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Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858

Red piranha
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Turkey country information

Common names: Batman crested loach
Occurrence: introduced
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Reported from Sakarya Lake, probably an aquarium released species (Ref. 106151).
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Çiçek, E., R. Fricke and S.S. Birecikligil, 2015
National Database: CLOMFOT

Common names from other countries

Red pirai, Piranha, Batman crested loach, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Characiformes (Characins) > Serrasalmidae (Piranhas and pacus) > Serrasalminae
Etymology: Pygocentrus: Greek, pyge = rump + Greek, kentron = sting (Ref. 45335).
  More on author: Kner.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; pelagic; pH range: 5.5 - 7.5; dH range: ? - 20.   Subtropical; 23°C - 27°C (Ref. 13371); 9°N - 34°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

South America: Amazon River basin, Paraguay-Paraná River basin, northeastern Brazilian coastal rivers and Essequibo River basin (Ref. 39031). Reported from the Uruguay River, Brazil (Ref. 79585).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - 15 cm
Max length : 50.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 81048); max. published weight: 3.9 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16-18; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 27 - 30

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Common in creeks and interconnected ponds in Matto Grosso, Brazil, where it influences distribution and feeding of other fish (Ref. 9080) and in areas of high primary production in Rio Machado and Rio Negro (Ref.9096). Adults feed mainly at dusk and dawn. Feeds on insects, worms and fish (Ref. 7020). Medium-sized to large individuals (15-24 cm length) forage mainly at dawn, late afternoon and night up to about 2200H, whereas smaller fish (8-11 cm) are active mainly during the day (Ref. 9080). Teeth replacement on alternating sides of jaw allows continuous feeding. Its powerful dentition can inflict serious bites. Has a highly evolved auditory capacity and a 'lurking', then 'dashing' behavior during daytime. Shows hierarchies within small schools (Ref. 9077). Available information on body composition of 'piranha caju' flesh is 8.2% fat, 15.0% protein and 4.4% ash (Ref. 9251).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Males and females appear externally alike (Refs. 2279 & 9245). In 'Serrasalmus sp. aff. nattereri', reported to occur in the Orinoco basin (Venezuela, Guyana), the males have more 'bull-like' heads, but are more slender than females (Ref. 1672). Eggs are laid on tree roots trailing in the water and are guarded; the reproductive success may vary strongly from year to year depending on how the savanna was flooded (Ref. 9078). The eggs are large, adhere to plants and are not attacked by the parents. They hatch in 9 to10 days (Ref. 7020).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Fink, W.L., 1993. Revision of the piranha genus Pygocentrus. Copeia 1993(3):665-687. (Ref. 27142)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Traumatogenic (Ref. 4537)




Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

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Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | OsteoBase(skull, spine) | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5625   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02089 (0.01373 - 0.03180), b=3.16 (3.04 - 3.28), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.7   ±0.61 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.89; tm=1; Fec=4,000-5,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (44 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.