| Piaractus brachypomus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Adult Piaractus brachypomus at Aquarium du palais de la Porte Dorée | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Serrasalmidae |
| Genus: | Piaractus |
| Species: | P. brachypomus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Piaractus brachypomus (G. Cuvier, 1818)
| |
| Synonyms | |
Piaractus brachypomus also known as the red-bellied Pacu or pirapitinga, is a large species of pacu, a close relative of piranhas and silver dollars, in the serrasalmid family.[1][2] It is native to the Amazon basin in tropical South America, but it formerly included populations in the Orinoco, which was described in 2019 as a separate species, P. orinoquensis.[3] Additionally, P. brachypomus is widely farmed and has been introduced to other regions.[4] In South Florida they are invasive in rivers, canals or lakes.[5]
As with a number of other closely related species, P. brachypomus is often referred to as the red-bellied pacu in reference to the appearance of the juveniles. This has resulted in a great deal of confusion about the nature and needs of all the species involved, with the reputation and requirements of one frequently being wrongly attributed to the others.[6]
- ^ a b c Nico, L.; P. Fuller; and M. Neilson (22 October 2013). Piaractus brachypomus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Piaractus brachypomus". FishBase. March 2017 version.
- ^ Escobar, M.D., R.P. Ota, A. Machado-Allison, I.P. Farias and T. Hrbek (2019). A new species of Piaractus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) from the Orinoco Basin with a redescription of Piaractus brachypomus. Journal of Fish Biology: [1-x]. doi:10.1111/jfb.13990
- ^ SeriouslyFish: Piaractus brachypomus. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
- ^ Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area
- ^ Gamefish of the Amazon Basin, Tambaqui and Pirapitinga