Pygopristis

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Pygopristis
Aquarium tropical du Palais de la Porte Doree - Pygopristis denticulata (cropped).jpg
Lepidophagous fish (cropped).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Serrasalmidae
Subfamily: Serrasalminae
Genus: Pygopristis
J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1844
Species:
P. denticulata
Binomial name
Pygopristis denticulata
(G. Cuvier, 1819)
Synonyms
  • Serrasalmus denticulatus
    G. Cuvier, 1819
  • Serrasalmus punctatus
    Jardine, 1841
  • Pygopristis fumarius
    J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1845

Pygopristis denticulata, also known as the lobetoothed piranha, is a species of piranha. [2] It is a rare South American characiform fish found in the Orinoco River basin, rivers of the northern and eastern Guiana Shield, and tributaries of the lower Amazon River. [3] Like other piranhas, it is found in freshwater, [2] with specimens of this species typically found in acidic clearwater or blackwater environments. Despite their ferocious reputation, many piranhas have broader diets; [2] this species feeds on the scales of other fish as juveniles, [4] but transitions to a broader diet of aquatic insects, small fish, and fruits as adults. [5]

Contents

Biology

P. denticulata grows to about 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length. [3] It has 62 chromosomes. [6] P. denticulata has pentacuspid teeth and a middle cusp that is usually only slightly larger than the other cusps. This is unlike other piranhas, which have tricuspid teeth with a larger middle cusp, making the teeth appear triangular. [6]

Taxonomy

Within the family Serrasalmidae, P. denticulata is more closely related to Catoprion than it is to the majority of species traditionally considered true piranhas. [6]

References

  1. ↑ Brejão, G.L. (2024). "Pygopristis denticulata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2024: e.T164537816A164537834. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T164537816A164537834.en . Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Fink, William L. (1989-01-01). "Ontogeny and phylogeny of shape and diet in the South American fishes called piranhas" . Geobios. Ontogenèse Et Évolution. 22: 167–172. Bibcode:1989Geobi..22..167F. doi:10.1016/S0016-6995(89)80017-8. ISSN   0016-6995.
  3. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pygopristis denticulata". FishBase . July 2007 version.
  4. ↑ Kolmann, Matthew A.; Huie, Jonathan M.; Evans, Kory; Summers, Adam P. (January 2018). "Specialized specialists and the narrow niche fallacy: a tale of scale-feeding fishes". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (1): 171581. doi:10.1098/rsos.171581. ISSN   2054-5703. PMC   5792939 . PMID   29410862.
  5. ↑ Machado-Allison, A.; W. Fink (1996). Los Peces Caribes de Venezuela. Diagnosis, claves, aspectos ecológicos y evolutivos. (Colección Monografías). Caracas: Universidad Central de Venezuela, CDCV. ISBN   980-00-0967-1.
  6. 1 2 3 Freeman, Barbie; Nico, Leo G.; Osentoski, Matthew; Jelks, Howard L.; Collins, Timothy M. (2007). "Molecular systematics of Serrasalmidae: Deciphering the identities of piranha species and unraveling their evolutionary histories" (PDF). Zootaxa . 1484: 1–38. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0469.2000.384132.x.


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