Piaractus mesopotamicus | |
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A group near Bonito, Brazil | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Characiformes |
Family: | Serrasalmidae |
Genus: | Piaractus |
Species: | P. mesopotamicus
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Binomial name | |
Piaractus mesopotamicus | |
Synonyms | |
Myletes edulis |
Piaractus mesopotamicus, the small-scaled pacu, Paraná River pacu or simply pacu (a name shared with other species), is a South American ray-finned fish that is native to the Paraguay- Paraná River basin, [3] [4] but it has been introduced by aquaculture activities in a wider area. [5] In its native range it is also known as the pacú chato, pez chato ("flat fish") or mbiraí-piraí. [6]
Piaractus mesopotamicus is a robust fish, with ovoid shape, flattened laterally. Its colour is dark grey to silver, with a white belly and a yellow breast. [3] It reaches up to 62 cm (2.03 ft) in length [5] and 20 kg (44 lb) in weight. [3] The other member of its genus, P. brachypomus, can be distinguished by its larger scale-size [7] and the lower number of lateral scales (less than 110). [8]
Piaractus mesopotamicus is an omnivore. [5] Young individuals usually feed on micro- crustaceans, while adults feed on plant material and insects. [5] Main food items for adults are nuts and seeds that fall from trees in flooded forests. [3] It tolerates water temperatures between 15 and 35 °C (59–95 °F), but stops feeding when it falls below 18 °C (64 °F). [5]