San Francisco piranha (Pygocentrus piraya)

Scientific name: Pygocentrus piraya Cuvier, 1819

San Francisco piranha (Pygocentrus piraya)

The San Francisco piranha (Pygocentrus piraya) is a freshwater fish of the family Characidae. Native range: South America, Sao Francisco River basin in Brazil.

Biology

Dangerous, import prohibited in some countries. Largest of the piranhas.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Pygocentrus piraya
Family
Characidae (Characins)
Order
Characiformes (Characins)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
34.0
Environment
Freshwater; pelagic
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
South America: Sao Francisco River basin in Brazil.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Traumatogenic
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

More tetras & characins

See all tetras & characins

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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