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
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
(Cuvier, 1819)
Synonyms [2]
  • Serrasalmus denticulatus Cuvier, 1819
  • Serrasalmus punctatus Jardine, 1841
  • Pygopristis fumarius J. Müller & Troschel, 1844
  • Pygopristis serrulatus Valenciennes, 1850
  • Serrasalmus serrulatus (Valenciennes, 1850)

Pygopristis is a monospecific genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Serrasalmidae, which includes the pacus, piranhas and related fishes.. The only species in the genus is Pygopristis denticulata, also known as the lobetoothed piranha,. [3] This species 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. [4] Like other piranhas, it is found in freshwater, [3] with specimens of this species typically found in acidic clearwater or blackwater environments. Despite their ferocious reputation, many piranhas have broader diets; [3] this species feeds on the scales of other fish as juveniles, [5] but transitions to a broader diet of aquatic insects, small fish, and fruits as adults. [6]

Contents

Biology

P. denticulata grows to about 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length. [4] It has 62 chromosomes. [7] 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. [7]

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. [7]

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. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pygopristis". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  3. 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.
  4. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pygopristis denticulata". FishBase . July 2007 version.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. 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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