Piranha

See also: Piranhas

The term of Piranha indicates several Espèce S of Poisson of fresh water living in the Rivière S of South America. The piranha belong to the family Characidae S, Sous-famille of the Serrasalminae.

Caution: all the Serrasalminés are not piranhas.

Its length is approximately 15 to 25 cm.

The majority are Prédateur S with acute teeth and an appetite for the meat. Contrary to their legend, they attack only seldom the man living and the only case attested date of 1870 (wounded Brazilian soldiers and covered with blood trying to cross a river).

The subfamily of the Serrasalminae

Serrasalminae are especially known by the piranhas and their reputation of voracity. However the piranhas with the sharp-edged and pointed teeth do not represent that a branch of Serrasalminae. The species of the phytophagous and/or frugivorous branch are, in fact, more, often larger and more required in Amazonia and in the Guyanes because of their gustatory quality and of the economic value which they represent.

The herbivores belonging to the kinds Mylesinus and Tometes , like the Tometes lebaili (kumaru or watau) one of largest fish of the basin of the Maroni in French Guiana, can weigh more than 6 kg. They feed exclusively from rupestral plants (which push on the rocks) of the Podostemaceae family which one finds in the rapids. The intestine of these fish is truffle the small ones towards nematodes ( Rondonia rondoni ) whose mass can reach 15% of fish. They are not parasites but symbions, because they are sheltered and nourished by fish all while helping it to digest the sheets of Podostemaceae. Uncertainty reigns however on the true nature of these fish. Are truths Phytophage S which feed from the products resulting from digestion from the plants by the worms? Are carnivorous truths which raise a community of worms in their intestine for then assimilating the breakdown products of the dead worms? Vast benches of piranhas patrol in full water in the hope that small fish venture out of the protective plants. It is indeed of large carnivores with regard to fish and makes in particular large damage in the nets of sin of the buildings, while attacking fish often imprisoned with the risks to remain wedged themselves.

List species indicated by the name of piranha

  • Catoprion mento

  • Pristobrycon aureus
  • Pristobrycon calmoni
  • Pristobrycon striolatus
  • Pygocentrus cariba
  • Pygocentrus nattereri
  • Pygocentrus piraya
  • Pygopristis denticulata
  • Serrasalmus altispinis
  • Serrasalmus brandtii
  • Serrasalmus compressus
  • Serrasalmus eigenmanni
  • Serrasalmus elongatus
  • Serrasalmus gibbus
  • Serrasalmus gouldingi
  • Serrasalmus hastatus
  • Serrasalmus humeralis
  • Serrasalmus maculatus
  • Serrasalmus manueli
  • Serrasalmus marginatus
  • Serrasalmus nattereri
  • Serrasalmus rhombeus
  • Serrasalmus serrulatus
  • Serrasalmus spilopleura
Random links:1898 in sport | French concession of Shanghai | Toro (telefilm) | 1984 in basketball | Pierre Devilder | Alphonse_de_Polignac