A piranha or piraña is any of a number of freshwater fish species in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit 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, leading to their classification as omnivorous.
Serrasalmus is a genus of piranhas. They are collectively known as pirambebas; the "typical" piranhas like the piraya piranha are nowadays placed in Pygocentrus. Like all piranhas, Serrasalmus are native to South America.
The redeye piranha, also known as the black piranha, white piranha, spotted piranha or yellow piranha, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a piranha from the family Serrasalmidae. It is found in northern South America. It is the type species of the genus Serrasalmus.
The sharp-snouted piranha is a species of serrasalmid endemic to Peru. It is part of the S. rhombeus complex. It reaches a maximum size of around 7 inches (18 cm). Individuals often exhibit a red throat, similar to that of Pygocentrus nattereri. It is also known as ruby-throated diamond piranha or "ruby-red piranha"; the latter name is also used for the speckled piranha.
Serrasalmus geryi, known as the violet line piranha or Gery's piranha, is a species of piranha of the family Serrasalmidae. It is found in the lower Tocantins and Araguaia Rivers of Brazil. The species is notable for being the one of only the members of the genus Serrasalmus that can coexist with others of the same species in captivity, however caution is advised. Gery's Piranha reaches sizes up to 12 inches in length. As of 2018, it is classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Black piranha can refer to either of 2 species of these fish:
Sorubim is a small genus of long-whiskered catfish native to tropical South America. A number of characteristics allows the differentiation of each species in the genus. Sorubim species are important food fish in South America and are highly significant to fisheries of some areas; however, harvests of these fish are not identified as much as other, more popular food fishes such as Colossoma, Arapaima, and Brachyplatystoma. Some species of this family are popular aquarium fish.
Palometa is a name used for several species of fish:
Ruby-red piranha can refer to either of 2 species of these fish:
Spotted piranha can refer to either of 2 species of these fish:
Caribe dorado is a local term for either of 2 species of piranha:
Caribe pinche is a local term for either of 2 species of piranha:
Megapiranha is an extinct serrasalmid characin fish from the Late Miocene Ituzaingó Formation of Argentina, described in 2009. The type species is M. paranensis. It is thought to have been about 71 centimetres (28 in) in length and 10 kilograms (22 lb) in weight. The holotype consists only of premaxillae and a zigzag tooth row; the rest of its body is unknown. This dentition is reminiscent of both the double-row seen in pacus, and the single row seen in the teeth of modern piranhas, suggesting that M. paranensis is a transitional form. Its bite force is estimated between 1,240–4,749 N (279–1,068 lbf).
Elongatoolithus is an oogenus of dinosaur eggs found in the Late Cretaceous formations of China and Mongolia. Like other elongatoolithids, they were laid by small theropods, and were cared for and incubated by their parents until hatching. They are often found in nests arranged in multiple layers of concentric rings. As its name suggests, Elongatoolithus was a highly elongated form of egg. It is historically significant for being among the first fossil eggs given a parataxonomic name.
S. niger is an abbreviation of a species name. In binomial nomenclature, the name of a species is always the name of the genus to which the species belongs, followed by the species name. In S. niger, the genus name has been abbreviated to S. and the species has been spelled out in full. In a document that uses this abbreviation, it should always be clear from the context which genus name has been abbreviated.
Pygocentrus palometa is a species of piranha endemic to Venezuela, where it is restricted to the Orinoco Basin. Although recognized by FishBase, the scientific name may be a nomen dubium.
Sebastes elongatus, the greenstriped rockfish, striped rockfish, strawberry rockfish, poinsettas, reina or serena, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Kritskyia is a genus of monogeneans in the family Ancyrocephalidae.
Serrasalmus manueli, or the Silver piranha or Manuel's piranha, is one of the largest species of piranha within the genus Serrasalmus. Its size and weight are still yet to be determined but it is safe to say that it reaches around the same size and weight as the black piranha. It is a solitary species of piranha contrary to the social lifestyle of the much popular red-bellied piranha. As with all other piranhas, it is one of the hardest biting creatures on the planet relative to the body weight. This is a popular fish among aquarium hobbyists, although not as much as their red bellied or black piranha counterparts. This fish is said to be very sensitive to the environment and water conditions. Most of the large specimens which have been caught from the wild and taken for aquarium use have died on the way to their destination. All of the specimens of this fish found in aquarium hobby are the smaller ones. The largest individual of this fish in captivity is only 35 centimetres long, still a long way from its maximum size. Most of the manueli kept in aquarium never grow to larger size than this. But those individuals in their natural habitat have been reported by the locals to be more than 50 centimetres long which is yet to be confirmed by a reliable source. This species is known to inhabit a diverse range of habitat from the areas of dense rainforest to the tropical grasslands of the Venezuelan Llanos.
