| Red-bellied piranha | |
|---|---|
| |
| Karlsruhe Zoo, Germany | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Serrasalmidae |
| Genus: | Pygocentrus |
| Species: | P. nattereri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858
| |
The red-bellied piranha, also known as the red piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri), is a type of piranha native to South America, found in the Amazon, Paraguay, Paraná and Essequibo basins, as well as coastal rivers of northeastern Brazil.[2][3] This fish is locally abundant in its freshwater habitat.[4] They are omnivorous foragers and feed on insects, worms, crustaceans, and fish. They are not a migratory species but do travel to seek out conditions conducive to breeding and spawning during periods of increased rainfall. Red-bellied piranhas often travel in shoals as a predatory defense but rarely exhibit group hunting behavior. Acoustic communication is common and is sometimes exhibited along with aggressive behaviors. They are a popular aquarium fish.
- ^ Brejão, G.L. 2024. Pygocentrus nattereri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T186604A1815617. Accessed on 30 October 2024.
- ^ Pygocentrus nattereri. Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Accessed 19 February 2016.
- ^ Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Editors. Pygocentrus nattereri. FishBase. 2015.
- ^ Santos, Carlos Henrique dos A. dos; Sá Leitão, Carolina S.; Paula-Silva, Maria de N.; Almeida-Val, Vera Maria F. (2016). "Genetic differentiation in red-bellied piranha populations (Pygocentrus nattereri, Kner, 1858) from the Solimões-Amazonas River". Ecology and Evolution. 6 (12): 4203–4213. Bibcode:2016EcoEv...6.4203S. doi:10.1002/ece3.2195. PMC 4972243. PMID 27516875.