Serrasalmus

Pirambebas
6.5 in (17 cm)-long juvenile Green Tiger Piranha (S. manueli)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Osteichthyes
Class: Actinopterygii
Subclass: Neopterygii
Infraclass: Teleostei
Superorder: Ostariophysi
Order: Characiformes
Family: Serrasalmidae
Genus: Serrasalmus
Lacepède, 1803
Type species
Salmo rhombeus
Linnaeus, 1766
Species

See text

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.

These fish are predatory, have sharp teeth and generally have a rhomboid shape. In some, the shape is more ovoid, particularly in old specimens. Some Serrasalmus species can exceed 20 in or 510 mm (S. manueli and S. rhombeus, according to OPEFE), placing them among the largest Serrasalmidae.

Species

There are currently 31 recognized species in this genus:[1]

References

  1. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2013). Species of Serrasalmus in FishBase. April 2013 version.
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