scarcity.

Recent research on Serrasalmus aff. brandtii and Pygocentrus nattereri in Viana Lake, which is formed during the wet season when the Rio Pindare (a left bank tributary of the Rio Mearim) floods, has shown that these species eat vegetable matter at some stages in their life history. They are not strictly carnivorous fishes.

The name piranha may come from a hybrid language composed of Tupi-Guarani languages; it may be a compound word made of the components 'pirá', meaning 'fish', and 'sanha' or 'ranha', meaning 'tooth'. In Tupi, inalienably possessed nouns take the prefix 't-', 's-', or 'r-' depending on the possessor, or zero in combination; thus 'pirá'+'anha'. Alternately, it may come from Tupi 'pirá' ('fish') and 'ánha' ('cut'). It is pronounced (in IPA) /pʰiɻanʲjə/ (or /pʰɻanʲjə), /pʰiɻaʲɲə/, or /pʰiɻanʲə/).

In the Maroni River in Suriname/ French Guiana a large kind, weighing up to five kilograms, can be found; it seems to be an herbivore. This species hosts colonies of worms in its stomach.

Six genera of piranhas

Pygocentrus (True Piranhas)
- Pygocentrus cariba (Shoulder Spot Piranha)
  - Cariba Piranha
  - Cariba
  - Caribe
  - Black Shoulder Piranha
  - Orinoco Piranha
  - Black Eared Piranha
  - Venuzuelan Red Belly Piranha
- Pygocentrus nattereri
  - Red Bellied Piranha (pictured below)
  - Redbelly Piranha
  - Red
  - Red Breasted Piranha
  - Red Piranha, Piranha
  - Common Piranha
  - Pygocentrus nattereri 'Ternetzi'
  - Ternetzi Piranha
  - Yellow King Emperor Piranha
  - Gold Dust Piranha
  - Yellow Nattereri
  - Golden Redbellied Piranha
  - Yellow Redbellied Piranha
- Pygocentrus piraya
  - Piraya
  - Piraya Piranha
  - Black-Tailed Piranha
  - Rio São Francisco Piranha
  - King Emperor Piranha
Serrasalmus (Pirambebas)
- Serrasalmus altispinis
- Serrasalmus altuvei
  - Altuvei Piranha
  - "Caribe Azul"
- Serrasalmus brandtii
  - Brandtii Piranha
  - Green Piranha
  - "Cavaca"
- Serrasalmus compressus
  - Compressus Piranha
- Serrasalmus eigenmanni
  - Eigenmann's Piranha
- Serrasalmus elongatus
  - Elongated Piranha
  - Pike Piranha
  - Pingke Piranha
  - Serrasalmus pinke
  - "Caribe Pinche"
- Serrasalmus geryi
  - Gery's Piranha
  - Violet Line Piranha
- Serrasalmus gibbus
  - Gibbus Piranha
  - Castelnau's Piranha
  - "Caribe Dorado"
- Serrasalmus gouldingi
  - Goulding's Piranha
- Serrasalmus hastatus
- Serrasalmus hollandi
  - Holland's Piranha
- Serrasalmus humeralis
  - Humeralis Piranha,
- Serrasalmus irritans
  - Iredescent Piranha
  - "Caribe Pinche"
- Serrasalmus maculatus
  - Maculatus Piranha
  - Mac
- Serrasalmus manueli
  - Manuel's Piranha
  - Green Tiger Piranha
  - "Caribe Parguasero"
- Serrasalmus marginatus
  - "Caribe"
- Serrasalmus medinai
  - Medinai Piranha
  - Red Throat Piranha
  - "Caribe"
- Serrasalmus nalseni
  - "Caribe Pintado"
- Serrasalmus neveriensis
  - Rio Neveri Piranha
  - "Caribe de Rio"
- Serrasalmus rhombeus
  - Rhombeus Piranha
  - Rhom
  - Black Piranha
  - White Piranha
  - Peruvian Black Piranha
  - Brazilian Black Piranha
  - Spotted Piranha
  - S. Niger Piranha
  - "Caribe Amarillo"
  - "Caribe Ojo Rojo"
- Serrasalmus sanchezi
  - Ruby-Red Piranha
  - Ruby-Throated Diamond Piranha
- Serrasalmus serrulatus
  - "Caribe Cortador"
- Serrasalmus spilopleura
  - Spilopleura Piranha
  - Spilo
  - Gold Piranha
  - Gold Spilopleura
  - Ruby Red Piranha
  - Purple Spilopleura
  - Black Piranha
  - Black Diamond Piranha
  - Speckled Piranha
  - Black-Banded Piranha
  - "Caribe Dorado"
Pristobrycon
- Pristobrycon aureus
  - Gold Piranha
  - "Palometa"
  - "Palometa de Rio"
  - Yellow Palometa
- Pristobrycon calmoni
  - Dusky Piranha
- Pristobrycon careospinus
- Pristobrycon maculipinnis
  - Gemarmerde Piranha
- Pristobrycon striolatus
  - "Caribito"
  - "Palometa Caribe"
  - Spotted Piranha
  - Scapularis Piranha
Pygopristis
- Pygopristis denticulata
  - Five-Cusped Piranha
  - Denticulata Piranha
  - Big-Toothed Piranha
  - Gold Piranha
  - "Caribe Palometa"
  - "Caribito"
Catoprion
- Catoprion mento
  - Wimpel Piranha
Citharinus
- Citharinus citharus citharus

Other, closely related species:

Pacus
- Colossoma bidens
  - Black Pacu
  - Silver Pacu
- Colossoma brachypomus
  - Pacu
  - Common Pacu
  - Red Pacu
- Colossoma macropomum:
- Colossoma oculus
- Colossoma orbignyanum

- Acnodon normani
  - Sheep Pacu
- Acnodon oligacanthus

- Ossubtus xinguensi
  - Parrot Pacu

Silver Dollars
- Metynnis altidorsalis
- Metynnis argenteus
  - Silver Dollar
- Metynnis fasciatus
  - Striped Silver Dollar
- Metynnis guaporensis
- Metynnis hypsauchen
  - Schreitmüller's Silver Dollar
  - Striped Silver Dollar
- Metynnis lippincottianus
  - Spotted Silver Dollar
- Metynnis luna
  - Red-Spot Silver Dollar
- Metynnis maculatus
  - Speckled Silver Dollar
- Metynnis mola
- Metynnis otuquensis

- Myleus rubripinnis
  - Red Hook Silver Dollar
- Myleus schomburgki
  - Black-Barred Silver Dollar

- Mylossoma duriventre
  - Silver Mylossoma
  - Hard-Bellied Silver Dollar

Pygocentrus nattereri

Serrasalmus manueli