Pygocentrus

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Piranha1.jpg

| taxon = Pygocentrus

| authority = J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1844

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision =

| type_species = Serrasalmus piraya

| type_species_authority = G. Cuvier, 1819

| synonyms = Rooseveltiella {{small|Eigenmann, 1915}}

}}

Pygocentrus is a genus of the piranha family Serrasalmidae. All species are native to tropical and subtropical South America. All the species are predatory, scavengers and may form large schools. The famous red-bellied piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri, is one of four species in the genus.{{FishBase genus | genus = Pygocentrus| month = April | year = 2013}}

Species

There are currently four recognized species in this genus:

Pygocentrus cariba (Humboldt, 1821) (black spot piranha) – Orinoco river basin.
Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858 (red piranha, red-bellied piranha) – Amazon, Paraguay-Paraná-Uruguay, and Essequibo river basins, as well as various river in northeastern Brazil.
Pygocentrus palometa Valenciennes, 1850 – Orinoco river basin, possibly a nomen dubium.{{Cof species |Pygocentrus|palometa|access-date=16 March 2025}}
Pygocentrus piraya (G. Cuvier, 1819) (San Francisco piranha) – São Francisco River

References

{{cite journal|author=Fink, W. |year=1993|title= Revision of the piranha genus Pygocentrus (Teleostei, Characiformes)|journal=Copeia|volume=3|pages=665–687|doi=10.2307/1447228 |jstor=1447228 }}
Machado-Allison, A. & W. Fink. 1996. Los peces caribes de Venezuela> diagnosis, claves, aspectos ecológicos y evolutivos. Universidad Central de Venezuela, CDCH, (Colección Monografías) Caracas, 149p. {{ISBN|980-00-0967-1}}
Reis, R. E., S. O. Kullander and C. J. Ferraris, Jr., editors (2003). Check list of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America. CLOFFSCA. EDIPUCRS, Porto Alegre. 2003: i-xi + 1-729

Category:Serrasalmidae

Category:Freshwater fish of South America

Category:Taxa named by Johannes Peter Müller

Category:Taxa named by Franz Hermann Troschel