Edit Pygocentrus cariba
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Name
Scientific name
Pygocentrus cariba
Described by
Authority Humboldt, Year 1821, Bracketed
Family
Serrasalmidae
Common names
Black Spot Piranha
Photograph credits
All 4 credited
Summary
The black spot piranha, Pygocentrus cariba, is restricted to the Río Orinoco basin in Colombia and Venezuela. Many of its habitats lie with…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
350mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 240 cm, Minimum depth 90 cm, Minimum height 60 cm
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 20–28°C, pH 4–7
Hardness
1–10dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Not recorded
Social needs
A shoal or group
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Colombia, Venezuela, Apure, Ariari, Ariporo, Casanare, Chaviripa, Cravo Norte, Cunaviche, Duda, Guárico, Guaviare, Inírida, Lipa, Meta, Orinoco, Portuguesa, Ticoporo, Tomo, Vichada
Writing
Etymology
Pygocentrus: from the Ancient Greek πῡγή (pūgḗ), meaning 'rump', and κέντρον (kéntron), meaning 'sharp point, thorn, spine', in reference to the serrated abdom…
Distribution
Restricted to the Río Orinoco basin in Colombia and Venezuela, including major tributaries such as the ríos Inírida, Guaviare, Meta, Vichada, Tomo, Casanare, A…
Habitat
Has been recorded from major river channels, smaller tributaries, and floodplain lakes, many of which comprise acidic, mineral-poor blackwater environments wit…
Aquarium size
Suitable only for public installations or the very largest private aquaria with an aquarium measuring 240 ∗ 90 ∗ 60 cm or equivalent the minimum requirement fo…
Maintenance
Some aquarists maintain this species in bare-bottomed arrangements for ease of maintenance, but standard aquarium gravel or sand are both suitable substrates. …
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
Pygocentrus spp. are not exclusive carnivores and are more accurately described as opportunistic generalists. The natural diet consists not only of live fishes…
Behaviour and compatibility
Best-maintained alone although adults tend to leave much smaller fishes alone if well-fed. In very large aquaria similarly-sized species may not be killed outr…
Sexual dimorphism
Females generally attain a larger adult size than males, and sexually mature individuals exhibit a more-rounded body shape, especially during reproductive peri…
Reproduction
Unrecorded, but probably employs a similar reproductive strategy to that of the congener P. nattereri whereby wild populations exhibit two annual reproductive …
Notes
Pygocentrus species are famed as rapacious predators capable of rapidly stripping flesh from bone and a danger to any animal entering its native waters, althou…
References
References
10 on this profile