Payara
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{for|the related species also known as payara|Hydrolycus armatus}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Payara
| image = Hydrolycus scomberoides by OpenCage.jpg
| image_caption = at Toba Aquarium, Japan
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Hydrolycus scomberoides
| authority = (G. Cuvier, 1819){{ITIS |id=639859 |taxon=Hydrolycus scomberoides |accessdate=19 October 2017}}
}}
The payara, (Hydrolycus scomberoides), is a species of dogtooth tetra. This predatory fish is found in the Amazon Basin in tropical South America.{{FishBase|genus=Hydrolycus|species=scomberoides|year=2005|month=October}}{{cite web|website=SeriouslyFish|url=http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hydrolycus-scomberoides/ |title=Hydrolycus scomberoides|access-date=31 October 2015}} It was the first of four species to be described in the genus Hydrolycus.{{cite journal |author1=Toledo-Piza, M. |author2=N.A. Menezes |author3=G.M. Santos | year=1999 | title=Revision of the Neotropical fish genus Hydrolycus'' (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Cynodontidae) with the description of two new species | journal=Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters | volume=10 | issue=3 | pages=255–280 }}
Description
The most noticeable feature of H. scomberoides is the two long fangs protruding from its lower jaw. These are used to impale their prey, mostly smaller fish. It typically reaches a standard length of about {{cvt|30|cm|ft|1}},{{cite web | title=Payara—Hydrolycus scomberoides | url=http://www.acuteangling.com/amazon-gamefish/fishing-payara/species/hydrolycus-scomberoides.html | publisher=Acute Angling | accessdate=19 October 2017 }} but can reach up to {{cvt|51|cm|ftin}}.{{cite journal |author1=Brambilla |author2=Garcia-Ayala |author3=Travassos |author4=Carvalho |author5=David | year=2015 | title=Length-weight relationships of the main commercial fish species of Tucuruí reservoir (Tocantins/Araguaia basin, Brazil) | journal=Boletim do Instituto de Pesca | volume=41 | issue=3 | pages=665–670 }} There are reports of far larger individuals, up to {{cvt|117|cm|ftin}} in total length and {{cvt|17.8|kg|lboz}} in weight, based on records by IGFA,{{cite web|title=Payara |website=The International Game Fish Association |url=https://igfa.org/member-services/world-record/common-name/Payara |access-date=24 June 2024}} but this likely involves confusion with the related H. armatus.
H. scomberoides is overall silvery with a dark spot behind the opercle and another at the lower base of the pectoral fin. In adults the tail is dusky on the basal half, turning paler (more transparent) towards the tip.{{cite web | title=Subfamily Cynodontinae | url=https://opefe.com/hydrolycus.html | publisher=OPEFE | accessdate=19 October 2017 | archive-date=20 August 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820221653/http://opefe.com/hydrolycus.html | url-status=dead }}
==In the aquarium==
The payara, which is also sold as the saber tooth barracuda, vampire fish, vampire tetra, or saber tusk barracuda, is a popular species for large, aggressive aquariums. It requires a large aquarium and can only be mixed with relatively large species, as smaller will be seen as potential prey.